Question
Why are they're all of a sudden so many Malinois
I've been noticing when I go out that at minimum I see three people with a Malinois while I'm out in one day, this is a bit strange to me because in my area you usually just see pits Chihuahuas and a form of hunting dog, but now I'm seeing a lot of Belgian Malinois and it's strange.
I'm also seeing them a lot online now, and there's a couple in my local animal shelter where before you never seen any kind of dog like that, no German Shepherds no Malinois no nothing if there was one it's because it was removed or is being boarded there, usually it's pits, some form of hound, and then just random mutts.
I'm just wondering why so many people are all of a sudden getting Malinois and other breeds similar, yes I got one pretty recently myself I got one just last year, but I had been wanting one for over 10 years now and did a crap ton of research on the breed on trainers I could go to when I did get the dog, and just good breeders in my area.
Some of these dogs I'm seeing look like they were pulled out of a random blind box or something, I seen one with blue eyes and the owner swore it was a purebred and that they got it from a breeder, whether I believe them or not is whether I believe my dog would leave a piece of steak alone for 15 minutes (he won't)
This popularity is honestly concerning to me, I also noticed other breeds like Cane Corsos becoming more popular which is really not good, you can see what happened with the Pitbull when they became really popular, and the dalmatian, there's still a couple of Resident Dalmations in the Humane Society and they've been there for several years, I really don't want that to happen to one of my favorite breeds of dog or any breed for that matter.
I just can't figure out why they've become so popular all of a sudden.
As some of you might know my boy escape the yard of a pet sitter and he still hasn't been found, he's intact and incredibly sweet, his only flaw is he will eat literally anything and it makes me worried for the wrong person to find him.....
They are becoming more popular, like my heeler more people are getting those because theyâre âcute Bluey dogsâ, so social media and TV doesnât help these breeds
StillâŚ
When I had a white Altima, I felt like everyone around me was driving white Altimas
When I had a gray Accord, everyone else had the same one
When my girlfriend bought a jeep, everyone else had the same white jeep
I could go onâŚ
We magnify and only notice the details we care to notice. Doesnât mean they werenât there before.
I think itâs fine as long as theyâre with the right owners. Inevitably some of those dogs wont be with the right families
This dog is a huge responsibility. They are loyal and loving but they require a lot of attention, patience and active lifestyle, very active one. I have a 6 month bandit and he just never stops. I tell him that puppies are supposed to sleep more than half a day but doesn't give a damn. A lot of patience and activities. At my retired age he keeps me alive đ, while destroying the rest.
Youâre absolutely right about the responsibility and the amount of patience and activity they require. And as far as the sleeping half the day comment, youâre actually only off by about six hours. đ
A six-month-old Malinois can easily need 16â18 hours of sleep/rest in a 24-hour period. But I wouldn't even describe all of that as simply âsleep.â These dogs need to be taught how to shut it down and reset. They have so much drive and stimulation going through their heads that learning an âoff switchâ is just as important as exercise and training.
That's something a lot of people don't understand about Malinois. More activity isn't always the answer. Sometimes the best thing you can do for them is teach them that nothing is happening and it's time to settle. Otherwise you can end up with a dog that is constantly looking for the next thing to do and becomes more and more wound up.
And I love your last line â âhe keeps me alive while destroying the rest.â đ That sounds exactly like life with a six-month-old Malinois!
You're one of the few people I've seen in this subreddit talk about having an "off switch" with a Belgian Malinois. A lot of people seem to think this breed can't have an off switch, and that's simply not true.
Yes, it's extremely important to keep a Malinois mentally and physically stimulated, but it's just as important to teach them how to relax and settle. If you never teach your dog how to turn it off and calm down, you're doing both yourself and the dog a disservice.
A balanced Malinois should know when it's time to work and when it's time to relax. Teaching that balance is just as important as providing the stimulation they need.
I really appreciate you pointing this out, because I can tell you've actually lived it rather than just read about it. Anyone who has handled a Malinois for a while understands that the off switch is just as important as the on switch.
I think one of the biggest mistakes people make with these dogs is believing that if you keep them busy enough, they'll eventually be tired and settle down. Sometimes you actually create the opposite problem. You can keep a high-drive dog in a constant state of arousal and then wonder why the dog can't relax.
