I'm thinking about buying a malinois soon, but I'm worried that I can't afford proper training.
I am familiar with training methods, and have raised a few dogs in my youth.
However, I really want to get a malinois mainly for personal protection reasons. I would like to get it protection trained, but I may not be able to afford it.
So my question is...
How well will a normally trained(by myself) Malinois protect me vs. a protection trained malinois?
Also, is it ever too late to give a dog protection training? For example, if I got money 2 years later, would I be able to get it protection trained then?
Mals are great personal protection dogs. They will always have your back. However, they are high strung and need an outlet for their energy, especially if you get a working line Malinois. Most people buy a Malinois with the intention of using them for sport (Schutzhund, French Ring, Mondio, etc.) or for Police/Military work.
A Malinois has natural protection instincts but would do much much better being professionally trained. With the right training they can become a finely tuned protection dog and also a social family member. They must know the diffrence between work and play.You should be able to control them with your voice only. They need to be raised a certain way in order to achieve this.
2 years....that's along time before training a dog in protection work. They may have already picked up bad habits that would make training a struggle. It's possible though but definitely not ideal. They need to be started very young.
A lot of people buy a Malinois for a pet and then realize they made a mistake. They are a working dog. They strive to work and do best with a job to do. I train my Mals for Schutzhund. If I didn't, they would drive me insane. They are always in OVERDRIVE. If you are not planning on working the dog then I recommend you look into a different breed that isn't as high strung such as a Rottweiler, Doberman, AmStaff. These dogs are more mellow but also have strong protective instincts.
A Mali can make the best protection dog but the handling skills have to be a lot sharper. There is not much room for error on some Malis. You could train protection after 2 years but you need the handling skills long before that. Just because the dog isnt protection trained doesnt mean it wont bite and your handling skills still need to be at a high level regardless especially with a Malinois.
If you want a reliable protection dog, the dog obviously should know what to do to protect you.
Question is, does a malinois without protection training know what to do? Genetics determine if a dog has protection instincts. Not all mals, first of all, has what it takes. For those that have, however, responses still have to be learned, for a dog to be a reliable protection dog.
A protection dog is not only a biter dog. We always tell our trainee handlers and clients that the primary job of a protection dog is not to bite, but to warn it's handler/owner of real threats, and as a deterrent - this is important. This is why a dog does not only have to know how to bite, but also to know if there is a threat in the first place. A dog's senses has to be sharp, and sharpened. It also needs to be familiarized, socialized and controlled for stability. When it is necessary, and only when it is necessary, a protection dog is allowed to attack. That is why a great biter dog does not automatically equal a great protection dog. Much more is involved. We are talking not only of titles and points in real protection work, but human lives, and potentially, innocent lives. That is why a lot of training is NECESSARY. You cannot buy a gun, not knowing how to use all it's features, and just hope that when the time comes, you will be able to protect yourself with it because you know it will fire.
2 years I think is too late. Too much development time lost already (there are periods of time in a dogs life, in the early stages, that are important phases for training) Although there are always exceptions to the rule. :)
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