[Anthony]

Hey Mark. I don’t have a Mal but they’re very high drive. Best advice I can give is to go with your gut and connection with the dog. the dog’s energy level should meet your availability and if you’re able to meet the dogs needs. Thats with any dog really. Best of luck 🙏🏻.

[mark]

thanks anthony, I hear you but I was wondering if there was some secret trick that Mal owners know that I don’t as a new dog owner. Leaning more towards another good GSD unless I can find a very stable Mal. I have been reading a lot about dog genetics, temperament and stable nerves. Definitely think my dog is solid. Few months after I got him we were at the playground and a little kid about 6-7 years ran up behind us and screamed as loud as he could and slapped my dog on the butt. Scared the $#^#% out of me and I was about to tear into the kid and his parents that stood there laughing. Smokey just looked around at them and then looked at me then went back to watching my son play. Now I am more careful, at the playground he sits between my legs.

[Logan C.]

It’s definitely dependent on the dog. I don’t have a mal but I have a GSD who is absolutely insane in terms of drive. I will advise you to be thoughtful on the decision if you have any children, or family members who aren’t “dog savvy”, for that matter. The high levels of drive can get intense in the 12-18 month window when coupled with the increase in reactivity and hormones. It can be a headache if you have children. The plus side is that training with toys is a lot of fun and high drive dogs will have an intense focus on you when the reward is a tug or ball. For example: my GSD will become suspicious and fixate if someone walks past our property, but if we’re training with a ball he will completely ignore people who walk past him and go to the front door (mail delivery).

This is definitely not the same for every dog but these are just my experiences living with a dog that has psychopathic levels of drive and energy

[mark]

Logan

Did you buy a puppy or rescue? Sounds like a purchase. I am looking at a rescue since I don’t want a puppy. I got a great dog for the family and he was really well behaved. THe prev family raised him right with family, kids, grandkids but had to give him up when the husband passed and the dog became too protective of wife.

He is really easy to keep and goes everywhere with us parks, playgrounds, stores, walking around Boston, etc. Good thing is he is calm and good nerves and because he is obedient and a GSD he keeps people away. When my wife is walking none of the panhandlers or other folks will bother her or me, even though we are not even sure if he will protect us 😀. Just his appearance is enough to make people think twice, especially when they see his obedience. that is enough for me. THough it would be fun to play fetch with him. He just looks at the ball and seems to say “why did you throw that? if you want to retrieve it you go, you threw it”

Ironically my wife says the same thing, “why throw a ball and expect Smokey to go get it?”

[Logan C.]

Mark

Yes I did buy a puppy. He was bred by ranchers who used the dogs to herd their farm animals.

My female is a lot like what you were describing with your dog as she won’t chase a ball and is pretty calm.

What’s interesting to me is that my female is only 5 years old and doesn’t play much, but Robert’s female GSD Maya goes absolutely nuts for toys, and she’s 9 or 10.

[Jim]

5 months ago I adopted Libby, a 2 1/2 yo Mal from ABMR, American Belgian Malinois Rescue, an excellent organization ($350). I am retired, widowed and live on a small farm in W. TN so she has plenty of room to roam. I had met several Mals beforehand and did a lot of research on line but this did not prepare me for the full force of a Mal. She is very friendly, not aggressive but is like a 60 lb puppy, a bull in a china shop. Very intelligent, very resourceful. Gets along with my two Jack Russel Terriers. High ball drive, high toy drive. Loves to play tug and ball fetch. No food or treat aggression.

Her recent accomplish – drinks from toilet, learned how open doors (lever handles), excellent recall, when outside stays within eye sight, has destroyed – two kleenex boxes, 1 pr shoes, oven mitt, one throw pillow, etc. Don’t know if she would protect me if a stranger attacked. She has some MH issues – spinning, ADAHADOG but we are working on these issues. Right now all three doggos are takin their afternoon naps. I have learned the hard way Libby needs to go out 1 – 3 times per day for about 15 min each session or she gets rambunctious inside. Then she comes in and flops. Would I do it again – absolutely! Just remember each dog has a different personality. Not every Mal has a strong toy drive. Some don’t tolerate small dogs. They are demanding to own and train but well worth the effort. Recommend a breeder with a strong reputation or a quality rescue organization specializing in Mals like ABMR.

[mark]

LOL loved the “drinks from toilet” trick. My GSD is really chill, I have 1/2 acre but he does not leave my side. If I am in the yard he sits where he can see me, if I move he follows. Completely ignore people and dogs going by. If they come close he looks over to keep an eye on them but no barking, growling, or crazyness. He is calm in the home, no running jumping, or playing not sure if it is his age or I just never allow it from day 1. He just lays around watching us, no begging or stealing food, we can leave trash out with food and he ignores it. How are Mals shedding? I thought my GSD was bad but I just microfiber mop 2 times per day 6am and 5pm and it takes me 10 minutes and we are nice and clean. He knows to say off carpet and I groom him 3 times per day after walks (about 1 minute) so not a huge deal.

He is 85lbs so I was thinking of maybe a smaller dog. he is not fat since he has to climb 15 stairs every time we go out and come in 4-5 times a day for past 8 months plus the walks. Poor guy, but he runs up so hips and joints are fine. Here his is w my son, thinking of maybe a smaller dog which I heard mals are.

