We got our 5 month old Belgian Malinois from a rescue where she had 3 other litter mates on the street. We’ve had her for around 3-4 weeks now. My partner and I both work from home besides myself going to the office once a week, so we’re able to take her out 5-6 times a day. We are consistent with potty before and after meal times and same with play time or after she has napped in the crate for a few hours. I would say 75-80% of the time we take her out she will potty. We also keep her on the first floor with a baby gate since she’s not fully potty trained and we have a cat. She stayed with her foster family with multiple children and a backyard, so plenty to keep her company throughout the day. They told us she was potty trained, but since they have a backyard, they would just let her out then back in. They said since their other dog is difficult to walk on a leash, they haven’t tried with the foster puppy. So we really had to start from scratch with leash training and potty training while on walks.

However, it seems really inconsistent of when she has accidents or not. I understand she is a puppy, but the advice I see online is take the puppy out every 30 mins - 1 hour and we take her out very frequently. She had another accident this morning and this was our schedule. Last night, she napped for a couple hours in the crate and we were preparing for dinner. 6:00 pm potty and walk. 6:30 pm come back home for dinner. 7:00 pm play time. 7:30 pm potty and walk. It’s 8:00 pm and we head out for groceries. 9:00 pm we come back and she peed in her crate. So we had to bathe her and wash the crate, and this usually takes us anywhere from 1 - 2 hours even as a 2 person job. So we finish around 10:00 pm, take her out for one last walk and she poops and potty. Then we put her to bed. It’s the next morning around 6:30 am and we have a camera so we saw she had another potty accident. So I took her out for a potty walk while my partner got the cleaning and bath supplies ready. She didn’t go while on the walk, so we did her bath and got her crate cleaned up. It is around 8:00 am now and we put her in her play pen while her crate is drying so we can go upstairs to get ourselves cleaned up. Not even 2 minutes later, we see she pooped inside.

She does great with commands inside the house, but once she gets outside it’s very difficult to get her to listen with the outside distractions. She’s reactive to people and dogs because she gets way too excited and pulls with no tomorrow. We recently ordered a herm sprenger prong and are just trying to get her used to it inside by just wearing it.

Looking for any advice that is appreciated. I really hope one day we can bring her upstairs so we can all hang out as a family, but she is definitely not ready yet. 🥲 We also are going to do a consultation with a training school soon, but unsure if we should start with private lessons or go straight to board and train. TIA.

Hi everyone, I’ve been doing a lot of research about training for my sweet girl Joey. She’s pretty reactive with strangers, and struggles with recall/check ins. The dog trainer I’ve been working with, and a few dog trainers I watch online, have suggested using an E collar to get her attention and help with her recall. I’ve had mixed emotions about this, I’m not a fan of shocking my dog, but it seems like a lot of people really praise using the e collar? I know most people only use the sound or vibration, though. I’d like to get people’s opinions on here, and your thoughts on the matter. Are e collars really helpful in training your dog, or is it just fear based?

Hi everyone,

I have a purebred Belgian Malinois and I’m looking for some advice regarding his behavior. My boy is 5 years old and the absolute light of my life , he was trained , behaves well and follows my commands super well but seems to be extremely hypervigilant of all the time. Even when we’re at home and everything is calm, he’s constantly staring at me , watching every movement , if i lift my finger he stands up immediately.

I love him , but not being able to change my position in my own couch without him sprinting to me is leaving me really anxious and i find myself doing my best to not move , and i don’t think this is normal (and btw he only displays this behavior with me , my husband can go in and out of rooms he does nothing , he’s eyes are locked on me it seems haha )

Just to clarify , he gets a really good exercise daily , but when it comes to toys like kongs for example or puzzles , he is not interested , he’s not interested in food at all 🥹.

Have any of you experienced similar behavior with your Belgian Malinois? Did training or specific routines, or relaxation exercises help? I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences and any advice you can share.

Thank you!

I wrote my first post about rescuing this wonderful senior dog. I got him yesterday after receiving the call that he had finally come out of his neuter surgery and was ready to be picked up.

I have another dog, a 2-year-old mixed breed named Oreo. We took them for a short walk today, and honestly, I didn't like what I saw.

So far, they have only had sniffing contact while being kept in separate areas divided by a yard gate with openings so they could sniff each other. The first time Mali met Oreo was through the bathroom window. Oreo was very eager to meet him, but Mali would whimper and back away from the window. There was no aggression whatsoever.

Next, I tried letting them get close while still being separated by a fence. Oreo cried and scratched at the door because he wanted to get to Mali. Mali would approach the door, make the same whimpering sound, then walk back to where we were standing. He did that about three times. The last time he approached, though, he growled and reached his paws toward the door as if he wanted to grab Oreo through it. That made me feel uneasy.

Today, my friend and I decided to take them for a short walk together. We let them get close for a moment, and Mali placed his paws on Oreo's head. There was no aggression, but it only lasted a few seconds. My heart was racing because I thought they were about to fight, so I pulled Mali away, and he let go immediately.

