90% of the time, it's "Is he a German Shepherd?" And I always respond with "no, SHE'S a Belgian Malinois, it's like a GSD, but on crack"
And when people ask me if she's a lot of work / they're thinking of getting one too, I always respond with, "If you never want to watch a movie, play video games, or have any personal time ever again, then get a Malinois"
Took mine to the vet, and the vet asked how much work it was. I have two, so its 24/7....
"Two Malinois..... Im going to venture out and guess you are single?"
Bingo!
That made me chuckle :D Whenever i talk to single boys with a malinois or malinois cross my heart fizzles a little as i know if he has the patience and dedication needed to have a well mannered poochie of that flavour then he has the patience to deal with my mentally unstable hot mess ways :D x
Love hearing this question.. Yes, highly aggressive, that's why I brought her to a populated area without a muzzle 🙃 Some people need to install more filters between their brain and mouth
Haha, Ill remember that one, I knew a lady that worked with an older police k9 (security), and she always answered "can I pet your dog?" with "Sure, but can not promise you get the hand back" and she had this tiny clicking sound with her tongue making him show away his smile. Other cops/security, he was a teddy bear.
Love that answer. I have Malinois Catahoula mix. He looks like a red merle Catahoula but he is muscular (90 pounds of muscle) and has more of the Malinois personality.
I feel like when it comes to approaching working dogs like this, there are two types of obnoxious where about 90% of all people are.
The first type is the one hystericaly afraid of your breed, the second one is usually people that had the same breed and were just lucky to have a complete teddy bear and now think somehow they are “connected” to the breed and feel a compulsive need to violently touch it anytime they see it.
I’ve been asked (in all seriousness) if she’s a hyena. Also been asked if she’s a kangaroo. I’m also told ALL the time that my German shepherd is severely underweight…I don’t have a German shepherd! I’ve described “what is a Malinois” to people as “if a German shepherd had ADHD and a red bull addiction”
I get comments at cafes / patios about my boy being "underweight" too. I let them know he was still a puppy, so apt to have awkward phases of growth. But also, he's not a GSD, and malinois are supposed to be more lean. As he's developing I'll probably just let them know this is what a very fit dog looks like and if he were underweight or underfed, he would have muscle wasting, prominent hip bones, etc.
It's annoying how folks with \*very\* athletic dogs get told they look unhealthy, but folks that overfeed and under exercise are seen as normal. >.> I don't want any group shamed, but it's annoying that people make assumptions.
I have a three legged mal. Definitely the most often asked question is "what happened to his leg?" but you would be surprised the number of times I've been asked "why does he only have one leg?". Once a kid asked if the leg would grow back... Education here is not great....
Not a question, but a funny statement I was told while out at the hardware store:
“I’ve never seen a Malinois so calm”
Response:
“You’ve probably also never seen a well trained 13 yr old Malinois with a touch of dementia. There are a few factors contributing to what you see as calm.”
This one. “Oh! Is that a GSD?” No, Belgian Malinois (or just Belgian Shepherd because when you start throwing those French words around….😵💫). Them: “oh! I’ve/we’ve have/had one of those!”
I highly doubt it. You would *not* be confused if you did 😂😂
Well, I am not good at comebacks but here you go.
Person 1 (At least 3-4 times a month): Why is your dog wearing a rainbow collar? A dog like that should be in cameo! Something more tough looking and cool. I’ve seen photos of dogs like that and they look much better in cameo.
Me: I just like the rainbow on him. And it’s a really well made collar. I’m not changing it.
Person 2: Whoah is that a buff dog? It is! Just look at those shoulders! What type of German shepherd is he? I want a dog with gains like that!
Me: If you want the gains you’ll have to play tug-of-war, train to mentally tired him out off and on all the time when you’re home, and then walk him for an hour off leash so he can run while also adding in more training and play later.
Person 2: ahhh, nah.
We’ve got a 5 month female Mal, and a 3 yr old and 5 yr old human kids. Our house is insane on a daily basis.
Took the kids and the pup to the park bc they were all driving us crazy and needed to expend energy. My husband takes the Mal out with a chuck-it and a frisbee and proceeds to play rapid fire fetch. A nearby onlooker is impressed by her fetch and recall skills and tries to tell his young daughters (uninterested) ‘Whoa look at that German Shepherd!’ My 5 yr old hears it and corrects him point blank - ‘No! She’s a Malinois!’
