Belgian Malinois Breed Overview – Belgian Malinois are used in police work, search and rescue, military work, protection work, special ops and more. To become the best possible working dogs they can be, early socialization and training is imperative. Belgian Malinois are sweet and affectionate dogs that are bred to work. That means both you and your dog will be happiest when they have a job to do and get sufficient exercise.
Belgian Malinois Puppy Training
Socialization and House Training – Socialization and house training should start as early as possible with Belgian Malinois, usually these puppies take well to training at around 8 weeks old. Socialization training includes exposing your Belgian Malinois to different items and experiences, like taking them on walks, introducing them to your friends and family and taking them to new parks or walking routes. These dogs do not do well without quality time and attention from their owners. Deciding to own a Belgian Malinois puppy means deciding to dedicate quality exercise and training time with your pup, starting from the day you bring them home.
Basic Obedience – Belgian Malinois basic obedience starts with the simplest of commands, like sit or lay down. The most important aspect of training these dogs young is to teach them HOW to learn. Being a consistent and fair trainer is the most important aspect of this early training. Consistency of command and reward is imperative so that your puppy learns to listen to you and trust you as their owner and trainer. Positive reinforcement is crucial in the development of these dog’s skills.
Personality and Training – Belgian Malinois are known for being headstrong and having big personalities, luckily they love training though and they love to work, so training them is generally effective as long as you have the right tools to train them correctly. These puppies make great companions for individuals who want to work with their dogs and spend time training and teaching new skills and tasks, including agility and sport training. If you find you do not have the time or ability to train your puppy yourself, finding a great Belgian Malinois trainer should be top on your list. Though these dogs make incredible companions and protectors, they need a solid training foundation to truly live up to their full potential. Even if you are not planning on teaching your Belgian Malinois a special skill, a good solid foundation of training is still imperative for this breed.
Belgian Malinois History
The Belgian Malinois breed was originally used for herding and working and has continued to maintain their top place as working dogs since their origin.
Belgian Malinois Early Development
This breed was recognized by the AKC in 1959. They are trimly built and have strong frames, standing somewhere between 22 and 26 inches tall. Their standard colors are fawn, mahogany, red, red sable, and fawn sable and their standard marking is a black mask.
Belgian Malinois Coloring
Belgian Malinois puppies may differ slightly in coloring as they grow up. A puppy that appears to have darker coloring as a puppy may in fact grow up to be a lighter shade after their puppy stage.
When do Belgian Malinois ears stand up?
Belgian Malinois puppies have slightly droopy ears as puppies but they begin perking up as they grow up. Belgian Malinois puppy ears may start to perk up as early as 6 weeks but generally take somewhere between 4 and 6 months to begin standing up. It is normal for Malinois ears to droop back down after starting to perk up, there may be months of this back and forth perking and flopping before they stand erect more permanently. Belgian Malinois adults should have good control over their ears and will move them depending on their mood or their environment.
Belgian Malinois Puppy Cost
Belgian Malinois puppies can range in price from $1,000 – $10,000 depending on the quality of breeder, bloodlines and AKC registration. On top of these up front prices, a potential Belgian Malinois owner must consider others fees such as paying for a good trainer, beds, crates, play toys or agility course items, food and grooming equipment. In addition to these items, there is the hidden cost of quality time and energy that must be spent with their dog training and bonding.
Belgian Malinois puppies grow fast! It is always so fun when we have puppies and we cherish every moment with these sweet guys. All of our dogs have sweet and different personalities. After we take them through protection training their personalities blossom and in addition to their sweet personalities they’ve learned how to protect you and your family from any threat. What more could you want!?
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