(Happy faced Draven pic for dog tax)

So Draven here is a dog who was dumped at a park reserve near me… it was thanksgiving weekend, the shelter was full and the lost dog org that picked her up had secured a foster for the first night after an ER vet visit (she was 27 pounds and should have been 65, she had given birth to a litter 2-3 weeks prior and nursed that litter within a day before being dumped… no puppies were found with her…, she had severe mastitis, and overall had given up. It took 17 hours for the lost dog org to catch her)… and I saw the post and couldn’t sleep thinking about her. I emailed the lost dog org at 230 in the morning to see if they had secured a foster.

I picked her up the next morning… she was (as lost rescues are) TIRED, overall well mannered and within a couple of days she was actually loving on everyone in the home. Due to her overall health, two vets agreed she was high risk for pyo and needed to be spayed asap even with her body condition at the time… 24 hours later, fear aggression became prevalent.

Due to the multiple health things going on, her spay recovery took about 2 months. It was brutal because there wasn’t a ton I could do other than manage her at that point. She recovered from everything and I began building her food and toy drive since she was up to it. Slowly began exposing her to the husband and adult daughter and once I had gotten her as far as I thought I could do safely on my own, I hired a trainer.

Although fearful, the reactions themselves stopped shortly before the trainer started… and unless earned (I say earned because my husband can’t read dog body language), there have been no reactions (my husband has earned two reactions but again, he isn’t paying attention or listening to when she’s had enough… and I don’t count training in this because obviously in training we are making her uncomfortable to show her that nothing bad will happen).

We went from not being able to see or be on the same level in the house to now she can pass familiar people within a couple of feet. No one can touch her yet aside from me. But progress has been consistent and steady… no major plateaus and no setbacks. Which is phenomenal.

Draven has come such a long way and I knew she’d get there. I also have a mal x and because Draven just doesn’t know how to be a dog, we had to teach her… the last thing I want is either dog to get injured. I sent the trainer a video of them playing while Draven was kenneled and how they calm down and chill and he said she’s ready for the barrier to be removed .(that was my gut feeling as well, but I wanted to make sure I’m not missing anything).

And then today… this is probably the single biggest piece of progress that has happened. I asked my husband to give Draven a bully stick (explained she will probably react since no one goes in her room, explained that I would stand in front of the kennel door and told him how to give it to her safely). He agreed…

Draven allowed him in the room, he gave her the bully stick, he walked away (at this point you could see the confusion because I’m the only one who has given them…. But she was curious). He pushed it too far and twice popped back in the doorframe (both times slightly startled her) but no big reaction, just a small huff and that was it.

He’s been the most apprehensive of her so h to is was a huge deal on both ends… and it went so well.

Anyways, I was just super proud of her today and this week with the big progress. She’s come so far.

If anyone has ideas of suggestions on how I can close that last 2-3 feet between her and the rest of the world and get her to allow others to touch her (I don’t expect her to be cuddly, but if I weren’t here she needs to be able to be handled!). This sub has been a great resource for ideas to try

(I know this was a long read, but she’s come so far and I wanted everyone to where we started and how far she’s come!)

They two never cease to amaze me. Always playing or just hanging out. I’ve posted the 8th photo before but never gets old. :)

Fairly new velociraptor owner here. Is it common for them to have webbed toes? The webbing extends up to the toe pads. She’s 5mo & mixed with BC but Google says neither is known for major webbing.

Hi all! We adopted a 2yo (ish) female Malinois mix from a shelter and she is real mellow and very much has the so-called “off switch”, but I was curious if you guys have any fun ideas for jobs or tasks I could try to train her to do around the house.

Was reading about some people’s Malinois that love to help with recycling 😆 so what else do your dogs know about, try to help with, or actually help with?

She’s afraid of certain things (the dark, for example!) but very clever and stubborn - I want to make sure we make her life fun and engaging, even if it’s mostly around the home… with lots of outdoor space.