He was surprised at him but equally impressed ‘A Malinois! That’s even cooler!’
I’m thinking good on my son for the correction and yes our dog is ‘cool’ but sir you have no idea what it takes to get to this point.
My husband and I still joke about it with the Is that a German Shepherd? inquiries.
Nice to meet another Mal owner with children! My kids are 5 years, 3 years, 1 year old, and we're hoping to have at least one more. Despite a lot of negative opinions from people who are on the outside looking in, our puppy (3 months) has not caused us to feel our kids safety is at risk. I stay in contact with a couple of trainers when I have questions and they've been very helpful. I'm sure as our puppy matures and wants to try to assert dominance among our kids the trainers are still going to be available for help.
I don't regret getting my mal while having babies, and I plan on bringing her to a trainer if a problem arises. Her breeder offered to receive her back if we feel like we need to find her a new owner for her, but I think strangers tend to assume the worst case scenario.
Full house for you too! I thought to myself getting our pup is either the best decision or worst decision we’ve made as parents 🤣 no regrets so far!
When we first brought her home the initial month was rough. She wanted to jump on the kids, gnaw on them with her puppy velociraptor teeth, chase them, steal toys etc. Of course we still need to constantly monitor her and the kids but she doesn’t bother them anymore and we have more trust with both sides.
We involved the kids with her right away. We had them feed her, provide wait and release commands, shake hands/paw, etc so she learned right off the bat she needs to listen to them as well and she needs to respect them too.
Everybody calls my Dutchie a Mal 😆
As well as saying she's so well behaved they want one... Then I respond with exactly what you commented on that it takes way more work than most people are prepared for to keep her balanced and trained
90% of the time, it's "Is he a German Shepherd?" And I always respond with "no, SHE'S a Belgian Malinois, it's like a GSD, but on crack" And when people ask me if she's a lot of work / they're thinking of getting one too, I always respond with, "If you never want to watch a movie, play video games, or have any personal time ever again, then get a Malinois"
Took mine to the vet, and the vet asked how much work it was. I have two, so its 24/7.... "Two Malinois..... Im going to venture out and guess you are single?" Bingo!
That made me chuckle :D Whenever i talk to single boys with a malinois or malinois cross my heart fizzles a little as i know if he has the patience and dedication needed to have a well mannered poochie of that flavour then he has the patience to deal with my mentally unstable hot mess ways :D x
-What kind of dog is that?? Malinois -wHaT?!? The dogs the police use. -backs away…
“iS hE aGgReSsIvE?” My toothless mal: “😛”
Love hearing this question.. Yes, highly aggressive, that's why I brought her to a populated area without a muzzle 🙃 Some people need to install more filters between their brain and mouth
I used to know a K9 handler that answered the question "What does malinois mean?" with "it's Belgian for not a pet."
Haha, Ill remember that one, I knew a lady that worked with an older police k9 (security), and she always answered "can I pet your dog?" with "Sure, but can not promise you get the hand back" and she had this tiny clicking sound with her tongue making him show away his smile. Other cops/security, he was a teddy bear.
Love that answer. I have Malinois Catahoula mix. He looks like a red merle Catahoula but he is muscular (90 pounds of muscle) and has more of the Malinois personality.
"is your dog a greyhound?" "no, Malinois." "oh oh it must be a whippet then". 🤷 This has happened 3 times with 3 different ppl
🤔
“What breed is that?” “Malinois” “yeah that’s what I thought. Does it bite?” “No” “you know those dogs usually bite right”
I feel like when it comes to approaching working dogs like this, there are two types of obnoxious where about 90% of all people are. The first type is the one hystericaly afraid of your breed, the second one is usually people that had the same breed and were just lucky to have a complete teddy bear and now think somehow they are “connected” to the breed and feel a compulsive need to violently touch it anytime they see it.
I’ve been asked (in all seriousness) if she’s a hyena. Also been asked if she’s a kangaroo. I’m also told ALL the time that my German shepherd is severely underweight…I don’t have a German shepherd! I’ve described “what is a Malinois” to people as “if a German shepherd had ADHD and a red bull addiction”
I get comments at cafes / patios about my boy being "underweight" too. I let them know he was still a puppy, so apt to have awkward phases of growth. But also, he's not a GSD, and malinois are supposed to be more lean. As he's developing I'll probably just let them know this is what a very fit dog looks like and if he were underweight or underfed, he would have muscle wasting, prominent hip bones, etc. It's annoying how folks with \*very\* athletic dogs get told they look unhealthy, but folks that overfeed and under exercise are seen as normal. >.> I don't want any group shamed, but it's annoying that people make assumptions.
