Belgian Malinois owners...please step in I have some questions.

[LittleLebowski]

[Elkhitman]

I think it's good as a scare tactic, but there are far too many of us with pet Mals to go along with the warning and conclusion.

Is it a demanding breed for an owner? Yes.
Is it a bad idea for a first dog? Probably.
Are they bad pets? No.

Take from it what you will. I'm not telling anyone not to get a Mal, I just said it was a good article. Mal's are showing up more and more in the pound because people don't realize what they are getting when they buy one.

[LittleLebowski]

Take from it what you will. I'm not telling anyone not to get a Mal, I just said it was a good article. Mal's are showing up more and more in the pound because people don't realize what they are getting when they buy one.

What pound? I'm seriously curious.

[23JAZ]

Are those pics all the same dog?

[Peally]

If it's anything like Aussie Cattle Dogs, "all over" would be fairly accurate. They're very energetic working dogs and I often see them for adoption perusing the web and the local humane society (often mixes but glaringly obvious as being part cattle dog)

[23JAZ]

We live in a rural area, and our little neighborhood area has had a lot of break ins and property crime since January. I've decided to get a dog as a first line of defense. My wife and I aren't pet people, my wife had pets growing up but I've never owned anything but Gold Fish so this will be totally uncharted territory for me. I think I've decided on a Belgian Malinois. I've heard they are very loyal, kid friendly dogs and good protectors.

My question is to people here that own them or have in the past, how are they with kids? I'm not just worried about my own, but we have other kids at our house pretty regularly. Are they comfortable around adult "strangers" that come over to visit once they see their owners are comfortable with them being there? I've known people who had dogs that were constantly on edge with anyone around who isn't the immediate family and I want to avoid that. I don't want friends and family to avoid coming over because of a dog they are unsure of, and I don't want to kennel one up every time we have guests, but I do want it to be a protector. Are my wants and desires in a dog incompatible? I hope these don't seem like stupid noob questions but I really have no experience with dogs of any kind other than other peoples pets. Thanks.

Have you given Boxers a look. We've had one for 11 years and couldn't be happier with him. Very loyal, protective, and he has made a great play buddy for my two boys (5 yrs + 3 yrs old). He is super protective of them and my wife, but he is a huge cuddle-bug too. And almost no SHEDDING!

[LittleLebowski]

I think it's good as a scare tactic, but there are far too many of us with pet Mals to go along with the warning and conclusion.

Is it a demanding breed for an owner? Yes.
Is it a bad idea for a first dog? Probably.
Are they bad pets? No.

Concur. When I got my Mal, I asked a seasoned LE/mil K9 handler on LightFighter a whole bunch of questions and he basically said "Dude, it's still a dog so treat it as such." Great advice as opposed to buying into the whole "Mals are unstoppable killing machines that only trained K9 handlers can own" nonsense.

[LittleLebowski]

Are those pics all the same dog?

Yes, I adopted him at that size, full grown.

[Elkhitman]

What pound? I'm seriously curious.

The Martinez (Contra Costa County) shelter had a male about 6-9 months last week. Not sure if they still have him, a friend sent me the picture. But they are showing up more and more in shelters in the SF Bay Area.

[Elkhitman]

Littlelebowski her eyes is a picture a friend sent me of the dog in the shelter.


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