Why do mals turn! - Page 1

One hasn't the time to reply to every idiotic statement but .........

I have never seen a Mal "TURN" on it's handler. That is not a term we should use for what most of us refer to as handler aggression. It makes it sound as if a dog mauled it's owner.

Some Mals and Dutchies will not take unfair treatment.

Most people should not own a Malinois.

Many GSDs will do the same.

Mals are quicker to react to an instinctive stimulus.

Its definately not that they turn on their handlers! What I have experienced is that most people should not own dutchies or mals. It is always the people who think they must always show they are alpha and feel they must be overly dominating to them! The people who believe in the "alpha roles". You just can not do that with a dutch or a mal (most of them), especially a hard dominant one. Or even a gsd with the same characteristics. The way I explain it to people is that you and your dog are a team!! You have to give respect to get respect! Do not think that each hard correction after the other your dog is just going to go about his day happy go luck and eager to please. (and that is just the easiest of our corrections, I know people who get physical with corrections leash, hand, when not heeling right kicking a dog in the chest or stepping on their toes, etc.) I above all know that I should not be practicing or doing training when I am upset or frustrated because it comes out during training. I get irritated faster and I am quicker to give unfair corrections. I personally need a dog like this to keep me focused on what I should be doing! I have a dog that will growl at me to tell me hey you are taking this too far stop and we will try in a little bit. Sometimes that is all I need is just a good 10-20 min breather to relax. I have another dog that will immediately try and eat me. Do not brush off the warnings your dog gives you. Do not correct the warnings your dog gives you! You should be happy your dog is verbalizing to you they are dissatisfied with your treatment rather than just latching on to you. Do not take it overly personal and start with the I feed you you better respect me thoughts and disregard your unfair treatment to him/her. It's those people who get chewed up! Not all dogs warn. You have to know how sensitive your dog is to corrections, know the right kind of corrections to make and at what times(you can give collar corrections to add drive or lessen drive and obviously in higher drive the more aggressive your dog will be), know your dogs limits, know your limits, etc. There are plenty of things that must be considered!

As for another situation I commonly see with both the dutch and mals are misplaced aggression in the bite work. I believe this may be what you are referring to when you mentioned the "turn" on their handlers. Dutch and mals get so worked up when they are doing any kind of agitation work. It could be critical if the handler is inexperienced and tries to take an object (especially bite work equipment) out of a dogs mouth or reaches in front of them to untangle them, etc. during this work. They are so high in drive and out of frustration grabs the first thing that they see or have the ability to grab. I must say I see more mals do this then dutch but I again must refer that most people shouldn't own these dogs (and mals are the popular of the two breeds) and handle them the same as they would another dog when it is just not how it should be done. It is misplaced aggression, it is not something that should be scolded but more so prevented and redirected. It is very important with very high drive dogs like these two breeds to be started at such an early age so they know what to target and they know what is acceptable. I have had 3-4 month old puppies redirect themselves during agitation work. It is bound to happen but if the dog is not started early and does not know what is expected of them then of course a misplaced aggression bite from a 15 month old dog is way more severe than the misplaced aggression bite of a 4 month old. It is no different then if you have 2 non aggressive dogs looking out the window getting worked up over the same squirrel that is taunting them outside of the house and then the squirrel runs off... they want to attack the squirrel (assuming out of prey just as a young dutch or

I sit back day in and day out reading the comments on here of people that make automatic assumptions about everything and everybody. Its crazy the things that are on here, there is no more wrong with malinois then GSD. Good mali becomes a great tool just like a great GSD does. If you get bit then you dam well deserved it. Its something that the handler is doing wrong to the dog. Its proven that 90% of dog bites were provoked by their handlers and not the dog saying hey I think I'm going to bite him or her because I feel like it. There is a couple of loose cannons out there but who's fault is that---its the humans fault for poor training and por genetic breeding. I have Dutchies and Mali's from top champion KNPV lines. Yes they are harder, faster, stronger than the GSD but there is plenty of GSD to KNPV too. So you can't put one breed in a class by itself, it does not work that way people. Your allowed to have your favorites but don't pass judge a breed that is great in the streets, homes and family life as well as the sport fields.

 they only turn if you are not experienced with the breed, never blame a dog.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to talk trash about the GSD. All I'm saying is I prefer the Malinois due to their energy and personality. They suit me better than the GSD. I've seen some great GSD's and I have nothing bad to say about them.

This is a rediculous discussion anyway. Only a dog that is severely messed up in the head or has been severely abused would "turn" on it's handler. such a messed up dog would need to be put down. What you are talking about here is not a real bite. Dogs have great control over their bite. A dog that really "turns" is going to do a lot of damage. It would be a mauling and would require a trip to the hospital and possibly surgery. A strong handler is needed for a lot of Mals. Much moreso than a GSD although there are a few out there. This is a stupid line of questioning and if it someone really thinks it is viable then they dont need to be talking about working dogs until they learn something actually while IN the field.

The only reason a Mal would "turn" would be due to an incompetent handler, who should probably not be working with dogs anyway.  The most common cause of handler bites is Unfair harsh correction.  If you mistreat a Mal, they will either shut-down or come after the handler especially if they have no respect for their handler.  Respect is not earned through maltreatment.

Mal's are pocket rockets on crack and get really wound up, possibly not realizing & in tunnel vision mode the dog could lock on to the closest WRONG target but they certainly do not turn. They are one of the most loving breeds out there and always willing to please.