Learn About The Breed: Belgian Malinois Dog
Named for the Belgian city in which it originated, the Belgian Malinois is a medium-sized dog that stands up to 26 inches at the withers and can weigh as much as 65 pounds. In appearance it is not unlike the German Shepherd, although the Malinois is slightly smaller and less heavily-built.
The Malinois is one of four Belgian sheep herding breeds, the others being the Tervuren, Laekenois, and the Groenendael. Much confusion surrounds the status of these breeds, as some kennel clubs recognize the separately, while others consider them variants of a single breed.
Although originally bred as a shepherd dog, the Malinois' intelligence and obedience has seen them used extensively for police work, including narcotics detection, bomb detection, search and rescue and guarding work.
These are smart, loyal dogs who are strongly protective and territorial in nature. They are suitable as family pets but need training, socialization and consistent leadership. They also need fairly vigorous exercise and will do best with an active family who can give them plenty of attention and companionship. A bored and under-exercised Malinois will soon develop behavioural issues like chewing, problem barking and digging.
With early socialization they do well with children, but care should be taken with non-canine pets. They may also show dominant behavior towards other dogs so it is important to socialize early and supervise things like feeding times, where dominance may be an issue.
You should also be aware that the herding instinct is still dominant in the breed, so they try to herd anyone in the immediate vicinity - usually by nipping at their ankles.
It should be clear by now that the Malinois is not the ideal dog for an inexperienced dog owner, and you should give it a lot of thought before adopting one. Ask yourself if you are up to the responsibility and if not, choose a more pliant breed, a Lab perhaps.
These are healthy, robust dog that suffer from few serious congenital diseases. They are not however immune to health problems and may develop cataracts, thyroid problems, epilepsy and progressive retinal atrophy. As regards behavioral problems, dogs that have not been socialized may be either aggressive, or timid.
The Malinois is an easy breed to care for and requires only a good brush down a few times per week to keep the coat looking its best.
If you're determined to adopt a Malinois you need to bear in mind that this is a working dog requiring a lot of exercise. This is not a breed for living in an apartment. A house with a medium to large garden is a much better option although the dog will still require long daily walks. Although the Malinois can live outside, he'd much rather be indoors and close to those he loves.
If you’re searching for puppy names, for your Belgian Malinois, I recommend puppy-names-hq.com. This site has 1000’s of excellent dog names, including a huge list of girl dog names choose from.
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