The Malinois!

When we were looking for a second dog for my sister in 2009, a companion mate for Micky, we had no idea that we would end up with a Malinois. We walked at a fair in our hometown and saw people walking with a most beautiful puppy. A nice little dog, lively, playful, small, nice head ... like any puppy. We talked to the owners of the puppy for a moment, and heard that they had an available puppy. We still did not know what kind of puppy it was. You can say that it is the most wrong way to buy a puppy as we acted then. But that same Sunday afternoon we drove to a place in the neighborhood with Micky, to return with Micky AND ... yes, Malinois girl Myla!

The first thing we noticed about Myla was that she was small, but she was only 6,5 weeks when we picked her up. Yes, afterwards we also know that it has been much too young. And afterwards we also know why they were allowed to leave the nest so early. But that is afterwards talking, we do not achieve anything with that anymore. That does not matter anymore because Myla is a darling of a dog, and I dare to say that she is the most social shepherd we have in house. Myla was also a huge go-getter, a small dog with a huge 'fighting spirit' to get where they wanted to be. Myla was determined, what she had in her head, that would happen. And at the age of 6.5 weeks, she climbed up the stairs herself, to sleep upstairs in bed. Unbelievable that she succeeded.

But is that standard of a Malinois?

When we took that hasty decision in May 2009 to take Myla home, and especially against her unyielding perseverance character in terms of training, we quickly decided to deepen the character of a Malinois. And there is something to tell about the character of the Malinois.

Character properties according to the breed standard.

As described in the breed standard, the Malinois is a real working dog. He is faithful, courageous, vigilant, temperamental, willing and attached to his own people. Strangers do not have that much to the Malinois.

Character traits according to our experience.

Myla is definitely a working dog, she is certainly faithful, she is certainly very brave, she is also absolutely vigilant but not exaggerated, and not a barker. Myla has absolutely the necessary temperament, wants to work for you ... but on her terms. She is sure of being attached to her own people, but strangers are greeted very socially by Myla when she sees that we like it.

In addition, I can not find in any breed standard that the Malinois has humor. And that is really my experience with the Malinois I know. Both Myla from me, as well as Bentley, Blitz, Nina, Sky, Daan and Sjef from friends of mine all have the necessary humor. An example of this is the following:

When I trained with Myla for her obedience level 2 for advanced dogs we had to learn the exercise "Back Place". I started this exercise in March, and as time went on I was completely amazed, I was surprised, I was simply stunned. Myla who learned all the exercises very quickly with positive rewards with a ball did not get this exercise under her leg. The most delicious snacks, the most amazing toys, really really EVERYTHING we have pulled out of the closet, and every day, we have faithfully practiced. Every week we went to the training but we did not succeed! The exam date for the course came closer and whatever I did, Myla did not do this exercise!

The day of the exam came, and as always my girl worked with me in an exemplary way. We did everything we could to score good points on the parts that she controlled perfectly ... I wanted to anticipate the points we were going to miss. And when the time had come to do the conscious exercise I started to laugh.

I started the exercise nonchalantly, and followed all the steps of the exercise ... when the time was there that I had Myla on my foot, and I had to send her back to her place, I did so with the most nonchalant hand gesture ever. But my princess, who had refused to execute this exercise from March to October, let everyone stand amazed and burst into an almost hysterical laughter when she got up. She went to the designated place and lay down well, with on her face the biggest laugh of everyone.

I can never prove it, but I think my princess has just been making fun of me for half a year, and in the meantime enjoyed all the extremely tasty snacks that we gave her, enjoyed all the extra play moments and got out of the game. laugh because she understood the exercise very well. So she suddenly showed that during the exam. Needless to say that I was very proud of my girl. Because she just did it, when it really matters, she just stood there.

For example, I have more stories that indicate that a Malinois has humor. That should in my eyes be added to the breed standard.

Physical activity

The original task of the Malinois is to drive cattle. But nowadays they are used more as police dogs, avalanche dogs and rescue dogs. The Malinois is a working dog in heart and soul. Not only do they need a lot of exercise to get rid of their energy, they also have a need for spiritual activity.
De Mechelaar is suitable for various dog sports such as: agility, training, flyball and advanced obedience.

Is this necessary? No! You can keep a Mechelse Herder perfectly satisfied without having to practice a sport with him, but a Malinois needs some exercise and challenge. If you do not do this, your Malinois will find a distraction yourself, and it is not by definition certain that you as a boss will be happy about it. They must be able to lose their energy and temperament. If you take this into account, you have a wonderful dog to them.

Care

The care of the short-haired Malinois does not take much time. One does not have to worry that the hair is tangled. Most of the year a regular brushing with a sturdy short hair brush or a brush glove is sufficient to remove loose hair and dirt. However, it is wise to brush regularly for the coat to keep the shine and health.

Conclusion.

A Malinois is a super nice dog, a loyal companion, a real comrade. But not suitable for everyone. You really have to spend the necessary time and attention on your Malinois. Especially in his first year you will have to be very busy with him, and know how to guide him in the right way towards his adulthood. A Malinois must really be brought up and must know how your rules are. You really have to learn this because if you do not, he will seek out his distractions and tasks with his intelligence combined with his work and energy. You can better prevent this.

Unfortunately, for many people this is not clear and you often see these dogs in shelters. Usually one distances the dog because they call the dog untrustworthy, too fierce, too watchful, or they demolish a lot. The bad thing is that this can almost always be traced back to lack of upbringing. And so the mistake of the bosses who too impulsively and thoughtlessly purchase a Malinois ... where eventually both boss and dog are the victim of.

But are you aware of what kind of dog you get at home, and are you prepared to spend time and energy in it ... are you willing to work with your dog? Then you have a honest and unconditionally loyal dog in :

The Malinois.