Do You Really Want A Belgian Malinois?

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I have two Belgian Malinois or ‘Mals’ for short. One, Tango, flunked out of Army dog school, and the other, Axel, AKA Whiskey, was rehomed because he didn’t suit his family’s needs; he had a lovely family that cared for him and even gave him some training, but they wanted a dog, not a velociraptor.

The Army rejected Tango because he lacked the drive they sought, so I adopted him from Fort Bliss, Texas. He was part Mal and part GSD.

Axel was adopted with the help of the wonderful folks at Malinois and Dutch Shepherd Rescue (MAD). This boy has enough drive for both dogs, including my Golden Retriever, Piper.  From morning to night, Axel wants to go, go and go. He pulls at my sleeve, willing me to leave the computer and take him for a run despite the sleet, snow, and cold weather.  He cares nothing for such things. He wants to run and seemingly never stops running. I love him, but he tries me at times. He is pushy and insistent, and he has no ‘off’ switch, except later in the evening when he finally realizes the day is done and there will be no more playing with dad.

You see, I’m old, quite old as a matter of fact, and there are days when all I want to do is curl up in bed and watch Morning Joe. Unfortunately, Whiskey (Axel) and Tango want to go for their ride and run. In their minds, it doesn’t matter that I want to drink a nice cup of coffee while lying in bed, warm like a spark on an arctic night. What matters to them is when I put their e-collars on (yes, they need e-collars), grab my coat and car keys, and say, ‘walk?’ This is when worlds collide; mine and theirs. The leaping and the barking begin in earnest, with Tango placing his paws on my arm as if to help me along and Whiskey running around us, literally in circles, with a toy in his mouth.

Now, you might be thinking, “What about Piper?” Well, yes, Piper is part of the mix, but she waits patiently at the door to the garage and the car, the beloved, incredible magic machine that takes them for a ride so they can experience a million different smells. Ah. Heaven, it is to them.

Once we arrive at ‘the field,’ I open the door, and out they come, with Whiskey at full gallop, Tango one step behind, and Piper waiting for me to throw the ball. About 30 minutes later, following hundreds of ball throws and several buzzes on the e-collar, we load up and go to Field Number 2 alongside the river. Once again, they pile out, with Whiskey barking and snapping at the air, Tango, careful to avoid those teeth, and Piper, sitting down, tail wagging, waiting for me to throw the ball.

Thirty minutes later, we pile back into the car, ride around for about another 20-30 minutes, and finally head home, where they eat dinner after a very short (about 5 minutes) rest.  Then they nap for about fifteen minutes, and the morning’s routine begins again.

So, that’s life with a Belgian Malinois. If you aren’t prepared to do these things, which include all sorts of indoor seek-and-find games and tugging on the bite sleeve until it feels like your arm is going to break, you should not get a high-drive Belgian Malinois. I recommend asking for a low or medium-drive Mal; many are looking for a good home.

Finally, I once had a Bassett Hound, a sweet and peaceful girl she was who not only let me sleep but enjoyed sleeping on the bed with me. We loved snuggling. Perhaps that’s more your speed; sometimes, I wonder if it isn’t mine at 0730 hours on a cold winter morning.

About Post Author

Professor Mike

Professor Mike is a left-leaning, dog loving, political junkie. He has written dozens of articles for Substack, Medium, Simily, and Tribel. Professor Mike has been published at Smerconish.com, among others. He is a strong proponent of the environment, and a passionate protector of animals. In addition he is a fierce anti-Trumper. Take a moment and share his work.
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1 year ago

[…] John Scott is back (Yayyy!) at MadMikesAmerica with three dogs and an entertaining way of telling us about them. […]

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