[Susanna]

Hey! That’s actually a great question, I went from a GSD mix that I adopted as a puppy and after we lost her right before Christmas ‘19 to cancer we adopted a 2 y.o. lower (for the breed) energy Mal October ‘20 from American Belgian Malinois Rescue.

I would say that a GSD is a good stepping stone for a Malinois if you’re ready for the commitment of a second dog. They generally require more input, our GSD was content with as many walks as we would take her on but she wouldn’t really get rowdy if we didn’t meet a set number of walks. Our Mali Lily get a little sassy if she doesn’t get her walks but has learned to settle if we just need to wait a little longer. We’ve established she doesn’t run the house but we also know she needs the energy release so we don’t punish her for letting us know it’s time to go.

They are known for having a much higher prey drive so generally kids or small dogs are a no go but there are dogs I’ve seen on the ABMR site that have been tested with both and do well so it’s certainly not out of the question, in case that’s a concern for you. I would also recommend them because they aren’t afraid to be honest about the dogs that have. They foster & vet each dog so they really get to know them in a home setting. Based on their description of Lily we felt like we knew what we were getting into and basically picked the quirks we were willing to put up with and ‘filter out’ the ones we didn’t feel prepared to handle. A lot of them can be described as ‘Velcro pups’ and our girl certainly fits that description. So if you don’t want a dog that would just as soon crawl into your skin to get close to you, they may not be the breed for you 😂 I like Robert’s description when he says they’re really more people dogs than dog dogs, they’d much rather be with you than hanging out with other dogs. Although that’s not to say they don’t play well with others, they’re certainly capable of that.

I hope that wasn’t too long winded but I’m happy to answer any questions you might have on our experience. We would 10/10 recommend adopting an older dog from AMBR and I could explain their adoption process a little more if you’re interested.

Attached is a picture of how content Lily is each night after her walk/play quota has been met 😂

[mark]

Thank you all for the responses. Very helpful. My GSD gets 6-10 miles of hiking and walking daily just w me. I am active and love being outdoors. My wife and son take him on some shorter walks around the neighborhood so another 1-2 miles. He cannot run with me which is a bummer since his pace is too slow and he gets tired. I end up walking him then running 2-3 miles after or before on my own(7-8 mph). I have applied to AMBR and MAD but just the application does not mean I will take a dog. I want to get the right dog for me and the family. We know our current GSD was not that active but as new owners and my wife who never had a pet and a 6 year old we agreed that it was a good start. Do not regret this decision, Smokey is amazing and teaching us a ton and he is good with the entire family. I will am keeping eye out for another GSD or Mal with a little more ball/toy drive and good upbringing. Looking for one that was raised loving home but owners passed or were forced to give up the dog. Seems kind of morbid and sadistic but some of these dogs really deserve a second chance.

one thing I find interesting is I see a lot of folks asking rescues for Mals for personal protection or service or some other special work. From my research these are highly specific genetics and even dogs bred for this cannot make the cut after 1-2 years of training and it is expensive and difficult to teach, plus maintain. Are people really getting these kinds of dogs from rescues? Or are they delusional? Just curious.

thank again for all of the info, great stuff.

[Susanna]

I think as far as protection work goes some people have/will used them as working dogs but I do think that a lot of that depends on the level at which they’re expecting them to work. If I remember correctly though, ABMR prohibits using their adopted dogs for protection or bite work. This probably has a lot to do with what you’re referring to. It takes a LOT of work to do well and it takes continual training to keep that in check.

I’d say their shedding would be no different or less than what you’re used to with a GSD. You’re more likely to get a running buddy out of a Mal, our girl loves to run with us and has no problem keeping up. I even see a lot of people who hook their Mals up to their bike and exercise them that way.

Are you a member of the ABMR Facebook group? That might give you some insight into what people do with them after they’re adopted. People like to post updates of them doing various activities.

[Riggan]

Mark, I ran a program training assistance dogs for people with mobility disabilities for several years. A Mal breeder donated one of her dogs to our program. She did so because in her words, “this was the mellowest Mal she had ever seen.” With some reservations, I agreed to give the dog a try. She was a lovely dog (about 1 year old), but was still far higher drive than any other dog we trained. I still thought that it might possibly work if we had a client who had an extremely active lifestyle. Unfortunately, we never made it that far. When we had the dog’s hips X-rayed (a requirement for all our dogs), she failed the exam. The breeder was devastated since she had never had a dog with poor hips before. She actually got angry at us, as if we somehow made the dog’s hips bad! Anyway, just wanted to say that even a “mellow” Mal is still a high drive dog.

That said, my daughter adopted a Mal / Husky mix from a couple who decided they were too old for such a high drive dog. Lily was 8 mo when they adopted her. For a Mal, she is very mellow. I spent a month with them doing some training for them and absolutely loved working with her. Her attitude was fantastic and she loved training! There have been some challenges for my daughter with she and her husband working full time and a young teenager in the home, but Lily has turned into a wonderful family member. My daughter has done a great job continuing her training, and her husband gets her out regularly for a run. So it can be done if you are committed to the needs of the dog and understand what you are getting. It sounds like you are extremely active, and the dog would have lots of outlets for their energy. Good luck, whichever way you go!