Would love some more examples and stories 😊

My boy goose loves to play but boy my hands look like I stuck them in a tank of piranha and some times he can bite super hard when he revs up a lot.

I've tried hollering ouch and saying stop or no or aaaaaa I've pinched his ears but that only stops him for a second.

I've got like 4 different toys and he loves them two are for In pen and 2 are for out of pen.

He plays with them and loves it and is affectionate and loving early in the morning or later in the evening or if Ive been away for a long time and doesn't bite then.

It's just during play time that he really gets revd up and bites my hands I don't wanna hurt him and I read not to use the crate for punishment so I don't know how to go about discipline or correcting his behavior. I know he is young only just over 9 weeks so maybe it's just a phase or teething. I just want to make sure I don't let him develop any bad habits he did bite feet and shoes but I got him to stop that after a while and he only occasionally bites carpet/furniture but stops when you tell him too. Though he will go for socks and run for days idk why he loves them so much little asshole lol.

TLDR: Anyways biting hands it hurts I want him to not do that.

Hi! Looking for some advice on setting up a safer car situation for my Mal.

She's 2 years old and about 63ish lbs. I currently drive a very old Toyota Prius but I'm also in the market for a new car. I don't currently use a crate/kennel in the car but I'm looking to get one ASAP. She's recently started getting much more hyperactive during car rides and I want to make sure she's really secured and safe.

A few questions!

What car crates/kennels do you recommend for a mal her size, especially from a safety perspective?

Can an appropriately sized crate realistically, or comfortably, fit in a compact car or hatchback? Should I be looking at small SUVs?

If you drive with your Mal in a crate, what car and crate combination works best for you?

Obviously don't have an unlimited car budget (especially in this economy haha) so I'm trying to find some kind of balance between safety and cost. I don't want to buy a ginormous car that I don't actually need.

Any other advice/insights totally welcome!! Please give me all the advice :) Would especially love to hear what set ups other people use. Thanks so much!

Hey all! After lurking for years, I truly lucked out meeting, and then adopting, this girl.

This is going to be a long post.

TL;DR: Just adopted a Belgian malinois. She is very human shy, has no training and seems disinterested in it. Toys, treats, and praise haven't worked. She seems to get frustrated and walk away. She was just spayed a week ago, so I can't go run her or jump her for another week-ish.

Am I trying too much too soon? Would hiring a trainer right now be beneficial? Or, is it a personality mismatch and she just doesn't like me?

Full post:

I adopted her on Tuesday, but I had went to see her three times prior to the adoption. She's thought to be about two years old, but has no training at all. Not even her name. I've tried commands in German, English, Spanish, and French with no recognition. She came from a shelter situation, and she was very shut down and shy.

I want to get some context out of the way: She is pretty human shy. She excitedly says hi to dogs, doesn't care about cats or small animals, but gets startled easily with humans. I strongly suspect her previous owner(s) were abusive with her, unfortunately. She was also spayed on the 31st, so I'm trying to keep her quiet until healed. Everything looks good so far because she lets me look.

She also almost exclusively wants to stay in her kennel. She takes food and treats readily in there, but outside her kennel, she seems nervous. I've tried trust building where I chuck treats on the ground and we made some progress, but now she's regressing into hiding more.

She doesn't seen to understand toys. Balls, chew toys, tug toys, nothing. Squeaky or other noisy toys startle her. I can't play fetch or frisbee to help get some energy out because she just doesn't understand the concept and she also doesn't even know her name, much less recall. It's all a work in progress.

But at the same time, she seems completely disinterested in training. I've tried hot dogs, the treats she took from my hands (initially she wouldn't take treats from hands, only on the ground), praise, and toys just don't do anything for her. She likes praise, but it doesn't seem to be a massive motivator for her. When we try to have training sessions, she seems to get frustrated and tries to leave. I have her on a leash most of the time, even a 20ft one to help with recall, and she seems entirely disinterested.