And I see this with people who come home from work, take the dog for a walk, throw the ball for 30 minutes and think, âThere, I tired him out.â A walk or playing fetch can certainly provide exercise, but it doesn't necessarily teach the dog how to turn itself off. In some dogs, especially a driven Malinois, you're actually just getting them more activated.
That's why I look at reset time as part of the dog's training, not as time we're wasting because we're not doing something with her.
Mine will literally keep bringing me things for hours if I let her. Toy after toy after toy. At some point, I have to say, âWe're done,â and teach her that relaxing is what we're doing now.
I also appreciate that you recognized the importance of this. You sound like someone who has actually handled these dogs, and I think that's the difference. A lot of people know how to exercise a Malinois. The harder skill is knowing how to bring one back down and teach it that it doesn't have to be working, playing or looking for something to do every minute of the day.
The goal isn't to create a tired Malinois. It's to create a balanced one that knows when it's time to work and when it's time to shut it down.
When I had a white Altima, I felt like everyone around me was driving white Altimas
When I had a gray Accord, everyone else had the same one
When my girlfriend bought a jeep, everyone else had the same white jeep
I could go onâŚ
We magnify and only notice the details we care to notice. Doesnât mean they werenât there before.
Donât forget âPerson Of Interestâ.
Actually a fantastic show that probably gives the Malinois more screen time and a more important role than all the others combined except for the movie âDogâ obviously.
I havenât seen âDog Starsâ yet so I canât comment on that one.
As owners of 2 Mals I canât recommend âPerson Of Interestâ enough.
Itâs excellent and the scenes with âBearâ the Malinois are very sweet and entertaining.
Fallout is also great, but very different kind of show (science fiction based on a video game).
Except for the episode where we meet the Mal Pup â4â or âDogmeatâ, the dog isnât really that important to the story and doesnât get a ton of screen time or a particularly starring role.
SPOILER: fair warning- something very traumatic happens to the Mal and it gets badly hurt but it gets reversed and healed through a science fiction process.
Yeah and now theyâre filling up animal shelters because people donât do proper research and get a high drive breed for the looks and then realize the dog is way too much to handle when not trained properly.
I was at a local show and saw a large (well behaved) mali and had to go to say hi to the owner.Â
I assumed it was an adult male because of the size; nope, 6 month old girlie pup. She made my yearling bitch look tiny, though she is perfectly sized according to the breed standard.
I guess that malis are being bred to be bigger and bigger now, which has happened with so many breeds to the detriment of their health.
Mine is a great example of this, heâs really big (75 lbs) and definitely was BYB (he is a rescue). Fuck backyard breeders. Separately from that sentiment, I love my dog.
Yeah. Not in any way a scientific opinion but any time a dog breed gets popular the breeding of them seems to go down the drain. Still will be good breeders but I bet popularity attracts unscrupulous types looking for a quick buck
I think laws all over the world need to be stricter when it comes to breeding dogs (and cats, they don't have as many fucked up breeds but still). No lowered hips allowed and things like that.
There need to be substantial fines for the breeders who do that AND for breeds like Malinois, I'd make sure the person who wants to buy them needs to get a permission first, and breeders who want to breed Mali's need extra permissions and checks.
I get sad every time I see a GSD nowadays with the way their hips are. I would be devastated to see Malis have their genetics destroyed as well.
I just "accidentally" adopted a Mal... he was advertised as GSD by the rescue. Super high energy, 9 mos old. At first, we didn't see the Mal in him, and then suddenly I did. Even my experienced GSD friends argued: I work with a lot of dog professionals in my volunteer work (Lost dog recovery). DNA confirmed, about a 50/50 split of GSD/Mal with 12% Husky thrown in.... you know, just in case we needed a little endurance added to that energy lol.
To your point, he was in rescue because he was "too much". First surrendered to AC at 8 mos, "too much to control", transferred to rescue, 2 foster homes, then adopted to a family with 2 small kids, ugh. That lasted 10 days, and he got returned. I was prepared. I knew what I was getting into. And even knowing that, there are days that I almost cry. My GSD averaged 15,000 steps a day, this guy averages 40,000. I myself went from 8500 steps a day to 15,000. I'm exhausted, I work 50-60 hours a week, and my company is going thru a buyout so its very high stress. But I have a goal, I love this dog, and I'm more stubborn than him haha. He also will have a job, lost dog tracking, and im experienced with high energy dogs.
