Asking, no begging, for sincere Belgian Malinois advice - Page 8

bhaugh posted:  "Someone recommended a dutchie. Really? Not a good suggestion imo. A mwd handler once said to me that mals are shepherds on crack and over the years Ive come to believe this is true."

Again, this comes down to the lines & the breeder you choose from.  My Mal from all working lines did NOT act like a shepherd on crack.  She was sane & stable & did not bounce off the walls.  Could she get amphed up, you bet.  Was the this way all the time?  NO.

The Dutchies I've handled or been around were slightly more laid back than my Mal, a little more easy going.  I handled one that I used to take with me to schools.  He was just fractionally slower to jump into things so if I had a new handler or timid handler, I'd have them track with him or work with him to build their confidence up.  To me a good Dutch Shep is inbetween the Mal & the GSD.  I love all three breeds.

Everyone's experiences are different based on what they've seen & handled which doesn't help Jivan's research much but a great deal depends on the breeder & blood lines on the end result. 

About  a year and a half ago I rescued a dog litterally off the street, who turned outt o be a Mal. I had never even heard of a Mal untill my vet identifid  the breed. So here she is, no special bloodlines or training or temperament assesment, an utterly random grab-bag Mal.  One of the best dogs I've EVER had, and I've had anyhting from shih tzus to border collie mixes.  I don't have a job for her to do, but I DO have a cat at my house (a somewhat aging and grouchy cat that has worked her way up to senior animal), and at my parents' house (they babysit her every day while I'm at work) is another cat, a 13 year old niece and a 3 year old nephew.  Elah is now my Dad's personal trainer, my Mom's best buddy, she is more patient with a rambuctious 3 year old boy than any other dog I've ever seen. She just doesn't understand why those cats won't play chase with her. Based  my experience, if your dog is fully integrated into your family, he'll just thrive. The situation at home you've described  sounds like it would be perfect.

Peepers good points....I LOVE dutchies and would have one myself. Actually that would have happened last week. Saw a nice female at the shelter. Told a friend about her and she adopted the dog instead. Couldn't stop her, her own dutchie had just passed away. I wouldn't recommend one to a novice dog person though. I do agree that they are more laid back but I also think they will challange their handler more often to make sure the owner has their game on. For a novice that could spell disaster. That same friend does mal rescue. I've seen one mal from the shelter that had NO drive or energy for that matter. Other than her, most drove me crazy just being with them for a day.