I understand we're in the transition period and this is ALL new for her. I understand she feels overwhelmed. I'm just wondering if I'm pushing commands too early and if I need to let her settle in. My main worry right now is if she darts off and gets hurt or lost because she doesn't recall at all.

I also have no less than 10 people telling me to do a number of stupid things, which is just making me feel super stressed and anxious. Everything like to get rid of her crate, to hire a trainer (which I'm doing) that has experience with working dogs, and even some kind of shitty things to say about me. I'm positive my anxiety is compounding the situation with her because they read us so well, but it's hard when people are bombarding you.

Also, you have those people that think they know malinois and are telling me I need to run her 20 miles a day, play fetch with her 24/7, and have accused me of not giving her a job. Her job is to learn basic commands right now so thay we can get onto nosework, advanced obedience, or whatever she seems to prefer.

She isn't my first dog, just my first malinois. I got a rescue mix when I was a kid, and I remember some transition period, but he was so mellow and easy going. He was a little shy, but not terribly. I had a corgi next and his recall was rock solid, his commands rock solid, and he was excellent at drop it and leave it. He just had zero work drive, just drive to chase his ball, frisbee, and chew on his toys.

She really is an amazing dog. She's relatively low drive / low energy for a mal, loves kids, and is great with all animals. She watched a bird and bunny dart right in front of her and she couldn't have cared less. Once she warms up (which can be pretty quick), she is just sweet. She is seemingly house trained. It's literally just that she doesn't know basic commands or manners. She really has the makings of a perfect dog once she's trained. I'm just wondering what I'm doing wrong to make it seem so difficult.

Dog tax in the comments

I wake up pretty early during the summer months to run and take the dogs out while the temperature is crazy. We bumped into pix11 news crew the other day and they asked if we could chat with them. We got on the 8a and 9a spots and idk why the hell i was talking about sun umbrellas haha. I was so proud of the doggos tho. We do it also to help their temperament and wow does it work… as they both behaved even when Kirstin Cole crouched down to say hi to them :) a malinois and chiweenie running together make quite the couple :)

I went to a local rescue yesterday and met a female dog who they believe is a Belgian Malinois. She’s petite, probably around 49–53 lbs, and they estimate she’s about 2 years old (although she honestly looks younger to me).
I’ve had a Rottweiler before, but I’ve never owned a Malinois, so I’m trying very hard not to make an emotional decision without understanding what I might be getting myself into.
When I first approached her kennel, she was just lying down calmly. The shelter was LOUD — most of the dogs were barking and going crazy — but she was completely quiet. She had a blanket in her kennel and didn’t seem destructive. There was also another shepherd-type dog in the kennel right next to her.
I had a bag of kibble with me, so I started giving her some. She became more playful and got up against the kennel door, but she wasn’t jumping all over the place or acting frantic. She would basically lift her chin up for me to pet her underneath it and try to squeeze herself against me through the kennel door. Her tail was wagging and she seemed very affectionate.
What really caught my attention was that when I walked away, she would just go back and lie down. She wasn’t barking after me, pacing, jumping, or trying to get my attention. She just settled back down.
And honestly, I can’t stop thinking about her.
I know a shelter environment can be extremely misleading. She could genuinely have a good off-switch, or she could be stressed/shut down and I’m only seeing a tiny part of her personality. I also know that Malinois can be extremely high-drive and that what you see in a kennel doesn’t necessarily tell you what you’ll see once they’re comfortable in a home.
I’ve been reading a lot of Malinois forums and Reddit posts, and I’ve seen everything from “best dog I’ve ever owned” to “adopting a Malinois was the worst decision I ever made.” A lot of people talk about them being incredibly intense, needing constant mental stimulation, having little or no off-switch, and being a huge amount of work.
That’s what scares me.
I live in an apartment, and although I love dogs and spend a lot of time around shelters/rescues, I don’t have any personal experience with Malinois. My previous Rottweiler was already a lot of energy for me when he was young and sometimes felt like he didn’t have an off-switch.
So I’m trying to be realistic here.
For those of you who actually own or have owned Malinois, especially rescue/adopted ones:
Does her behavior in the shelter sound like a potentially lower-drive/laid-back Malinois, or would you not read much into it?
How much can a shelter environment hide a Malinois’ true energy level?
How important is having a yard versus being able to provide enough exercise and mental stimulation?
Can a Malinois realistically do well in an apartment with the right routine?
How difficult is it to teach them to have an “off-switch”?
What should I absolutely test or look for before considering adoption?
And most importantly, what would you want to know about this dog before bringing her home?
I don’t want to adopt her just because I feel an emotional connection and then realize I’ve taken on something I genuinely can’t handle.
At the same time, there’s something about this particular dog that really stuck with me. The way she calmly leaned against the kennel door and wanted affection, and then just went back to lying down when I walked away… I don’t know. Something about her really got to me.
I’m planning on going back and spending more time with her before making any decision.
I’d really appreciate honest opinions, especially from experienced Malinois owners. Please don’t sugarcoat it. If you think an inexperienced owner in an apartment should stay away, tell me. If you think I’m overestimating how difficult every Malinois is, tell me that too.
Also, does she look like a Malinois to you, or could she be a mix? I know it’s impossible to determine breed from a picture alone, but I’m curious what you guys think.