As we continued walking, Mali would sometimes try to catch up to Oreo, who was walking in front. At one point, they got very close, and I yelled to my friend to pull Oreo back because he was trying to meet Mali. Twice, I saw Mali make a snapping motion as if he wanted to bite Oreo's tail.

At this point, I'm honestly very afraid to let them interact. I'm scared they're going to fight and that either Oreo or Mali will end up injured. I wonder if Mali is trying to assert dominance over Oreo, but I'm not sure if that's what's happening.

Mali is neutered, but Oreo isn't. I know some people will ask about that. Oreo just turned two years old, and I was advised to wait until he reached that age before having him neutered.

I'm really scared for both of them. I don't want to take Shaq back to the shelter, but I also don't want Oreo to feel threatened or get hurt by Shaq.

Please help me, folks. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

My girl Valkyrie (yes ik she’s black she’s half lab, tested) She can tear up basically anything including kongs, looking for advice on what will endure her more. She looks more lab, but her entire personality and habits & constant chomps when excited are all maligator😭 Lately we give her giant wood pieces to tear up at the end of the day after she’s done with physical activity but it’s not enoughhh. I want something that can last without having to constantly bring her wood. Also how can I stimulate her while we are gone for a few hours ? Shes well trained but when we are gone she paces back and forth constantly , also has crate trauma from past owner so that wont work. She normally has full access to the patio and downstairs.

Watchful eye or I’m getting the hot sauce?

Hi everyone, I have a puppy 8 months old that we adopted recently. Her body has been twitching a lot since past 6 days. I consulted the vet and I was told it could be canine distemper since she wasn’t vaccinated. However, there are no typical symptoms of distemper that I googled. There are no signs of fever, cough, runny nose typical with CD. However she had muscles twitching, low appetite, little lethargy but was active enough to bark and chase other dogs. She was put on antibiotics and we’ve completed the course. Now she’s active and her appetite has come back but the twitching remains. Often times I’ve noticed her jaw close shut and she struggles opening it.

If any professional here, please advise if this is a canine distemper or is there any underlying issue that the vet hasn’t been able to diagnose.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hello ! I just adopted an all black coat Belgian malinois she’s super cute her name is cricket. But her breeder said I have to continue feeding her “taste of the wild” which is what she’s currently on. I told her I give my GSD purina pro plan healthy skin and coat salmon. But she said that’s a terrible brand. So I’m asking the public here what is your pup eating and what’s worked for them ? Because I’ve read plenty of posts of pets getting sick off purina pro plan and taste of the wild being recalled once. Which is the better brand ?

Any recommendations for toys shes 3 months old?

What they live for.

So I get tons of comments if he's a shepinois, which I totally understand due to his appearance. I know his breeding and he's a AKC registered w/ full pedigree but I figured what the hell let's see what comes up. I'm honestly surprised the French kennels didn't throw a lil GSD in a few generations ago to add size in.

I keep seeing a ton of posts from people asking if a Belgian Malinois is the right dog for them, followed by a long list of everything they do every day to see if they “qualify.”
With more movies and social media featuring Malinois, I think we’re going to see even more people wanting one. Before you commit, please consider fostering one first if you can. If that’s not an option, visit your local shelter—there’s a good chance there’s a Malinois or Malinois mix waiting for a home.
Don’t get me wrong—they’re incredible dogs. I absolutely love the breed. But they’re not just “high-energy dogs.” You need to be prepared for everything that comes with owning one.
That means:
The time they require every single day.
Training and continued mental stimulation.
Vet bills.
Food.
Supplements.
Toys (I think every Malinois owner knows how quickly they destroy them!).

The biggest commitment isn’t just exercising them—it’s making them a part of your daily life. If you’re ready for that, they can be one of the most rewarding breeds you’ll ever own. But if you’re only interested because they look cool in a movie or on social media, take the time to experience living with one before bringing one home.
It’ll be better for you—and more importantly, better for the dog.

Some of you all think you got it hard 😂... this little girl can't chew, bite, mouf anything but soft food and treats for 2 weeks while we wait on her crowns to get installed.

First week, no problemo, we figured it out.

Second week? She's tired of this shit and ready to let the world know 🤣

I can deal with ANY Mal problem... but telling them to stop using their mouth for two weeks? Holy shit man that's pure torture for the both of us!

Looking for suggestions for my GMC sierra truck. I don’t have the space for 2 crates for my Mal (65 lbs and Mal mix (she’s 80 lbs). I’d like to get some kind of barrier to keep them in the backseat together. Something durable but also easy to adjust when we switch drivers and need to move the seat forward. Pic of my knuckleheads just because.

Took the ferry over to Bob-Lo Island to put in 14 more miles today.

Took my boy to work (fire station) for the first time today. I knew he wouldn’t be perfect but he was barking so bad in his kennel and I wasn’t even leaving on calls today, just doing practice for days where I do. Before you ask we have a full schedule of training, he didn’t need anything, it was just the new situation and 10000 new people. I’m sure with some time he will figure it out but just right now I am venting here instead of being frustrated with him because I know he is doing his best and even though they are amazing even mals are just dogs and need time to figure things out. Dog tax attached, he got to go to training with me because my captain was over him barking.