Pampered Dog Blog

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.

There are, in fact, four closely related breeds of Belgian sheepdog. In addition to the Malinois you’ll find the Tervuren, Groenendal, and Laekenois. Different kennel clubs recognize these breeds differently, some consider them variants of a single breed, while others have accredited each as a breed in its own right.

Although Malinois still work as sheep herders, these days you are far more likely to see them as police dogs. Their intelligence and obedience makes them adept at all kinds of police work, including bomb detection, narcotics detection, search and rescue work, and guarding.

These smart, loyal, and protective dogs are also now been seen more often as family pets. And they can do well in this role under the right conditions. Training socialization and strong, consistent pack leadership are a must with this breed. The ideal owner would be a person who has some experience with dogs and is able to give the dog lots of energy and attention. The Malinois bores easily if it is not kept busy, and a bored dog soon turns to problem behaviors, including chewing, digging and barking.

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.

Another common behavioral issue with this breed is that the herding instinct is still strong, and they will sometimes try to herd people 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.

The Belgian Malinois is a generally healthy dog that suffers from few of the diseases that typically afflict purebred dogs. They are, however, prone to a number of less serious ailments including, epilepsy, thyroid problems, cataracts and progressive retinal atrophy. In terms of behavioral problems, you may see aggression, or shyness in dogs that have not been socialized.

This breed is a fairly easy keeper and only needs to be brushed down, with a bristle brush, every other day or so.

The Malinois is a working dog and not ideally suited to apartment living. They can however do okay in a smaller space provided they get rigorous daily exercise. They do like to be outdoors, but they are generally devoted to their families and would much rather live indoors among their human ‘pack’.

If you’re looking for puppy names, for your Belgian Malinois, I’d recommend Puppy Names HQ, a site with an extensive database of dog names, including thousands of girl dog names.