Belgian Malinois are assured workers which are excellent pets provided they are in the right house. They are very brilliant and good learners.
These energetic dogs require extensive daily exercises and challenges to their minds to be successful. They should also be on Heartworm and flea prevention, the whole year round.
Check the Breeder Reputation
Belgium Malinois are also highly active and enthusiastic students and hence are ideal in any dog activity like agility, herding, tracking, and obedience contest. They are also good police dogs. They are therefore in great demand, and might be costly to raise.
Good breeders will not sell pup pups that are below the age of 8 weeks old, implacably brand them with a tattoo or a microchip, give a three-generation pedigree, and also a written contract with a promise of health. To avoid sickness the puppies are to be well socialized and they are supposed to be vaccinated.
The breeder has to inform you whether the parents were hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia (EL) and Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) screened. Puppies are genetically inclined towards PRA, and they may lose their eyesight during their old age, although this may be treated either by medication or by surgery.
The breeder must also test the puppies against hemangiosarcoma a blood-vessel cancer. The puppies should be fed only with the food that has a nutritional statement on the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).
Ask for Health Testing Records
Belgian Malinois are active pets requiring much physical and mental activity. They are closely attached to their human, and tend not to accommodate strangers or to children, and should therefore be taught at an early age, and regularly. They shine in houses that are expansive and have abundant outdoor areas where they can run and play.
A responsible breeder will be aware of the risks posed by the breed and will have his/her puppies tested of popular health issues on a regular basis. They will also identify qualities in their litters and be in a position to guide their potential owners to adopt a puppy that meets their way of life.
An excellent breeder will screen his pups to find out such genetic diseases as progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), eye cataracts, hip dysplasia, and ocular herpes. They will also test a condition known as gastric dilatation and volvulus where the stomach twists, fills with air and prevents blood flowing to the organ. Symptoms are heaves with or without little food coming out, an enlarged belly, being frantic and lying down in the prayer posture (front feet low, rear end high). This disease can be prevented by keeping your dog on heartworm medication at all times of the year, prevention of fleas and ticks, and bathing.
Meet the Parents of the Puppys.
Belgian Malinois are self-assured smart animals which can be good house pets with proper owners. Such working dogs are efficient in dog sports such as agility and tracking, in herding, and working in the police. They also produce very good military service dogs.
Before you purchase a puppy, you are free to get to know more about its parents by meeting the dam and sire. This is mainly so to puppies born of a stressed dam, since stress that the dam has before birth may affect the temperament and behavior of the puppy.
The first eight weeks of a pup are when a puppy is a sponge and takes in whatever it watches and whatever it goes through. They imitate their mothers response to various stimuli and thus a good stable and confident dam will contribute to the birth of just stable and assured dams who will become enthusiastic and eager learners.
Such are energetic and active dogs which require a large amount of exercise and stimulation. The walks are typically not daily, and they flourish when assigned a task, which will stimulate their minds.
This breed requires a reputable professional trainer who will be able to teach the dogs to enjoy running, playing, hiking and other kinds of activities. They should also be maintained at all times on heartworm, flea and tick preventions.
See how the Puppys Behaves.
The Belgian Malinois are smart, willing-to-please dogs that are fast to learn. They possess unlimited energy and require an owner who could engage in their activities such as herding, agility, tracking, and searching and rescuing along with them.
The breed is also prone to a high prey drive and it can make attempts to herd or pursue cars, children and other animals. This tendency will have to be early diverted by at-home obedience training and puppy socialization classes and with the help of an experienced trainer who might be conversant with herding and protection training.
The next generation Doberman is assured but not hyperaroused or impulsive. It observes the unexpected happenings, but it can stop to process the information, investigate in its own time, resume playing or eating, and shake off a distraction.
A food bag should have a chart on the back with recommended servings on the basis of age and weight. Nevertheless, the amount of calories your pup is getting should be checked by a veterinarian to make sure that it is adequate concerning its size and level of activity. This is critical, because a dog fed lesser than the recommended number may get overweight.
Check Vaccination and Veterinary Records.
Puppy vaccination is complicated and changes depending on maternal antibodies, type of vaccine, risk of disease and past treatment. When adopting a puppy, a veterinarian should check the vaccination history of the puppy.
Belgian Malinois is smart and quick to learn. They need early socialization and training courses; however, to invest the unlimited energy in a healthy and balanced lifestyle. These herders are family friendly and they are timid of strangers, they should have regular, regular activities in order to flourish.
In case your life is full of activities such as running, exploring outside, a Malinois can be the easiest companion. Other skills that these dogs can excel in are herding, agility and search and rescue.
Check the Conditions of the Puppys.
Belgian Malinois are very active dogs, which are happy with proper combination of both mental and physical exercises. They are very intelligent and pick up training quite well although socialization at an early age and daily, regular lessons is required of them to concentrate their energies.
They need a powerful leader who will direct them in their life and make them become well-mannered, strong adult dogs.
The waterproof coats of this breed ensure they do not get affected by the elements, although they should be kept on year-round heartworm, flea, and tick prevention and bathed regularly with dog friendly shampoo. Their short coats are also known to bring about skin allergy, though this is uncommon to this herding breed.
They too may be predisposed to cataracts, such that their vision may be lost as time goes. In case you suspect that your Malinois has this condition, you need to immediately get in touch with a veterinary eye care professional. Also, ensure that you are feeding them with the correct quantity of food depending on their age and size, and over feeding may give them health problems.
Inquire of Early Socialization and Training.
A high-drive breed such as the Malinois needs a lot of mental and physical exercise on a daily basis. They do not work well in a normal family that allows them to do as they please and can easily turn out to be reactive, destructive or anxious. A dog without an outlet will turn its energy to everything we see which includes persons, pets, furniture, and others walking by us.
It is ideal to start training a puppy as soon as it comes home. The initial lessons, in which the puppy learns to follow the commands and a routine, are put in place. This makes it less stressed and more of a companion and enables it to pay more attention to its owner.
Although there is the option of having your own dog trained, it is advisable to have a professional trainer. These trainers know the struggles of working dogs and will assist you to format a daily workout that will meet your Malinois requirements.
Understand the Contract
Make sure you understand the contract that you are to be signing. This is the contract of you and the seller and details your obligations towards keeping and training your puppy. It must also consist of a vaccination schedule and deworming schedule on which you will stick to during the first year with the pupp.
Malinois is a very intelligent and enthusiastic (and can learn quickly) dog, and thus they are simple to train. Nonetheless, they are easily bored as well as they possess herding instincts and thus they tend to pursue moving objects including cars or children. It is recommended that you enlist the services of a professional dog trainer to help you train your puppy, and to teach it to have a positive relationship with kids.
Ivan Balabanov, the 2 time world champion, and winner of fourteen national competitions, has had years of experience working and training dogs. He has applied his knowledge, skills, and expertise to assist dog owners worldwide.
Want to take your dog to a training facility because you want to have a sports, or have your dog work, or possibly to train your dog to serve you in some way or to safeguard you, whatever it is that you want to do with your dog, Ivan is there to assist you!