Belgian Malinois Dog Breed Guide
Belgian Malinois Dog Breed Guide
Belgian Malinois. Social media depicts the Belgian Malinois as a miracle dog, and the truth isn’t all that different. Learn more about the health and wellbeing requirements of this intense, high-drive breed to see if they’re suitable for you. Belgian Malinois. The Belgian Malinois is a smart, confident, and versatile breed, known worldwide for its working ability and its deep, loyal bond with its handler. To refuse a Mal activity and your companionship is to withhold from him his very purpose for existing. Belgian Malinois are square-built, proud, and watchful herders ranging from 22 to 26 inches. They are powerful and well-muscled but refined rather than chunky, with an honest, unpretentious appearance appropriate to dogs bred to work hard for their sustenance. A breed signature is the lofty carriage of the head. Coat color varies from rich fawn to mahogany. Bright, inquiring eyes the shade of dark Belgian chocolate are highlighted by black mask and ears. If you’ve ever witnessed a Mal executing an obedience sequence, you’re well aware of what an intelligent and willing breed this is. Issues arise, however, if this people-loving dog is bored and underworked. Work, and lots of it, ideally side by side with their beloved owner, is the secret to Mal bliss.
Belgian Malinois are among the most confident, intelligent, and industrious breeds of dog. These characteristics can make them excellent pets—if in the right home. Belgian Malinois dogs require an experienced and devoted pet parent who enjoys sharing an active lifestyle with a four-legged friend.
The Belgian Malinois gets its name from Malines, a city in Belgium where the breed was first developed. The Belgian dog breed was originally created to herd, but due to their trainability and drive, they were pursued in many other careers, including search and rescue, police work, and bomb and drug detection. This implies that Belgian Malinois thrive best in a home where they can have a task to carry out, such as agility, tracking, or obedience.
When they reach full size, males Belgian Malinois are usually 24–26 inches tall and weigh 60–80 pounds, while females are around 22–24 inches tall and weigh 40–60 pounds.
The Belgian Malinois is a highly intelligent and devoted breed, but also energetic and demanding. Simple daily walks are not enough for them—they thrive on intense physical activity, such as long runs or other vigorous exercise routines.
Belgian Malinois require extensive, long-term exercise and training. They are ideal jogging, hiking, and biking partners. They excel in agility, tracking, herding, and obedience competitions.
But when Belgian Malinois lack exercise or mental stimulation, they tend to develop destructive habits and engage in their own games to entertain themselves.
Belgian Malinois Health Issues
The Belgian Malinois life expectancy is generally 10–14 years. In comparison to a number of other breeds, these dogs do not have many health issues at all, as long as they were bred by a reputable breeder.
That being said, Belgian Malinois do have some health problems that they are prone to. Pet insurance could be a good investment upon bringing your Belgian Malinois puppy home.
Too frequently confused with a German shepherd, the Belgian Malinois is a distinct yet comparable herding breed — a more energetic, more compact version of its German counterpart. Mals are smart, assertive and gifted at a variety of tasks and sporting activities, and they are extremely driven to work as well as to work diligently at being the best at what they’re doing.
About the Belgian Malinois
Originally bred in the late 19th century near Belgium’s city of Mechelen (French: Malines) to be an all-around farm assistant, doing everything from guarding the farm to cart-pulling to assisting in driving small herds of livestock.1 The Malinois is one of four closely related Belgian herding breeds bred at this time.2 Though most other countries recognize these dogs as variations on one breed, the Belgian sheepdog, the American Kennel Club (AKC) since 1959 has recognized the Malinois as a separate breed.2
Mals were developed to be high-achieving workers, and they did not hesitate to gain popularity among ranchers and sheepmen when they first came to the United States in 1911. World War II interrupted the importation of these dogs to America, which led to the decline of the breed’s population. The Malinois population had to be rebuilt by the breed’s fanciers only in the 1960s.2
Today’s Mals are just as much in demand for their herding traits, but they’re also among the leading breeds used by police and military K-9 teams.2 Mals are even used with the Navy SEALs, such as one fearless Mal that helped SEAL Team 6 carry out the raid to apprehend Osama bin Laden.
