And Francis is a great guy and one I would listen to. He's generally keeping pet people away, but it's a good starting point.

If an unstable dog is being used for SAR, I have to question that SAR team's priorities.

I have little experience with Mals but I think they're closer to a mouthy, sharper, harder Border Collie than a GSD.

ie, highly sensitive, higher strung, easily stimulated, in tune with the handler, very athletic, very environmentally aware.

I wrote this a while ago. Sadly, it's pretty accurate of life with a Mal that has not been worked enough:

A Day In The Life Of A Malinois

6:26am Wake up in the morning promptly at 6:26. It MUST be precisely 4 minutes before the alarm goes off.
6:27-6:28am Absolutely INSIST on going outside IMMEDIATELY!!!
6:28-6:30am Stand on Ladys head until she gets up.
6:30-6:35am Once outside, insist on getting back into the house. Stand in front of door and jump into the window at least twice per second.
6:35-6:40am Back inside the house, take a nice big drink out of the toilet and drool a trail back to the bed.
6:40-6:42am Search the remnants of the messy bed for favorite pillow.
6:42-6:45am Find pillow and REJOICE!! Then shake it to death and take to the Lady in the shower. Drop it in the tub.
6:45-6:47am Bark at towels hanging on the towel rack for good measure.
6:47-6:50am Search house for prowlers and other stuff running amok.
6:50-6:55am Find Ladys favorite shoes. These MUST be kept safe. Take one shoe to crate and cover with blanket. Go back for other shoe.
6:55-6:57am Get distracted by bird in the window. Bark madly and chase bird away.
6:57-7:00am Watch Lady dash wildly through house. Shes acting oddly todaygood thing her shoe is safely tucked in the crate.
7:00-7:05am Listen to some crazy muttering from the Lady. Bark back at her. Smile.
7:05-7:12am Go outside again since the Lady insists. Dig a small hole.
7:12-7:15am Back in the house, watch the Lady get ready to leave. Jump on her just before she gets to the door. Leave a small paw print on her coat.
7:15-7:20am Patrol the house for prowlers.
7:20-7:45am Watch neighborhood through window. Pull down fabric things hanging in window they are really in the way. Shake them to death to teach them a lesson.
7:45-8:00am Return to window. Bark.
8:00-10:00am Bark at birds, squirrels, people on the sidewalk.
10:00-12:00pm Continue to bark.
12:00-2:00pm MAILMAN!!!! Bark some more.
2:00-3:00pm Roll on bed to scratch back. Mess up blankets.
3:00-5:00pm Bark at the little kids walking home from school.
5:00-6:00pm Bark some more.
6:00-6:10pm Keys in the door HAPPY BARKS!!!!! Lady is home!!!!!
6:10-6:15pm Jump on lady and dash out the door.
6:15-6:45pm Play catch me if you can with Lady.
6:45-6:50pm Win game and follow Lady back into house.
6:50-7:00pm Circle Lady continuously while she makes dinner.
7:00-7:00pm Dash to crate when she picks up dinner bowl.
7:00-7:01pm Race back to Lady when she does not appear in 1.2 seconds.
7:01-7:05pm Run figure eights around Ladys legs all the way to crate so she does not get lost on the way.
7:05-7:05pm Gulp dinner. Tasting is a waste of time.
7:05-7:10pm Get drink of water out of toilet. Drool on Ladys feet.
7:10-8:00pm Find toys and destroy them to show Lady prowess at hunting.
8:00-8:30pm Take Ladys favorite toy- the TV remote- and play catch me if you can again.
8:30-8:35pm Give Lady back toy, with a few new bite marks for good measure.
8:35-9:00pm Search house for enemies. Bark at towels in the bathroom.
9:00-9:30pm Time to go outside again. Bark at all the enemies in the dark. Especially the car it must be taught a lesson.
9:30-9:45pm See that the Lady is sad. Bring her shoe out from crate. Smile. Give big kisses.
9:45-9:50pm Jump on bed as Lady gets changed.
9:50-9:55pm Stretch across the pillow and groan.
9:55-9:56pm Move slightly in response to Lady jabbing in the ribs.
9:56-12:00am Keep guard over Lady while she sleeps.
12:00-1:00am Bark at odd sounds.
1:00-2:00am Patrol the house.
2:00-6:15am Go back to the bed. Stretch out and guard the Lady lying on back.
6:15-6:26am Sleep.
6:26am Wake up precisely 4 minutes before the alarm goes off.

 Quote: Lisa Brazeau

My favorite synopsis is this one:
http://bayareadogtrainer.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/note-to-the-american-public-belgian-malinois-look-dont-touch/

"Who should get a Malinois?:

1.Do you dream day and night of improving your performance as a dog trainer?
2.Do you have reflexes like a Chimpanzee? Can you take a punch without feeling the need to retaliate?
3.Are you calm in the face of embarrassment, danger,and even chaos? Can you remain calm around a very hyper dog?
4.Do you want a dog that can’t and won’t be a couch potato? A DOG JUST FOR TRAINING?
5.Do you have at least 2-hours per day to devote to training and exercise?
6.Do you have access to a Ringsport or Schutzhund club where you can find a mentor?
7.Are you versed in positive and negative training modalities?
8.Are you willing to put canine performance before your own physical and psychological comfort?
If you answer these questions with a round clear YES, you have what it takes to become a Malinois Handler." - Francis Metcalf

I've seen that essay and noticed how similarly he and Cindy view the question.

