Anyone Own a Belgian Malinois?

Belgian Malinois are great dogs and exactly what you seem to need. Rather expensive too aren't they?

We have a German Shepard mix. His name is THOR and while he is the friendliest dog in the world, if you come anywhere near the house he will bark up a storm. He woke up the entire house this morning when a delivery driver dropped a package off.

I've never owned one, but I've been involved in the working dog world / Schutzhund since about '09, so around them quite often.

A Malinois as your first working breed is fucking stupid - no offense.

Our trainer who runs our Schutzhund club is pretty much the guy who certifies the people who certifies all K9 trainers in the US and Canada. A very well bred GSD will be really great at tracking, protection and obedience. What makes them really great is the handler's ability to turn them on and off immediately once well trained. A well bred Mal will be probably ok at tracking, great at protection and YMMV for obedience. There's not much of an on / off switch. This is what he says to experienced owners. People who've got dogs more expensive than your car. He's advised billionaire clients away from them and towards other breeds for exactly what' you're after.

If there's a female in your house, though, and the dog is male, it will never leave her side (almost annoyingly) and nobody will ever fuck with her without the dog having something to say about it. They aren't very great for estate protection, though. Get a Rottweiler, Dobie or GSD for that.

But if you insist on still getting one, you or someone needs to make "working" them their daily thing. They have a ton of energy, so they constantly need to be engaged. They will destroy your shit if you don't. I don't mean playing fetch and working on "sit" for 15 minutes. I mean literally all day, this person is somehow engaging them. Otherwise they'll need to be kenneled, and you can't do estate protection as a dog from your kennel.

lol nah. I’ve never owned a Belgian but I’ve owned many working dogs ie GSDs and i can tell you that it’s the wrong dog for you just by your posts here.

You’re more of a Pomeranian kind of guy. Or a cat.

Thanks for the advice.

We are 100% committed to training this dog with help from a professional trainer and learning everything we need to know to give it a healthy, fulfilling life.

Anatolian shepherds are amazing watch dogs. They're large lovable and have a very loud bark.

Please make sure the trainer is someone who's at the very least familiar with Schutzhund (if they haven't heard this word, or similar like IPO, then run). There is a massive difference between training a Golden Doodle to be a sweet road trip companion vs training a working breed like a Belgian / Rottweiler / GSD and the skills required for them to do their intended job. The first just about anyone can do with a little bit of patience. The last requires actual skill and knowledge.

Otherwise you / they WILL fuck up the dog and you won't have a good time.

I'm not trying to talk you out of it. I just want you to be aware that you very much will have a loaded gun on you at all times and it will require an experienced working dog trainer to make sure the safety switch even works.

I know a family who breeds them for police etc - and maybe they are not very good at it but even towards their owners they are sometimes difficult to handle.

Unless you are a professional I wouldn't recommend

Yes.. I know of police agencies who've went back to GSD's because of this.

Even wolf hybrids can be wonderful. You just gotta be a strong confident leader who provides for their needs. I want to stress again look into Anatolian Shepherds. A lady I know owns a goat farm where I live and those dogs lay down the law when the coyotes packs show up to steal chickens or goats

Based on the replies, this seems like taking an RPG to a pistol fight.

Best security is a little hyper dog, they bark, you shoot. Bigger dogs are good for patrolling your property.
I had a black Newfoundland, he killed things in the back yard all the time. Completely black dog and when he smiled, that scared the crap out of people.

But for inside, get a little dog, they are more likely to sound the alarm.
Get to your gun and shoot.

I also want the dog to guard the house when I'm not there.

Had one long ago, easily one of the best dogs I've ever had.

Sounds like you need some good watchdogs. Belgian Malinois are great dogs and probably a good fit for your situation.

I worked on a farm and they had two Belgian Malinois. Great watch dogs, great companions and protectors. Those dogs probably saved my life chasing away whatever came close to my campsite while I slept. Then one day they broke into a storage shed and got into the poison for rodents. One dog Norma went off into the woods and died on her own. The other one Joanne she died in my arms. It was so fucking sad and I think about those dogs often.