New puppy question - Page 1

We've recently adopted a puppy, when we took her we were told she was Australian Shep/Lab mix. Several people have told us she looks and acts more like a Malinois. We don't really care what she is but I have been reading about Mals. One thing I've read over and over is they "need a job." What does this mean exactly?

Here's a picture of her, curious to get opinions on whether she looks like a malinois or not.

well I certainly don't see any Australian Shepherd in her.  Possibly Malinois or German Shepherd mixed with something else, Labrador is possibility.   It should be easier to tell when she reaches adulthood.  It's possible that she's pure heinz 57 (mutt with multiple breeds in her.)

Mals have a tendacy of being very high energy and very high prey/toy drive (more so than the average dog/puppy) in order to channel/focus all that energy and drive, they need a job (daily obedience/agility/schutzhund or similar sport/scent detection (SAR, tracking, drugs, bomb, accelerant or other things))  Otherwise, if they don't have something to do everyday to burn off their energy and give them mental stimulation then they'll resort to destructive and possibly neurotic behaviors. 
But not all Mals are like this and there is a good possibility that your pup isn't so extreme either.  But nonetheless, every dog should have something to do everyday. 

Thanks. I think we're on the right track. Lots and lots of exercise and some brain games. A couple long walks every day, lots of play with our son, a few sessions of "herd the cat," and the standard obedience training. We play hide and seek with treats and give her one meal from a kibble dispenser ball. She's been a pleasure to train,  my daughter would like to start her in agility work. She had been through 3 homes before we took her at 10 weeks, so she had a rough beginning but she's adjusted very well. She had some issues with submissive urination when my husband would come near her, but they've worked that out. 

She's most definitely a mutt, she points like a Vizsla and digs like a Terrier. It's fun to watch her and guess which breed is running the show at that particular instant. 

Sounds like you're doing a great job with her.

A mix for sure, but I see some very strong Mal traits. Mine doesn't have a "job" in the usual sense, but she she participates in just about everything we do. The key, to me, is that a Mal really has to be in the family- not just a pet that you put out in the kennel by herself at night- sounds though like you've got an environment she can really thrive in.