is it safe to have a Belgian malinois? is it scary? Do they attack there owners?

Answer 1

A Belgian Malinois has the potential to be an excellent dog. They make loyal and confident companions and are a great dog to have if you're planning on competing in any sort of dog related sports such as agility, schutzund, flyball, conformation, obedience, herding, and trackingor or even disc dog competitions. These dogs need a job. Because of their high energy and drive they can't be kept up in a house all day. They can become destructive when they become bored and trust me you don't want that. A Malinois is an extremely intelligent breed. Their love of life is incredible. A good working Malinois will work all day and not show signs of tiring. The temperment of this breed should be confident, responsive and affectionate to their family. Similar breeds include the Belgian Tervuren and the Belgian Sheepdog. The Malinois is an incredible breed, but should always have a job. If you're willing to deal with a high energy, high drive dog and you're an experienced dog handler/owner than a Malinois may be just the dog for you. I would never recommend a Malinois to a beginner dog owner simply because they would be too much dog. They would be too much for a beginner to handle. These dogs will certainly test a person just as a horse will test its rider to see what s/he can get away with. If you don't enforce rules with these dogs they won't respect you.

So to directly answer your question: yes it is safe to own a Belgian Malinois. No it shouldn't be scary. And no a well bred Malinois should never attack anyone - You may be reffering to schutzund which in one section includes the dog protecting his/her owner from an attacker. In that case these dogs are strictly trained to protect their owner and under certain circumstances, yes, they are trained to bite and hold a person. Of course the decoy (the person being bitten) is wearing a protective sleeve and is not directly injured. This is a job and a sport to a Malinois and it comes almost naturally-they're incredibly good at schutzund and thus are used as police dogs more often nowadays.

I hope I helped. Good Luck!

Answer 2

Belgian Malinois Attack

Answer 3

Here are some details that might help:
Belgian Malinois

General Appearance
The Belgian Malinois is a well balanced, square dog, elegant in appearance with an exceedingly proud carriage of the head and neck. The dog is strong, agile, well muscled, alert, and full of life. He stands squarely on all fours and viewed from the side, the topline, forelegs, and hind legs closely approximate a square. The whole conformation gives the impression of depth and solidity without bulkiness. The male is usually somewhat more impressive and grand than his female counterpart, which has a distinctly feminine look.

Owning
The Belgian Malinois is proud, agile, strong, and full of life. The Belgian Malinois's coat is short and straight. The coat is easy to care for, but should be groomed regularly to keep healthy. The Belgian Malinois is a very confident dog. He is naturally possessive of his owner, but he is not an aggressive dog.

Temperament
Correct temperament is essential to the working character of the Belgian Malinois. The breed is confident, exhibiting neither shyness nor aggressiveness in new situations. The dog may be reserved with strangers but is affectionate with his own people. He is naturally protective of his owner's person and property without being overly aggressive. The Belgian Malinois possesses a strong desire to work and is quick and responsive to commands from his owner.

Just check akc.com coz' that's where i got d answer

Answer 4

I think I have seen you asking questions about malinois here before if I am not mistaken.
Owning a malinois can be a wonderful or a dreadful experience, depending on the dog, his bloodlines and your temperament.
If you are the passive type that likes to sit on the couch and watch TV, a malinois is NOT for you.
If you are the active type and enjoy outdoor activities, then a malinois can be a good choice.
If this is your first dog, I would NOT suggest a malinois as they need an experienced handler.
A working lines malinois can be A LOT of dog and overwhelm someone easily as most of them can be very dominant in nature and WILL challenge the handler if they perceive any weakness.
The malinois needs a job, it cannot sit around the house all day doing nothing or it will find a job to do and you may not like it.
Finally, do take into consideration their incredible drive. They will go on and on til they drop and then keep going some more. These, among other reasons is why I love this breed and why they have become the premier working dog in the world today dominating every dog sport and real world working arena.
I hope I have helped and good luck to you.
If I can be of any further help please email me!!

Answer 5

Yes, I'd say definitely look for an answer from Greekman, I have seen his answers before on here and he definitely knows his Malinois stuff.

Just from what I know of the breed....a properly bred, trained, and controlled Malinois should certainly NOT be a threat to its owner or to the general public.

However, they are an extremely high-drive, high-energy, sharp breed that is NOT suitable for the novice, average dog owner. They are a WORKING breed who requires a home who will WORK with him. This is why they excel in police/military work, Ring Sport, Schutzhund, etc....they thrive on having physcially and mentally demanding work to do.

If you're unfamiliar with the breed to the point where you're on here asking these kinds of questions, I think it's safe to say you're not ready to own one :).

Answer 6

Yes it safe, safe as any dog. They are of sound mind if like any breed bred properly and treated and trained. They do however have a very high prey drive and are very very happy to be working rescue, searching, guard dog work, drug sniff ( finding drugs) they are highly trainable but the ones I had I swear it seemed like they didn't sleep the first 2 years I had them. They have never attacked me never even offered to. If your interested in one be prepared to exercise ALOT I mean ALOT more than other breeds "I've" worked with.

Answer 7

They are one of several breeds used in police, rescue and military work because of their intelligence and agility. Its all in the training. Thats the same with any breed of dog. They are a working dog and need a lot of stimulation. No theyre not scary and no they dont attack their owners more than any dog without proper tarining.

Answer 8

Any dog can attack you without proper training, i'm no expert but I do know they are high energy, and used for attack dogs because their energy and drive are strong. Very intelligent dog. Look into the breed I would think you would want to do that first anyway for any breed.

Answer 9

I was attacked by a Belgian malinois last week. The owner was my landlady. I rented a flat on the first floor of her house. The dog is about 10 months to a year old. He has progressively exhibited more and more aggressive behaviour towards me and anyone else I've brought to my flat....particularly women.

I moved out last week...thankfully...a day after the attack...not because of the attack but glad I was moving anyway!

The owners seem naieve about the dog...what it takes to care for it and the fact that it is suspicious of strangers....they think they can socialize the dog with their tenants but I am blue in the face from telling them that the dog will not view the tenants or neighbours the same way it behaves towards it's family.

They don't ....or won't get this.....they imply the dog's behaviour is my fault or the neighbour's fault....there is some inherent badness in us as people!! This is crazy talk....

Dogs like this should not be owned by such people. The dog could have bitten me when he attacked.... I hid behind my car door to protect myself and I believe it saved me from being bitten....I was terrified of the dog's behaviour.

I believe that owners of Belgian Malinois and other such breeds should be vetted before being allowed to purchase or own such dogs. These dogs need a lot of exercise and very responsible ownership...not silly people who defend the dog's aggressive behaviour as ok while neglecting to provide the care and stimulation the dog needs.

Answer 10

Bel Mals can be great dogs. Listen to Greekman.

I don't recommend them for first time dog owners.