Aloof malinois HELP! - Page 1

Desperately seeking help! We bought a belgian malinois about a month ago. 12 weeks old then, 16 weeks old now. This puppy was scared senseless when we got her home. She would run and hide from everything that moved and every noise and did not want to play or tug at all. She is doing much better at playing ball but is still terrified of everything. This pup is georgous and seems to be very smart. Is there anyway to help her to overcome this aloofness? She still won't even come to us unless she is ready to play herself. We bought her specifically to have trained for a protection dog but I'm afraid that she will never be nothing more than a companion.

Did you buy this puppy on purpose or was this a spur of the moment purchase? Why did you buy a fearful pup and then why didn't you promptly return it? You can maybe get this pup to be a companion dog, but it will be a long term project. As you want a dog for protection training, you need to start with an outgoing, confident pup. If that is still your goal, return the pup and get help looking for a pup that will suit your needs.

Agree with the above.
A good breeder should take it back, a great breeder would've washed it out and not sold it.
Your puppy doesn't sound aloof, it sounds like she has horrible nerves.
Are you new to working dogs? A puppy purchased for protection work later on is quite the risk.

We searched online and found this pup about 3 hours away. We had been talking to the seller by phone school is a policeman that also trains their K-9 dogs for the police dept. He sent us pictures of the 2 he had left. We made it clear we wanted her specifically for protection training and he confirmed she would be great for that. He also is supposed to give us training classes on training for her. We meet at a large parking lot to pick her up. He told us we could put her down for a minuets on the concrete but not the grass because she still needed her next shots. There was no lease or collar on her and she was trying to go for the grass so we just held her. We contacted the seller on the 3 day to ask about her being scared of everything and he told me it would take several weeks for her to bond with us. In two weeks we made the 3 hour drive back to his state so he could evaluate her. She did great while we were there. We seriously looked like idiots. She was a different pup. But when we got back home it was the same thing again. Anytime she hears a car or a distant dog bark or the wind is blowing she flips out and runs straight for the house. I love this pup, i have taught her to sit, lay, stand, come and she loves her ball. But this is ONLY if she is in the mood. I don't know what to do when she is so scared of everything and she won't come to me. She hides under everything.

I have had dogs all my life and raised quite a few boxer litters. I have not owned a malinois but I do know that they are quite different. I am spending much time doing my research trying not to do anything wrong.
The seller did tell me that the pup did have some rank issues that we would have to address soon!

I'm thinking you've been taken. You met the seller in a parking lot?! This guy has shoveled you a whole lot of bull and you took it hook, line, and sinker. It's up to you, depending on how attached you are to this project pup, or whether you want a well adjusted pup more suitable for what you originally intended, on whether you want to keep going with this one or return it and run as fast as you can away from this scam artist who is most likely a BYB or a puppymill.

Agree with greyhoundgirl you probably where mislead... Meeting a breeder in a marking lot and not on his kennel should be a big warning sign.. it sounds to me that that puppy lived her live closed up all her live, and was not properly socialized, show she is scared of everything that she does not know... A good breeder as it was said, would not have sold you a puppy for protection work that was not well socialized... For my experience, and I do have a few with scared dogs, she will be difficult to work with... but good luck in your decision...

And that's why I said in an early thread honesty is what I expected out of a breeder because there are so many lieing scumbags that will take advantage it really pisses me of . But to meet him in a parking lot u want your head examined

I purchased a 12 week old GSD pup from a breeder in Ohio...gosh...it will soon be 9 years ago!

The kennel was out in the country, and the breeders were an older couple without kids. She had not been exposed to a lot of things outside her kennel, and had a problem with children at first. I took her to a park near the school, and introduced her to lots of kids and let them give her treats. The problem was solved very quickly.

I can't think of a single other thing she's had problems with in her entire life. Traffic - no big deal. Other dogs - she's great with them as long as they're friendly. Strange people? Well, I've trained her as my service dog (hearing ear) so she won't approach them without permission, but she's so friendly, I have to keep a close eye on her to make sure she obeys! She does a good job of barking at the door, though, and at strangers who come on my property, and she does a decent job of protection in schutzhund.

I've heard mals often have nerve issues, but can recover from them as they get older. The problem is: what if they don't? A very large part of good nerves is genetic. The dog either has it or it doesn't. You can see the difference in my female, which was likely raised in a very similar environment for her first 12 weeks.

I would take the pup back. And yes, meeting with a prospective buyer in a parking lot...HUGE, HUGE red flag! I drove to the breeder's kennel to pick my pup up, and saw both the mother and the father, and was allowed to interact with the pup as much as I wanted to. I did a temperament test on her, and she passed with flying colours!  At the end of the test, I sat down in a reclining chair they had in the puppy room, and she climbed up into my lap for a cuddle.

Doesn´t necessarily need to be a byb ...the pup seems to do well at the breeder´s home...

You have been there - did the facility/training field make a good impression?
Did you have the opportunity to see other dogs ( in the best case the dam ) ?
Do you know what happened to the littermates? Size of the litter?

My personal guess: The really good pups out of this litter went to police homes or local training homes, and the two remaining pups went to pet owners, again, just a guess, but possible.

You already seem to be attached to this little girl - in case you really don´t want to give her back you need to deal with the status quo.

I wouldn´t make a big deal out of her insecurity, just be there. Right now I´d feed her out of the hand only, she needs to get bonded to you, no, she needs to trust you. Outside of the house off leash only ( edit: ON LEASH, thank you, Joan ), even in the garden, so she can´t hide or run away, but don´t pamper her, try to behave normal. No playing when she wants, only in case you want... and so on.

Might be a lot of work, but she is still young, maybe it´s not too late.
On the other hand: Only a small percent of all the puppies raised are suitable for PP later on ( be it the dog, be it the owner ).

Out of your description she doesn´t seem to trust strangers - in case she is able to overcome most of her insecurity, that´s at least a starting point for a PP dog ( not easy to train, but possible ).
But think about your goals twice, in most cases a barking dog is good enough for protection, no need for anything else, only problems for an inexperienced handler.

Right now I´d just try to bond with her combined with a lot of socialisation.

Good luck ( and sorry for your bad experience )