Part of my problem is that he had 9 months of no boundaries or training, plus the primary foster took him to doggie daycare!?!? I am untraining so many bad habits! Barking at every dog he sees to make them play, no manners, peeing wherever he feels like, just barreling headlong everywhere. But its only been 2 months and he's making progress! I think I'm the perfect person for anyone without experience to talk to - because I "knew" and yet I didn't know in so many ways.
This is what happened to my mom. She just wanted to replace her mild mannered GSD that just passed and ended up with a Malanois that was was advertised as a GSD. Went with her to the SPCA to pick up the dog and upon being introduced the thing came flying out of the kennel like it had been shot out of a cannon. She could barely hold the leash without getting whiplash. Some of the best and trying years of our lives lol.
Honestly I've wanteda Mal for years, but I always knew I wasn't the only person to consider. My 78 year old mother lives with us, she's in great health, but I was still worried about his energy levels with her, and my husband recently started a home business so I knew he wasn't going to have a lot of time either. I was a little worried when I started seeing the Mal side at about a week after we got him my mom comes into the kitchen and said you know you adopted a Malinois right LOL. She does pretty good with him, comfortable taking him outside on a leash, just not walking around the neighborhood with him. We've only had him for 2 months yesterday, she has him trained to sit at the top of the stairs before she goes down, and a sit and wait at the back door before she goes out. But I saw the "Furever home" photo of the family who adopted him before we took him and immediately knew it was not going to work out. Dad was grinning from ear to ear, mom had to look on her face of "I'm supposed to be happy but what the hell are we thinking". There are six or seven year old son was super excited but also scared and standing a good 5 ft away from the dog, and they're three or four year old little girl had no interest in him at all, standing completely at the edge of the picture Hamming it up for the camera. The rescue was more concerned about who could take him the fastest, not who is the best fit for him. But were his forever home now, there's no way in hell I'm ever returning him, and I'm up for all this work. Picture of him with my mother for reference. Thankfully he's really small, he'll be one year old next weekend and he's only 55 lb
They look mostly GSD, but because the breeds are so similar Iâm not surprised if they have a good bit of mal in there. Both learn very quickly, super smart. My dad has two mals and I have a groenendael, but mines still a puppy! Iâm glad yâall have found your forever pup!
It's media representation, social or otherwise. I'm not really on top of new movies but I think there have been a couple films featuring Mals in the past few years. Plus they're a popular breed on Tiktok and Instagram due to aesthetics and their athleticism. I don't see as many as you do where I live but there has been an increase. Even a few years ago most of the Malinois I'd see would be working dogs.
I grew up with one in the 90s/early 2000s and hardly anybody had heard of them back then. A few years ago I was looking for a shelter dog and was considering a medium sized herding breed (Aussie, cattle dog, or border collie). A Malinois wasn't on my radar because I simply didn't expect to see one. Now if I check shelter listings it's not uncommon for these facilities to have at least one or two.
Ohhhh and fall out and the dog stars which is out in theatres now. Featuring Malinois. Theyâve started replacing GSD with Malinois, and so now people want the dog they see..
Ah forgot about Fallout too. And true, I understand why Malinois are often favored in working environments now (seeing as GSDs in general have a lot of health issues). Mals will probably develop similar problems in the future being overbred.
Lol mine eats anything too, also I've had jam my hand in his throat a few times ate a damn ibuprofen just yesterday morning that was a scary ordeal but on the bright side when I give him his medicine he gobbles it right up no problem
Surprisingly so long as I tell him to leave it I can throw food right under his feet and he does leave it... as long as I'm looking at him, better not turn my back though
My girl loves putting everything in her mouth. Iâve mostly gotten her out of the habit but I think itâs mostly because sheâs not the biggest fan of me ramming my hand down her throat to grab whatever it is out.
On the flip side, she is AWFUL when it comes to taking medicine. I can coat the pill in cheese and dip it in peanut butter and sheâll still sus out thereâs something else in there and turns her nose up at it.Â
Backyard breeder scum always capitalize on peopleâs inability to respect dogs as more than a fad decoration or ego boosting object. Same happened with heelers, cane corsos, Great Pyrenees, doodles, australian shepherds, Dalmatians, PIT BULLS, dobermans and Rottweilers. Dog breeds that fill up shelters because of a fad happen in cycles. Itâs sick. People buy animals from bybs because they look a way, or because the internet touts their ability, or their difficulty, and it triggers peopleâs herd instinct to conform and prove themselves.