I share my space with two Mals- Toni and Caterina- they are littermates and could not be more different.

Toni is my workhorse. She has done just about everything - she tracks, does agility, bitework, nosework, Rally, and currently Flyball. She is 8 years old. She has done all of these things because she NEEDS a JOB to do or she will go crazy.

Caterina has also done several activites; agility, Rally, and has earned her CGC and Therapy Dog Certificates. I am hoping to teach her some stuff to do freestyle as well. Again, she NEEDS a JOB to do.

Life with a Malinois is never boring. They are a high energy, VERY intense dog, and require tons of training, seriously tough pack structure, and they need to work each and every day. If you are looking for a dog that will spend considerable time kenneled or alone in the house, a Mal is NOT the dog for you.

My dogs settle well in the house, though there is a high energy "vibe" around them at all times. Toni literally radiates energy.

Toni just had surgery on Friday and she was raring to go by Saturday. A week of leash restriction is likely to drive her nuts- luckily we have tracking, nosework and other mind games to fall back on to dissipate some of that energy.

Mals are highly reactive- they notice every little thing in their environment. They are highly suspicious of strangers and require hard core socialization as pups- even then they may never warm up to strangers... Caterina is the only Mal in this area that works as a Therapy Dog... a job her littermate Toni will never be able to do.

Most people will say that everything I've said can also be said about working line GSD... but Mals are a step above that. I've worked with some serious GSDs when I worked in the kennel here at Leerburg... and the Mals are a whole new level.

They aren't for the faint of heart.

My two cents...

--Kelly

So happy to work from home or I could see Harley moonlight as a Mal.

yup , those few posts pretty much describe the life i know my colleague lived when she handled those mals . . . she now has a GSD that rivals a mal for " need to expend energy " several times a day , but it just doesn't have the " i'm watching you " edge the mals had .

katie , sorry i don't know where the RCMP sourced their mals . . . i think they were coming from europe but i can't confirm any further than that .

this might be urban legend , but i understand the RCMP expect more out of their dogs than what is considered typical . because of the large area each dog handler is expected to cover , it is preferable to have multiple profiles on each dog , rather than calling in single profile dogs from other areas . combine that with our widely varying geographic regions with huge changes in climate , and i think the GSD proved to be the better tool for the job north of the 49th .

please don't anyone think i'm saying the mal can't do the job , i know they can , but the washout / early retirement rate was large enough to warrant the change in policy .

like i said , the handlers that i knew who handled them , loved their " landsharks " . . .

I have 4 dogs and I work from home. I have NO desire to get a mal even if it were made of gold .

But I love the breed and I may get one in the futuire. Hence my curiosity.

None of my dogs are kenneled or crated or chained and roam about freely from a very young age.

I do work them in Obedience , walk them and expend their energy. But that is just a few Kms of walk and 15 mins of Obedience a day.

The rest of the time is "idle" time.

I do not know if it is the fact that I am ALWAYS with them or the fact that they do not know the concept of confinement ....all of them are super mellow. They may chase a squirrel or a crow a few times a day , and play with each other in the evenings after the walk.... but 95% of the time the are just lazing around, sunbathing or playing.

I am curious to hear from folks who are stay at home Mal owners who are not apartment dwellers. If the Mals are given a territory to roam ( a house with a compound wall ) and never confined , will they still become destructive?

"But that is just a few Kms of walk and 15 mins of Obedience a day."


Cindy calls Mals a full-time job and Francis Metcalf said this is who might consider one:

1.Do you dream day and night of improving your performance as a dog trainer?
2.Do you have reflexes like a Chimpanzee? Can you take a punch without feeling the need to retaliate?
3.Are you calm in the face of embarrassment, danger,and even chaos? Can you remain calm around a very hyper dog?
4.Do you want a dog that cant and wont be a couch potato? A DOG JUST FOR TRAINING?
5.Do you have at least 2-hours per day to devote to training and exercise?
6.Do you have access to a Ringsport or Schutzhund club where you can find a mentor?
7.Are you versed in positive and negative training modalities?
8.Are you willing to put canine performance before your own physical and psychological comfort?
If you answer these questions with a round clear YES, you have what it takes to become a Malinois Handler."

In my experience, which is limited in my own home but not nonexistent (6 months of fostering, but have never owned one), and the three or four I know at our club, I agree. No, "a few Kms of walk and 15 mins of Obedience a day and a territory to roam" are not even in the ballpark. JMO!

 Quote:

I do work them in Obedience , walk them and expend their energy. But that is just a few Kms of walk and 15 mins of Obedience a day.

---

I am curious to hear from folks who are stay at home Mal owners who are not apartment dwellers. If the Mals are given a territory to roam ( a house with a compound wall ) and never confined , will they still become destructive?

With the amount of work/exercise you posted, my Border Collies would become bored and destructive in that situation. They get a run in the morning/evening of about a mile each time. Sometimes loose, sometimes biking with me.

They get high intensity frisbee or ball game 2x a day until they're panting hard.

They get 15-20 min of OB/mental work each day plus a couple days a week where they have much longer training/work sessions. Along with this I use kongs and treats toys in the house to give them something to do.

And a Mal is a like BC hyped up on steroids