Belgian Malinois
Belgian Malinois are burly, proud and alert, strong and muscular, and they are one of the most active and hardworking breeds.
Daily Care
Grooming Tips
Belgian Malinois has a short, double-layered waterproof coat, so it is quite simple to take care of. It only needs occasional brushing and bathing every week, no more than 6 weeks. And when the bath is complete, you have to get the dog completely dry.
Malinois shed twice a year; during the shedding period, a daily brush with a slicker brush will help to remove the dead hairs. it’s time for a trim if the nails “click” when it walks, but make sure not to clip too short, otherwise, it will make the nail bleed and be painful.
Exercise Tips
For this highly active and intelligent herding breed, daily walks are not enough, it needs plenty of exercising opportunities, at least an hour and a half each day.
Work out with its owner is of great importance for its happiness. And it is a great companion for running, hiking, biking, and so on, if you are a big fan of exercise, it’s a fantastic choice for you.
Feeding Tips
The Belgian Malinois prefers a high-quality dog food that is appropriate to the dog’s age. As a big-sized dog breed, it is able to consume a bunch of meat, so the owner should be aware of its weight level.
Although it looks relatively big, the Belgian Malinois actually has a light frame. If you are deceived by its large size, it is likely to overfeed your dog and get it overweight.
Health Tips
The Belgian Malinois is one of the healthiest breeds, there will be less healthy problems compared to other breeds. But there are still a small number of dogs may have hip and elbow dysplasia, eye problems, and epilepsy.
If you are considering to get a Belgian Malinois as your pet, it’s better to get these health tests done or ask the breeder to show its parents’ health clearances.
Trainability
Like most sheepdogs, the Malinois are very interested in moving objects and have a strong prey driving force. Therefore, social and obedience training must be carried out as early as possible, otherwise, it may lead to chasing children, vehicles or other animals.
Training is important for this breed. Proper training, discipline and a good-minded master will be important. Belgian Malinois will have territorial awareness and fear of strangers if they are not properly raised; if they do not receive obedience training, they will become uncooperative.
With proper training, as long as you can prove the authority to this dog, there are few dogs that are more loyal and obedient than Belgian Malinois.
History
The Belgian Malinois is a native of Belgium and one of the four varieties of Belgian shepherd dogs. It is actually more popular in its home country than it is in America.
As early as 1911, the Belgian Shepherd Dog was brought to the United States and recognized by the American Kennel Club. In 1965, the Belgian Malinois was awarded a fully recognized working dog by AKC.
Belgian Shepherd dogs are still considered pastoralists of various livestock for most of the time, but their versatility and high work enthusiasm have opened up many careers in other professions and activities. Widely acclaimed and recognized for its achievements as a military dog, the Malinois is part of the team that captured Osama bin Laden and is a dog breed used by the Secret Service. It is expected that in the next few years, we can see more Belgian Malinois in American families.
