Quote: Katie Finlay

 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.

As an owner of Mals said to me once in an email, a WL Mal living with a lazy person will become a crazy neurotic destructive mess.

Maybe she'll add to the thread.

 Quote: Duane Hull

 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...

I think Danni is similar to having a Malinois around. I'll be able to compare the two better when I get my puppy next year. But having stayed in hotel rooms with a Malinois in the room over night, our driving hours in a car with an uncrated Malinois, I didn't see much difference between my dog and those.

And no, if she's in the house, she's on the floor in a down stay, lol. If she just whined and licked my face I'd be fine with that! lol

All this makes me want a Mal even more.

The question is a Dutch or a Mal........

Completely different dogs. If you want to compete, get a Malinois.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

 Quote: Katie Finlay

 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.

As an owner of Mals said to me once in an email, a WL Mal living with a lazy person will become a crazy neurotic destructive mess.

Maybe she'll add to the thread.

While genetics are not the only thing that determines what a dog will become, they do instill a predisposition in a dog. So a working dog bred to a working dog will most likely produce more working dogs- not couch potatoes- no matter what kind of owner they end up with.

A true working dog living with a lazy owner will not survive long in that environment. It will become destructive, it will develop neurotic habits like spinning, and it will be dumped in a shelter by the lazy owner who will not change his ways and give the dog what it needs- a JOB. An already neurotic dog in a shelter will become worse and it will most likely die there.

This is a fact- it happens all the time. As someone involved in Malinois Rescue it breaks my heart. Beautiful dogs with unlimited potential destroyed by lazy owners who did not understand the breed.

People reading this and thinking about getting a Mal need to understand a couple of things. You don't get a Mal and think that it will conform to fit into your life and schedule. If you get a Mal, your life will revolve around the dog's schedule. The dog will determine when you get up in the morning, what you do after work, where you go on vacation (I take my dogs with), etc. If you can't live with that, DON'T get a Malinois.

There was a question earlier if a Mal will have enough exercise if it's allowed to run on lots of acres of land. The answer is no. My Mals have 50 acres to run on, and 3 horses to chase if they were so inclined. But if I put them outside and run in the house to get something they will jump on the door constantly until I join them. They will not just run around and exercise themselves- they are too handler oriented to do that.

I'm sure there's more that I want to address, but I have to go and work my dogs.

--Kelly

I've noticed the same thing with Danni. It doesn't matter how big the yard is. She will wait at the door for me to go out with her. If I don't, she'll destroy the yard and all things in it, and then come back to the door and wait for me.

She doesn't care if she has 5 feet to exercise or 5 miles. If I'm not there to join her, she'd rather be in her crate if it means she's in the room with me.

Giving her a down stay is the perfect cooperation. Especially when her down stay is on the bed with me (Though sometimes she's gets WAY too excited in that down stay).

Kelly said "If you get a Mal, your life will revolve around the dog's schedule. ..... If you can't live with that, DON'T get a Malinois."

And that a WL Mal with the wrong owner "will not survive long in that environment. It will become destructive, it will develop neurotic habits like spinning, and it will be dumped in a shelter by the lazy owner who will not change his ways and give the dog what it needs- a JOB. An already neurotic dog in a shelter will become worse and it will most likely die there. "

Cindy said "It's a full-time job."

As a shelter/rescue person, I'd like these and Ana's comment about how many Mals are returned to the breeder before they are 6 months old not to be overlooked.


Disclaimer: Again, I don't own one, and my experience is only fostering, my club observations, and shelter/rescue. All JMO.

With malinois it is all out, 100% effort for any task. The dog goes from O to 60 in a second. And, yeah, she can get serious in protection work. She can tug me across the room- I tested this with a tug toy once for fun. I weigh a little more than twice as much as she does. The malinois is a compact ball of sinewy muscle with very sharp observations and lightning quick reactions.

She is a lot of fun and can climb ladders and scale cliffs and swim rivers and just is a really cool animal. My other two dogs love her and she has no issues with resource guarding around me or the other dogs. Probably in part due to my adult dogs' example. And some things I did very early in her life that I learned on this site regarding food and toys.

So...she and I are a good match. She has made me a better dog trainer. No doubt. We still have some work to do with off-leash skills, reactivity to other dogs is still a problem, but she is young and that will come with training and maturity. Other dog owners who see me training regularly say "that is A LOT of dog" and they are right. But they also admire her for her energy and attention.

You get out of a malinois what you put in. But they are a lot of work and time. I think other breeds can match them in energy and drive, but I think a good malinois is special. They are the whole package. Cheerful, busy, athletic, smart, and protective.

And great cuddlers with their people.

 Quote: Kelly

People reading this and thinking about getting a Mal need to understand a couple of things. You don't get a Mal and think that it will conform to fit into your life and schedule. If you get a Mal, your life will revolve around the dog's schedule. The dog will determine when you get up in the morning, what you do after work, where you go on vacation (I take my dogs with), etc.

There was a question earlier if a Mal will have enough exercise if it's allowed to run on lots of acres of land. The answer is no. My Mals have 50 acres to run on, and 3 horses to chase if they were so inclined. But if I put them outside and run in the house to get something they will jump on the door constantly until I join them. They will not just run around and exercise themselves- they are too handler oriented to do that.

Kelly's comments are dead on and mirrors our experience with Bailey exactly. Bailey literally changed our lives. We've had dogs for over 40 years but all have been easily managed house dogs. Bailey is a WL dog with all the challenges everyone described. Things I used to do regularly like ride bikes, various hobbies, day trips, play golf, etc. are now dropped entirely or changed to make sure I can incorporate our dog in those activities or to make room in our spare time to just spend working our dog. Not complaining but now we spend our spare time engaged in activities with her, working her, running her, exploring new places to hike or new activities to try, and training her on new skills or types of obedience.

Also, she is not a dog to entertain herself. She is 100% devoted to being with us, her handlers. As Kelly stated, when we put her in our yard, she will hang by the door waiting for us to come out with her or to let her in. She absolutely lives for every minute we spend doing something with her and is happy to lay in a "down" with us until we do.

People around us remark about how much time we spend in activities with our dog and how much training we've done, thinking we're crazy. Looking back, it was nuts and we probably shouldn't have gotten her, but we saw it as a commitment that had to be made if we were to keep her and not have her turn into a neurotic bundle of energy with no outlet. Not everyone would do that and it breaks my heart to see owners of dogs who don't spend the time yet have bad experiences or complain how out of control their dogs are. Doesn't have to be just Mals. Now, I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything and am truly enriched by having her.

Hm...

Betty, did you sell me a Malinois with fake German Shepherd papers? No, you couldn't have, she's too whiney