Belgian Malinois

No other breed can consistently perform the awe-inspiring mental and physical feats displayed by Belgian Malinois. Whether demonstrating an uncanny ability to follow complex directions, or amazing ability to perform physical exercises involving jumping, climbing, and balance, or astounding acts of heroism and bravery, the Belgian Malinois is unmatched in its ability and enthusiasm in performing a variety of challenging jobs. All of this ability comes with a price: Malinois don’t train themselves. They don’t tolerate poor leadership and they require extensive mental and physical exercise daily lest they take it upon themselves—with the result being unprecedented acts of imaginative destruction. This is a breed for people who don’t like to take things too easy, and many people love this challenge. Despite their protectiveness, they are surprisingly gentle with family members of all ages. In addition, Malinois are handsome dogs with generally few health problems.

The Malnois combines strength with elegance and agility, with moderate bone. Per breed standard it has a noticeable tuck up, and is muscular without being bulky. The chest is deep, The long tail is carried below the level of the back. The head is held high and the gait is smooth and ground-covering, but not so much as the German Shepherd's gait. The breed has a tendency to trot in large circles rather than straight lines, due to its herding heritage. The head is refined, with a pointed muzzle, naturally pricked ears, and somewhat almond-shaped eyes. The outer coat is fairly short, hard and weather resistant with a dense undercoat. The face is without furnishings. The hair on the tail and behind the legs is slightly longer than the body hair. Color ranges from fawn to mahogany, with black-tipped hairs. They usually have a black mask and ears.

Belgian Malinois have replaced many other breeds as the dog of choice for military, protection, police, and even search & rescue work. They have a strong work ethic and thrive on being given an impossible task, tasks they usually manage to accomplish. Their resourcefulness and determination are without parallel. Many people have literally bet their lives on the ability of the Malinois—and won. But they don’t train themselves. In fact, they can be difficult to train. Being smart results in them constantly testing you, and constantly digging in their heels when they sense you don’t know what you're doing. This is not the wonderful, self-trained genius you may have had in mind when you saw videos of them, or the obedient dog starring in movies. Those dogs have been trained—a lot, and by experts. They are very active, high energy dogs, and if you don’t give them a job to do they will make up their own, which could be home destruction, digging up your yard, barking at everyone, or escaping. This is not a breed to acquire with a half-hearted commitment to training and exercise. With proper training, Malinois can make amazing family dogs. They are uncannily intelligent, alert to threats and ready to take care of business. They’re great with active adults, the elderly and with well-behaved children, but they also need to be carefully introduced to them when the dog is young. Good breeding and socialization are extremely important in any breed, but even more so here. Don’t expect a Malinois to be a social butterfly. They tend to be suspicious of strangers and slow to accept them. They require extensive socialization as puppies. While loving and affectionate, they’re not overly demonstrative, so don’t expect lots of doggy kisses and belly rub requests–that’s not their nature. Herding breeds tend to suffer from noise phobias and separation anxiety more than most breeds, so beware of this when training your puppy or dog.

Belgian Malinois are uncannily smart. This can sometimes make training easier, but it can also make it harder. You must be consistent in your cues,follow-through and rewards. Always use positive reinforcement training and convince them to work as a team with you. Sometimes they work best when given a challenge, and they can become extremely bored with too many repetitions. Show them what you want and reward them for doing it well. They work for praise, toys, play, and of course, treats. Training is a must for this breed, as untrained Malinois can and have caused serious damage to belongings as well as to other people and pets. Training should be a part of their everyday routine. They excel at obedience and agility training and competition. Many Malinois have earned top titles in obedience. They also enjoy training for activities that involve using their nose, such as nosework and tracking. They are extremely good at protection sports such as Schutzhund and French Ringsport, and are also good at herding trials.

Belgian Shepherds were developed as working farm dogs that both herded and guarded livestock. The ones with short fawn coats predominated in the Malines region, and were called Malinois. By the early 1900s they were being used as police dogs in Europe, and they served in World War I as sentries, messengers, and draft dogs. The first mention of the breed in the United States of America was a notice that five were imported to New York City in 1908 to work as police dogs. The American Kennel Club (AKC) recognized the Belgian Shepherd in 1912, and split the different varieties into separate breeds in 1959. They were initially in the Working group, but moved into the Herding group when the breeds split in 1983. A Navy Seal Malinois named Cairo was part of the group that raided Osama Bin Laden's compound. Owners include Eva Mendes, Ben Affleck, Halle Berry, Channing Tatem, Natalie Russo, Johnny Hallyday and Bryan Adams.