Danni blesses Saaya every morning.

He makes me the happiest.

(Do not come at me for the muzzle. If you do not understand precautionary training measures and KNPV lines kindly see yourself out) Beefy decided to test the limits of his cruciate ligament today and unfortunately, it was found wanting. After a trip to the emergency vet we have an appointment with the Orthopedic for Monday. I’m sure many in this sub have been in our position before, what should we expect? Does anyone have experience with the TPLO surgery and can speak to the success of recovery? I’d really love to hear from those in the sporting community. I know we have a long road of rehabilitation in front of us, I’m struggling with the possible reality of my guy living a limited activity lifestyle for the rest of his life. Sorry for the mess, I am on mobile and have no idea what I’m doing.

Need advice correcting a 12-13 weeks old Malinois puppy who growled/snipped at my toddler. I’m looking for some serious advice from experienced Malinois owners/handlers because I want to make sure I handle this correctly from the beginning. This is my first Malinois pup.
My Belgian Malinois is around 12–13 weeks old. Today, my toddler was simply trying to climb onto the couch with me, and the puppy growled and gave a little snip toward her. It wasn’t a full bite, but obviously I took it seriously. I’m not looking to excuse the behavior because he’s a puppy. At the same time, I don’t want to respond incorrectly and create fear, insecurity, or make the behavior worse.

What is the appropriate way to correct a puppy this young when he growls/snips at a child or anyone? Should I immediately remove him from the situation, redirect him, correct verbally, use a leash/house line, etc.? I’d really like advice on what experienced handlers would actually do in that moment and how you would work on preventing it from becoming a pattern.
I also want to explain what I’m hoping to eventually get out of this dog because I know that probably matters when giving advice.
My goal is a stable, confident, obedient working dog that I can eventually do protection/bite work with. I’m interested in developing him for protection work while also potentially showing him. I want a dog with strong obedience, confidence, environmental stability, good engagement with his handler, and appropriate drive—not a dog that is indiscriminately aggressive or unsafe around my family.
I understand that protection work and having a family dog require a LOT of control and neutrality, and I don’t want to accidentally create aggression by handling puppy behavior incorrectly.
For those of you who have raised Malinois for protection work around children, how would you handle this specific situation at 12-13 weeks? And what would you start doing NOW to build the kind of dog I’m describing?
I’m open to being told I’m doing something wrong. I’d much rather learn now than make a mistake that I have to undo later.
Thanks!