Belgian Malinois

Malinois can be gentle and loving with their family once they’re mature. Puppies and young dogs – including Malinois – like to bite, and they don’t discriminate! So, careful management around young and elderly people may be needed.  

Malinois may struggle in busy homes with visitors coming and going. They’re natural guard dogs, which means they can be suspicious of strangers.

Malinois can be affectionate with people who they know and trust. But they’re not ones for lots of snuggles. They’d much rather be doing something active – the complete opposite of a couch potato! Unlike some breeds, they’re not exactly social butterflies either and will take time to warm up to new people. 

Malinois absolutely love toys, but they can be destructive so you’ll want to invest in tough tuggies and fetch toys. They can enjoy enrichment toys but sometimes struggle and get frustrated. So, when introducing them to new activity toys and food puzzles, make it very easy to start with. Soon enough, their confidence will grow and they’ll be getting stuck into the harder challenges with gusto! 

Their play style with other dogs involves chasing, nipping, climbing, and wrestling. And it’s not much different with people, so they’ll need help with engaging in more appropriate play.  

Malinois are a vocal breed and may bark through frustration, excitement, a desire to play, or to alert you to something. If you enjoy your peace and quiet, this probably isn't the breed for you!  

They’re excellent watchdogs and will let you know if anything is going on that you need to know about (and sometimes things you don’t need to know about too!). 

There’s a reason why this breed has been nicknamed ‘maligators’. They love to bite and hold, especially young pups of four to five weeks.  

Malinois have a high prey drive (hunting instinct). This means they need careful management around small animals, including introductions with them. Some may never be safe to live with smaller pets.  

They can also be protective and may struggle in a household with lots of visitors coming and going. 

With their herding roots, Malinois can become controlling and stimulated by lots of movement. So they may struggle with children running around.  

Bravery is another classic trait of the Malinois breed. They won’t turn away from things that scare them! This increases the chances of finding themselves in challenging situations if left to their own devices.  

These guys are super intelligent, which can be a blessing and a curse. They’ll easily learn basic training, but if you’re not one step ahead, they’ll make their own fun – which might not be ideal!  

As a Malinois owner, you’ll need to step up to the plate and teach them everything they need to know. This calls for an active, calm owner who has good training skills. It also helps to have some creativity in your back pocket for whenever they throw a curve ball at you! And, of course, you must be able to keep up with their quick brains.  

Malinois can live alongside and enjoy interacting with other dogs. But they can sometimes be very full-on and may need careful introductions.  

With so much energy, they may be overbearing in a small space, especially if you don’t have a garden.  

They’re excellent watchdogs and react to external noises with barking. So if you live in a built-up area, apartment building or shared accommodation, this could make things tricky as they’ll probably bark at every sound they hear! 

As a historic herding dog and now an all-purpose working dog, Malinois have lots of energy. This means they need regular free running (off-lead). 

They may struggle in smaller homes or anywhere with no outdoor space.  

An under-exercised Malinois is likely to become vocal, destructive, and difficult to live with. Regular physical exercise should include free running, training and other mental stimulation challenges. This adds up to around two-three hours of activity and training per day. It’s the best way to keep these dogs happy!  

Malinois can be both easy and incredibly challenging to train. They excel at basic training and will soon need to be introduced to more advanced activities like dog sports. If you’re not committed to providing this, or don’t have the support of a suitable professional, you may find your Malinois will turn into a bit of a monster! 

Aside from training, Malinois need careful socialisation and habituation. This means teaching them to interact calmly and politely with other people, dogs, and animals. You should also make sure they're relaxed and confident in everyday situations like busy areas and when travelling. 

This training and guidance needs to be consistent through puppyhood (up to six months) and adolescence (six months – two years). It might sound like a lot, but it will give you the best chance of ensuring they become well-behaved adults with impeccable manners.  

As the owner of a Malinois, you may find yourself dealing with excessive barking, biting/grabbing, destructiveness, a high prey drive (hunting instinct) and demanding behaviours.  

When you see these dogs working and performing amazing tasks, remember this hasn’t happened overnight. They’ve had months and months of training. This breed is not for the half-hearted! 

You may see impressive videos of Malinois on social media which talk about them needing a certain type of training that uses punishment and painful devices. This is absolutely not the case. These dogs can learn with positive, kind training just like any other breed. They need patience, understanding and a skilled trainer to be the best they can be. 

Malinois have the shortest coat of all the Belgian Shepherd varieties. Their coat is thick, and they’ll shed with the changes of the season. 

Whilst you may be tempted to clip their coats in warm weather, this is actually very dangerous and makes it harder for them to stay cool. This is the case for any double-coated breed. 

Top tip: using a shedding rake will help reduce hair shed in the home. It will also keep your dog's skin and coat healthy! 

Malinois can be prone to hip and elbow dysplasia. This is where the joints don't fit together particularly well and can be painful/arthritic. 

A good diet, regular appropriate exercise and keeping their weight under control will help to avoid these conditions.  

Breeders should be hip scoring their dogs and screening their eyes before breeding. Hip scoring involves getting an X-ray which tells you the severity or likelihood of hip dysplasia developing or being present.  

Despite Malinois generally being a robust and healthy breed, owners should still get health insurance. Malinois tackle every day with enthusiasm, so accidents can happen!