I'm thinking about maybe getting a malinois. I don't really know if a malinois would be the right breed for us. I would like some help in determining if a malinois would fit us. Is it anyone who has much experience of malinois who could help?

Tell us more about you , your life , family , past dog experience , environment and what your goals and expectations for the dog are ...

Nope. Not a pet dog. Will never make a pet dog. I've watched a number of people try it.

If you are actively training one of the bite sports, then it can be a good choice. I've also known some that have done well in agility and in dock diving. They require someone who is a committed, active trainer.

I've also seen an unusually high rate of digestive issues in the Mals that I've known.

This more or less sums it up.
https://bayareadogtrainer.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/note-to-the-american-public-belgian-malinois-look-dont-touch/

This web board had a somewhat lengthy discussion about owning a Mal. I can't find it just now. But the first paragraph pretty much sums up the thread.

I always refer people to this video when they ask about life with a driven dog,
https://leerburg.com/flix/player.php/238/So_You_Think_You_Want_a_High_Drive_Puppy

As puppies, they are insufferably cute. And, you quickly learn why they are called 'maligators'. This is one lady's account of her brief Mali puppy encounter,
http://www.wootube.net/2012/11/happy-birthday-piper/

There are those among us that do appreciate these dogs, their drive and their preternatural focus on the handler. Met an impressive little 8-week old pup at a trial a few years ago. His owner and I were doing some puppy play with him. The puppy latched on to, actually, he nailed my hand. I raised my arm up with said puppy hanging from my hand and grunted with a grin, 'Nice grip!'. We pried the puppy off my hand, wiped off the blood from those needle-sharp puppy teeth and we all went back to playing. He grew to be a very nice Schutzhund dog.

If you are looking for a nice all-around dog to train, I would stay with a German Shepherd. They tend to have an off switch and have the ability to chill out when not working.

In Sweden, you may want to check out the Onnegardens German Shepherd kennel. The have produced a number of nice dogs.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE high drive puppies!

I lived with multiple terriers for years. (Mini-Mals)

Had two Mals also.

Have two GSDs now cause I'm almost 70 yrs old and need the rest. One is just as crazy as a Mal or any terrier I've ever owned. No rest for the wicked!

Excuse me! The timer for my hourly meds just went off.

I'll be back when my thinking clears up for an hour or so.

Didn't have the time to write a full presentation yesterday so here it comes.

The family is me 23 years old and my partner 29. I have had dogs my whole life, owned a Rottweiler before I got the boxer I had now. The rottweiler was, well, some of a disappointment, he had zero drive. I tried with tugs, food etc but he just didn't have the drive to do some training (we started with general obedience and some tracking). After a while I sold him to a family who wanted a "family farm dog", he seemed to do much better with them. Then I bought a boxer, and it worked well the first two years, when he came to us (5 years old) he seemed to not have been taught that you can't be totally overstressed and anticipitating an activity 24/7. On other hand, he had really good drive, he could easily work with 100% commitment on the task for 1-2 hours. We trained some IPO obedience, tracking and some nose work. Now he'll soon be 8 and it seems like he's getting older. He still gets those "crazy moments" when he's really focused and really wants to work. But he doesn't want to "be activated" 4-5 hours a day anymore (also he physically can't get so much anymore).

First I thought about getting a German shepherd, I meet several working line gsd, but somehow I don't "connect" with the breed. I also investigated their health (in Sweden you can find much statistic from the kennel club about the parents/relatives health) and well... I don't really want a dog that has a pretty high risk of developing gastro diseases, allergies, back problems etc. I had enough health issues with the boxers.

I also meet a few mals, they seem more well, more speeded, more enthusiastic 24/7.

Then to my concerns about a mal, I have some dog experience, was a kennel assistans to a Siberian husky kennel for a year, started an instructor course in Ukraine (couldn't finish it because problems with renewal of my visa so we had to move). Then I worked in a dog day-care business for three months. Most of my evenings I spend watching Ellis videos, they really improved the boxer and my relationship.