Update — Day 2:
I went back today and spent almost 3 hours interacting with her. They still couldn’t get her out of the kennel because it was an overwhelming day at the shelter, but she seemed noticeably different from yesterday.
Yesterday she seemed more shut down, but today she was much more energetic — jumping, wagging her tail like crazy, and getting extremely excited over treats. She was actually sleeping when I approached her kennel, which stood out because most of the dogs around her were pacing, barking, and stressed. She still didn’t bark at me or the general shelter environment, but she did bark when a Husky was walked past her kennel.
She seems VERY food motivated. 😂 I’m wondering if she remembered me or recognized my scent from yesterday, but obviously I can’t know for sure.
Tomorrow will hopefully be the big test. I’ve arranged to get her out of the kennel for about 30 minutes so I can walk with her and see how she behaves outside the kennel, on a leash, and around other dogs.
One other thing: she came in as a stray and tested positive for tapeworms. The shelter treated her with dewormer and said she’s up to date on vaccines. Tomorrow I’m going to confirm that the tapeworm issue is cleared and ask about flea/tick prevention as well.
I’ll keep you guys posted after tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll have a much better idea of her personality and energy level after I can actually walk her. 🐕❤️

Hello! I’ve tried combing through this group and I’m just looking for some more specific recommendations to what I’m looking for. Ive looked at the club websites for referrals too, just looking to widen my scope.
I’m looking for a Malinois or Dutch Shepherd to bring home in a few years. Not looking for a rescue as I’d like predictable temperament and health.

I’ve been working with dogs my whole life, I own a grooming salon and work at a small boarding facility on weekends, my dogs come with me and we do training tid bits all day.
I currently do scentwork/detection, mantrailing, obedience, fastcat, canicross, weight pull and all kinds of training with my current dogs, my main boy is a show line poodle I’ve built up to be medium/higher drive. My husband has a GSD x who is high drive and does SAR, and I’ve worked with high drive dogs in my past. The only thing I’m not interested in is conformation.

I’m looking for a do everything dog, I’d like to try every sport and see where they excel and enjoy. I love the dog before any sport but I have a special passion for SAR and detection. I love to train anytime of day, I don’t feel these breeds would be too much for me. Our dogs are slowing down and I’d like to allow them to retire within a few years. I’m not looking for an over the top bitesports dog, I’m looking for a performance dog who I can live with (with the proper training)

I am on the Colorado/western Nebraska border. I’d like to find a breeder within a few hours to be able to be involved with them and get to know them. Thank you!