I am thinking of getting a Belgian malinois dog for my family does anyone have experience with this type dog??

Answer 1

I adore the malinois! Depending on your family, this kind of dog could be a perfect match or a disaster. The belgian is a very loyal dog and is a favorite for police work and military work. They are not very aggressive if properly socialized, but will lookout for their families. They are a very athletic dog so I would only consider getting one if you have time for a lot of excersize, and I mean like hours a day, for than once. They were bred to herd so care must be taken that they don't try to "herd" small children around. They are a fairly newer breed to a lot of area of the US and not many people I know recognize them. They usually just assume they're german shepherds. They are also EXTREMELY intelligent. Make sure that as well as tons of excersize for the dog's body you are excersizing the mind too. They are quick to pick up tricks and training and they are incredible at dog sports like flyball and agility. Keep in mind though that if they are kept inside without excersize or mental stimulation they can go a little crazy. They are a fantastic dog, so I hope it works out for your family!

Answer 2

I owned the first Malinois in this country to do police work back in 1982. I, alone with a couple of very reputable breeders introduced this dog to America before then. Please take everything I say with a grain of salt as I am very predjudiced with malinois and I think they are THE BEST dogs on the planet. They are certainly the most intelligent dogs I have ever met. The other members here are correct in pointing out certain things about these dogs. They are extremely high drive, high prey, high everything. Intense is the word you are looking for when talking about malinois. If this is your first dog, a malinois is not for you. Do not let the cute puppie looks fool you into believing it. They can be too much, even for an experienced handler, and can absolutely drive someone crazy. The last malinois puppy I got was back in 1999 and I will NEVER get another one anytime soon. I prefer a young adult. My purpose with them is different then yours, I work and compete with mine. I demand more of mine then most people do. The are very smart and learn very fast. They can be dominating. They are excellent protection dogs. They are good at just about anything you can think of. They are not your average breed, they are a malinois. THEY ARE NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. Their intensity can be intimidating for most people. I could tell you stories about malinois that would last for ever. Just so you know. A friends police dog, a malinois was tracking a suspect through rough terrain and as he was tracking my friens noticed the dog kind of fall and get up to continue his job. The track was about 3 miles long total. When the dog finished his job my friens noticed that the dog was limping badly. He had fallen into a hole with one of his front legs and twisted it bad enough that by the time they finished the track, the leg was broken and mangled. It had to be amputated because it was beyond repair, but theDOG FINISHED THE JOB. If you are ready to deal with that kind of attitude, drive and determination, then get one. They are the best dogs in the world, PERIOD.

Answer 3

Do you have a lot of experience with dogs? Malinois are extremely high energy, smart, dominant, and stubborn. They also tend to need a lot of socialization and training. They are not a breed for an inexperienced dog owner. If that is what you have your heart set on, I would try to find an adult that is available for adoption, not a puppy. Puppies are extremely hard to socialize and train properly, plus Malinois puppies give new meaning to a pain in the ***. Some are easy to raise, but most are pains. The adults usually have already had some basic training, and they are out of the stages where they are really bad. Malinois are great dogs once you get them trained the way you want. If you have any more questions you can e-mail me.

Answer 4

I am fostering one for a rescue group and he is due to go to his forever home soon . The rescue group said that his forever family (the dad) is a former police officer and I hope so cause he seems to be a handfull just right now at this puppy stage . although I will be sad to see him leave me . I dont think I could handle him as he is very stubborn and seems to be quite the herding dog . He herds his ball and my chi all the time . He has been a really good dog while he has been here but I dont have time for such a high energy dog . well good luck on what ever you decide.

Answer 5

I agree with the first comment. I adopted a 1 year old male Malinois and I got more than what I bargained for. Being a newbie with large and energetic dogs, I was forced to force-fed myself about pack behavior and dog training. My Malinios is VERY energetic and requires a lot of exercise. These dogs also have high prey drive (chasing balls, toys). Simply put, they're ball crazy. You can take advantage of its prey drive by providing exercise through ball retrieving, and it's fun. My malinois has a hard temperament, making him a knucklehead. It was very overwhelming at the beginning, but I was up for the challenge. With hard work, knowledge and extreme consistency, I became his pack leader, a fair one, within months. I taught him what the word "NO" means, and if he disobeys, he gets a correction from a prong collar. He knows better. Within 3 months of hard work and consistency, he learned the following:
-Not to pull on the leash
-Not to be stopping and sniffing around while on walks
-To ignore other dogs while on walks
-To stop from trying to chase a cat
-Toys are MY toys, not HIS toys, he drops toys on command, and does not try to take them away from my hand as I put them away.
-To sit and wait for me to go through doors and gates first
-To sit and wait for his food, water and toys.
-Taught him, to sit, down, stay, close doors, bark on command.

I listed these things just to show that if you decide to get a malinois, that you can train it yourself with the right information. I trained mine without consulting a behaviorist..I bought training DVDs from a very knowledgable dog trainer, Ed Frawley. He has a lot of experience with this breed and with dominant and aggressive police dogs. In fact, he breeds German Shepherd and Malinois. You can view his helpful website at Leerburg.com
If it worked for me, it can work for you, but you have to be consistent for the dog to mind you. If what I just listed sounds like a lot of work (which it is) then you need to re-consider your decision in getting a malinois. And by the way, you never stop training your dogs. Just because I got a grip on my malinois doesn't mean that I can say, "okay, he's good now." Being the knucklehead that he his, there are times when I have to remind him that what he is doing is wrong. Actually, he knows, but he tests me. Almost forgot to mention about their intellegence! They're very intellegent! You can teach them A LOT of things!

Answer 6

very nice dogs.. very trainable they excel in obedience trials,,, I would contact reputable breeders and tehn talk to previous puppy owners.. get yourself to a dog show and talk talk talk with the malinois owners there also enroll in obedience classes if you get one