Belgain Malinois

Should You Get A Belgian Malinois As a Family Dog?

The movie Max is coming out and I can just see it now, everyone rushing out to get that type of dog.  The Belgian Malinois is not your typical family dog.  They will need lots and patience.  They are beautiful dogs and very, very smart, however, they are not your typical family dog. Famous for protecting livestock, the Belgian Malinois is now known for protecting man. They are great dogs. But with high work ethic, they need the perfect combination of stimulation, physical activity, and socialization. They do not work well for the average pet family.

Get the full book on the breed here Belgian Malinois 

The Breed

This breed is very active and will thrive on lots of regular and varied physical exercise and mental stimulation. Problems can arise when this smart, people-oriented dog is underemployed and neglected. Exercise, and plenty of it, preferably side by side with their adored owner. Intelligent and trainable, the Belgian Malinois possesses a strong desire to work and is happiest with regular activity and a job to do.

Advice From The Dog Trainer

A dog trainer friend of mine Chivon Winter from C3K9 training has this breed and she wrote the below information to get the word out to anyone thinking of getting the Belgian Malinois.  Read below what she has to say….

 

Belgian Malinois This is our own Belgian Malinois, Opie. He is from world champion Ot Vitosha lines. We wanted to make this public announcement out of experience and respect for this amazing breed due to the upcoming release of the movie Max.

This movie is based on a Malinois accompanying a young boy. Many MANY people are going to want to buy one because he is a “cool” dog. Little do they know, these dogs were designed to have extremely high energy levels and a bigger prey drive which leads them to want to bite. A lot. And hard.

These dogs are not going to be suited for a typical family or typical dog owner. Even as puppies, they will bite (yes even the kids), tear up and chew up various items, and become so restless and frustrated due to not having a job to do, that they’ll be sold on craigslist or dumped back in the shelter just to die. FOR A GREAT CHEW TOY FOR THIS BREED CLICK HERE 

Although we don’t want any dog in a shelter, the problem lies with the genetics of this breed having the same fate as the Dalmatian with aggression and blindness (101 dalmations), the German Shepherd (severe over breeding and hip dysplasia), Cocker Spaniels (lady and the tramp with what we call “cocker rage”) and the list goes on. The bigger issue is that those breeds just listed could have made great family pets before over breeding became a problem. The Malinois? Not so much. They will, in a typical home, bite you and your children, and destroy your belongings.

Please don’t rush out to get this breed because of some movie showing how cool they are. There are plenty of excellent pet candidates that look cool in shelters and rescues that will die because everyone wants a purebred bad ass dog.

EDITED: Apparently, we need to make it perfectly clear that all dogs can and will bite if their stress threshold is reached; not just the Belgian Malinois. However, these dogs bite out of FUN. They have a reputation for being police/military/protection dogs which consists of breeding and developing their bites and bite grips. Go to Youtube and watch how a litter of Belgian Malinois puppies “play” and interact. Now picture a young child with one of those dogs that don’t know any better with a home that was expecting a walk-in-the-park kind of dog. We are NOT trying to paint these dogs in a bad light…we LOVE working with them, bringing out their true potential….and that is why we don’t want them to have the same fate as other popularized dogs from movies and television.

WATCH THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO TO  LEARN MORE……

 

A petition asking Warner brothers to include the “saving max” clip before the film. Many of our pet-related business friends have made posts about this film and although we are glad that it has reached over 200,000 people, our post was not the first post on the matter. We honestly were just reaching out to our little community.  Top tier k9 created an amazing video that also spreads awareness about the Malinois breed and a petition is started to ask Warner Brothers to include it as a precursor to their film.

Great Product Links below

Another great blog post if you are looking for a good breed of dog for a family pet  click here

If you are looking for a great leash for this type of dog a recommend a gentle lead.  Click here to purchase 

Amazon book on Everything Belgian Malinois click here 

U.s. Military Working Dog Training Handbook Click here

Navy SEAL Dogs: My Tale of Training Canines for Combat click here click here

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