My main concern with a mal is that I'm on sick leave for social anxiety. I can get stressed meeting new people etc, the boxer helped me much in this, we went to courses etc and I got to meet new people and well, got to practice "being social". Recent half a year we couldn't go to any course or anything similar, the boxer first got severe allergy problems with paws and when we just manage to control the allergy he started to limb on a leg (the vets thought it could be spondylosis).
But my concern is that I know mals can be stressed around new people, I'm worried that I with my stress would stress the dog up even more. I worried that I would get a very skittish dog in the end. How big of an issue can this be? I'm also planning on trying to buy an adult dog, to know a little bit more of "what you get".

Because the dog is my main interest in life, I have the time and energy needed to activate the dog, the question is if I'm really a suitable candidate? I would like a dog that well, sort of forces me to really come out and meet people, start to go to courses again etc.

Sorry my message got way too long!

 Quote: Charlie Snyder

Nope. Not a pet dog. Will never make a pet dog. I've watched a number of people try it.

If you are actively training one of the bite sports, then it can be a good choice. I've also known some that have done well in agility and in dock diving. They require someone who is a committed, active trainer.

I've also seen an unusually high rate of digestive issues in the Mals that I've known.

This more or less sums it up.
https://bayareadogtrainer.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/note-to-the-american-public-belgian-malinois-look-dont-touch/

This web board had a somewhat lengthy discussion about owning a Mal. I can't find it just now. But the first paragraph pretty much sums up the thread.

I always refer people to this video when they ask about life with a driven dog,
https://leerburg.com/flix/player.php/238/So_You_Think_You_Want_a_High_Drive_Puppy

As puppies, they are insufferably cute. And, you quickly learn why they are called 'maligators'. This is one lady's account of her brief Mali puppy encounter,
http://www.wootube.net/2012/11/happy-birthday-piper/

There are those among us that do appreciate these dogs, their drive and their preternatural focus on the handler. Met an impressive little 8-week old pup at a trial a few years ago. His owner and I were doing some puppy play with him. The puppy latched on to, actually, he nailed my hand. I raised my arm up with said puppy hanging from my hand and grunted with a grin, 'Nice grip!'. We pried the puppy off my hand, wiped off the blood from those needle-sharp puppy teeth and we all went back to playing. He grew to be a very nice Schutzhund dog.

If you are looking for a nice all-around dog to train, I would stay with a German Shepherd. They tend to have an off switch and have the ability to chill out when not working.

In Sweden, you may want to check out the Onnegardens German Shepherd kennel. The have produced a number of nice dogs.

Yes, as Ed Frawley cautions: MOST folks should NOT have a Malinois -- Definitely not a breed for the majority of Pet owners.

Hi Amanda,

After reading your second post I'd suggest looking into a different breed that may not pick up on your anxiety as much. Maybe a working bred Labrador or cattle dog? Both would have lots of drive, desire and aptitude for training but without the extra edge/quirkiness a Malinios would have.

thanks for the full disclosure Amanda . it is tough to be totally honest with yourself , so props to ya for really looking inside yourself BEFORE making the decision .

I've never handled a mal before , but I've been around several of them for enough years to suggest they probably wouldn't be a good match , given your situation .

the handlers are always on watch , paying extra special attention to how their mals are perceiving the world around them , especially the people in close proximity and how the dog may react to them .

you do definitely hedge your bets by selecting an adult dog , but honestly , if you want a dog that will enable you to become a bit more extroverted , I think there are more appropriate breeds out there that will invite social contact without you having to be stressed .

Not sure I completely agree that Mals can never be good pet dogs. I'm a complete layman as far as dogs are concerned and we made it happen successfully. That said, owning a Mal comes with a lot of challenges and it still requires one heck of a commitment. Amanda, I realize you posted this in the Protection Breeds of Dogs forum so I assume you've looked at the other threads related to what Mals are like. Just in case you didn't, I suggest you read the thread at the link below. It pretty much says it all.

http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=32739&page=1