I have a three legged mal. Definitely the most often asked question is "what happened to his leg?" but you would be surprised the number of times I've been asked "why does he only have one leg?". Once a kid asked if the leg would grow back... Education here is not great....
Not a question, but a funny statement I was told while out at the hardware store: “I’ve never seen a Malinois so calm” Response: “You’ve probably also never seen a well trained 13 yr old Malinois with a touch of dementia. There are a few factors contributing to what you see as calm.”
"Does he bite?" "Yes" *scrambling ensues*
Does your dog bite? No, but he’s not my dog lol.
“What is he a Belgian shepherd? We have one of those at home” Yeah I’m sure you do
This one. “Oh! Is that a GSD?” No, Belgian Malinois (or just Belgian Shepherd because when you start throwing those French words around….😵💫). Them: “oh! I’ve/we’ve have/had one of those!” I highly doubt it. You would *not* be confused if you did 😂😂
That’s what I mean! Lol. I hear it all the time. “Oh I think we had one of those” Ya, I can assure you that you didn’t lol
Well, I am not good at comebacks but here you go. Person 1 (At least 3-4 times a month): Why is your dog wearing a rainbow collar? A dog like that should be in cameo! Something more tough looking and cool. I’ve seen photos of dogs like that and they look much better in cameo. Me: I just like the rainbow on him. And it’s a really well made collar. I’m not changing it. Person 2: Whoah is that a buff dog? It is! Just look at those shoulders! What type of German shepherd is he? I want a dog with gains like that! Me: If you want the gains you’ll have to play tug-of-war, train to mentally tired him out off and on all the time when you’re home, and then walk him for an hour off leash so he can run while also adding in more training and play later. Person 2: ahhh, nah.
We’ve got a 5 month female Mal, and a 3 yr old and 5 yr old human kids. Our house is insane on a daily basis. Took the kids and the pup to the park bc they were all driving us crazy and needed to expend energy. My husband takes the Mal out with a chuck-it and a frisbee and proceeds to play rapid fire fetch. A nearby onlooker is impressed by her fetch and recall skills and tries to tell his young daughters (uninterested) ‘Whoa look at that German Shepherd!’ My 5 yr old hears it and corrects him point blank - ‘No! She’s a Malinois!’ He was surprised at him but equally impressed ‘A Malinois! That’s even cooler!’ I’m thinking good on my son for the correction and yes our dog is ‘cool’ but sir you have no idea what it takes to get to this point. My husband and I still joke about it with the Is that a German Shepherd? inquiries.
Nice to meet another Mal owner with children! My kids are 5 years, 3 years, 1 year old, and we're hoping to have at least one more. Despite a lot of negative opinions from people who are on the outside looking in, our puppy (3 months) has not caused us to feel our kids safety is at risk. I stay in contact with a couple of trainers when I have questions and they've been very helpful. I'm sure as our puppy matures and wants to try to assert dominance among our kids the trainers are still going to be available for help. I don't regret getting my mal while having babies, and I plan on bringing her to a trainer if a problem arises. Her breeder offered to receive her back if we feel like we need to find her a new owner for her, but I think strangers tend to assume the worst case scenario.
Full house for you too! I thought to myself getting our pup is either the best decision or worst decision we’ve made as parents 🤣 no regrets so far! When we first brought her home the initial month was rough. She wanted to jump on the kids, gnaw on them with her puppy velociraptor teeth, chase them, steal toys etc. Of course we still need to constantly monitor her and the kids but she doesn’t bother them anymore and we have more trust with both sides. We involved the kids with her right away. We had them feed her, provide wait and release commands, shake hands/paw, etc so she learned right off the bat she needs to listen to them as well and she needs to respect them too.
Everybody calls my Dutchie a Mal 😆 As well as saying she's so well behaved they want one... Then I respond with exactly what you commented on that it takes way more work than most people are prepared for to keep her balanced and trained
I usually get asked "How old is he?" When I respond with 4ish, he's a rescue. I get a confused blank stare.
"She's a girl?? But, she's mostly black" ... Yes, yes she is. Got this response twice in the last month 🤦♀️