Quote: Ramachandran Subramanian

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?

We're not apartment dwellers. Instead, we have a house with a relatively small lot. I would not consider just having a walled area where a Mal could roam to be sufficient stimulation and exercise. We walk our girl 20-30 miles per week, sometimes more if we can work in longer hikes on weekends. That's in addition to 2-3 additional exercise periods a day that leave her tongue hanging out what seems like 2 feet and 1-2 rounds of obedience per day, usually only about 5 minutes each. I go home every day for lunch to let her out of her cage and run her a bit. In many people's minds, that's probably still not enough but she seems to be fairly well adjusted with all this. Even with that, there are still plenty of items on those two lists in this thread that hit pretty close to home. Our girl loves to work and it seems there is never enough to completely satisfy her. On those days where we manage to totally tire her out, it's a beautiful sight to behold. Just doesn't happen as often as we would like. I wouldn't trade her for anything but sometimes a less demanding dog looks pretty good.

Just want to say how much I have enjoyed following this thread and appreciate all the comments, links, and lists you guys provided. I realize this topic has been covered before but it's nice to see some of the quotes, lists, and such all collected in one thread again in an updated post. Thanks for posting this, Kory.

I just met my first live Mal and was disapointed. First he was a show line and made Harley look like a super serious working dog.
That dog is same age as Haley and he sound more like my Dexter.

The lady said that he rather sleep and watch tv and that 2 30 min walk a day were enough for him. she is doing the intro agility class and she is discourage as he won't get in the tunnel, go on the dog walk and the teeter.

Are show line Mal like show line GSD, just look no drive

 Quote: Ariane Gauthier

I just met my first live Mal and was disapointed. First he was a show line and made Harley look like a super serious working dog.
That dog is same age as Haley and he sound more like my Dexter.

The lady said that he rather sleep and watch tv and that 2 30 min walk a day were enough for him. she is doing the intro agility class and she is discourage as he won't get in the tunnel, go on the dog walk and the teeter.

Are show line Mal like show line GSD, just look no drive

Essentially, yes. I mean sure, there are some that work just fine, but not many. That goes for every breed that has a split, IMO.

 Quote: Ariane Gauthier

The lady said that he rather sleep and watch tv and that 2 30 min walk a day were enough for him. she is doing the intro agility class and she is discourage as he won't get in the tunnel, go on the dog walk and the teeter.

Are show line Mal like show line GSD, just look no drive

Couch potatoism doesn't come from breeding. My GSD has iffy genetics (on one side), and she is a housedog, but she would much rather do something outdoors. That something isn't important; she'll do anything I want to do, and she loves athletic stuff.

IMHO, Ariane, laziness is that Mal's enemy, not genetics. She inherited that from her couch potato handler.

ETA: if I had to choose between AC and Gunsmoke, or running through a tunnel, guess what...

Edited by Duane Hull (10/16/2012 02:22 PM)
Edit reason: eta

"IMHO, Ariane, laziness is that Mal's enemy, not genetics. She inherited that from her couch potato handler."

Just to clarify: This does not mean that if you're a couch potato, your W/L Mal will follow suit and all will be well.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

"IMHO, Ariane, laziness is that Mal's enemy, not genetics. She inherited that from her couch potato handler."

Just to clarify: This does not mean that if you're a couch potato, your W/L Mal will follow suit and all will be well.

Oh goodness no, lol. I wish it worked that way sometimes.

 Quote: Katie Finlay

Oh goodness no, lol. I wish it worked that way sometimes.

You ever get licked in the face when you do finally get a chance to lay down on the couch? Followed by the loud guttural whining? Then the spinning if you show the slightest inclination to rise from the sofa?

Can't imagine having a Mal around...

Well, darn it. Every time I allow my daydreams to wander toward the possibility of someday owning a Malinois, I see a thread like this and get jolted back to reality.

 Quote: Cheri Grissom

Well, darn it. Every time I allow my daydreams to wander toward the possibility of someday owning a Malinois, I see a thread like this and get jolted back to reality.

It's funny the different perspectives we have. I feel fortunate to have a Mal and avoided getting a GSD, thinking that would be too much dog for me to handle.