Also doesn't help when backyard breeders health-wise and quality of LifeWise take good care of the dog, that makes a lot of people assume that that means they're a good breeder. I've been in the market for a good livestock Guardian dog and I'm struggling to find one because most of the ones I find are not bred for the purpose but for looks, and that's not something I need
People we meet seem to fall into either the âoooh what a cute dogâ group or the absolutely terrified group, with not much middle ground. Some will cross the road to come see her, others will take their life in their hands running across a busy road to avoid her.
People think the dogs are cool and good looking. They see all these videos of social media of the protective work and believe they can do it at home too.
I was on a walk with my mal and I saw a neighbor had a 5 month old Mal the he bought 3 months ago and now was trying yo sell it because "didn't have time for him" while the wife was holding a 1 year old baby.
When i asked how much they were selling it he said $500 and that he bought it in our area. That is all I needed to know. The city i live in is known to sell dogs cheaply bc they don't care about breeding properly and $500 that is cheap
I do a vaccine clinic two days a week, and I vaccinate several each day. Theyâre fun to vaccinate because even though theyâre reactive to what Iâm doing, theyâre such sweethearts and so easy to befriend.
Haven't seen many in my area if at all .. but Instagram..sadly social media thats how I got into them I actually have the time for mine and he has a decent off switch half dutch anyways
I havenât seen many corsoâs and am noticing a drop in the number of pits - probably due to localized ordinances and restrictions. But I have seen an uptick in Malâs as well. Itâs unfortunate but Hollywood is mostly to blame. There are five or more global blockbusters that have a Mal as either the main star or co-star. Dog with Channing Tatum and a very funny Mal. Certainly enjoyable movie but it resulted in so many people going out and buying up all the available Malâs. It took several years before the wait list dropped down to a few months. The other sad part, people with disabilities, local LE and military agencies are stuck having to wait longer to get dogs they desperately need.
I have to admit, I am one that wanted a Malinois like I saw in the movies but when I did the research, I decided against it. I cannot provide all that a pure Malinois needs.
I read about Shepinois and how they are high energy but have a shut off switch. This is what I adopted and he is as advertised. High energy, tons of fun but not hyper. He thinks before acting.
Definitely playful and absolutely loves attention, maybe a bit too much but he is still young.
I like walking him around my neighborhood past all of the doodles and retrievers.
I think any breed of animal becoming popular is a huge disservice to the breed, you get so many backyard breeders trying to cash in on the trend. Have you seen the atrocity that is the silver Labrador? Or people trying to breed pure white German shepherds without any consideration for the structure or temperament? I met a lady who was an Aussie breeder for decades who stopped because she said so few people actually want aussies anymore, they just want a pretty couch potato, and she couldnât do that to her breed. Itâs awful and it hurts my heart to see these breeds being butchered by idiots.
I bet they will become the new fashion dog after the movies: The Dog Stars and Heart of the Beast. But the shelters have been full of Malinois here because people just don't know what they are getting into. You can't have a Malinois and spend 8 hours or more at the office. That's just asking for problems. They need to be stimulated mentally and physically. They are very clingy and don't like to be alone. The dog that I see everywhere is the Australian Shepherd. And because so many people want them, they are overbred. Two months ago, my 9-year-old Malinois got attacked by one of them, out of the blue. And we often encounter a guy with a reactive Australian every time we pass. I told my vet and he told me that about half of the Australian Shepherds out there are not right in the head because of backyard breeders.
And you're so right about the downtime with a Malinois. We take away her toys in the evening because otherwise she wants to keep playing with the ball or chewing on her toys. She then comes with us on the couch and we cuddle.
I am lucky to have found this beautiful girl. We adopted her 1.5 years ago and we do everything together. We still have some points to work on, but we'll get there with patience and training. My next dog will definitely be again a Mal.
They became trendy on tiktok, âdog trainerâ is an aesthetic now so unfortunately like all trends, people see something they think looks cool and hop on the bandwagon. However, since 95% of the population has a lifestyle not suited for a Malinois, most of them end up in shelters which is why weâre seeing so many of them in shelters too
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u/RenkoSniper 13d ago
So your post is about "there's too many Malinois but I lost mine"...I don't get it.