[Mali1397]

Hey Folks, I'm hoping that are some experienced Belgian Malinois owner that may tell me if I have a ticking time bomb, or just a 'lazy' Mali.

I adopted a 5-6 month Belgian Malinois 2 months ago (now shes 7-8) from the Humane Society. We saw a cute puppy and wanted to meet her. When we took her into the meeting area she set her head in my lap and was only concerned with pets and belly rubs. It was heart melting. I had never heard of the breed and did some quick cursor checks online about the breed from AKA and Dogtime. Info was limited but we thought it was doable. We took her home and did a little more research and learned a lot more about Malis. We were very intimidated by what we read. We are both working professionals and thought there is no way to devote that amount of attention and work into a dog.

Fast forward to today. Our Mali is 'lazy' by Mali standards. She is relativity chill. Sleeps a lot, sits with me, follows me around the house, and doesn't pace whine or bark. she is not destructive outside of normal puppy stuff. She doesn't have endless drive as she losses interest in fetch after about 15 mins and cant/wont do more than 15mins of light jogging on walks. I'd say intensity is exceptionally low. She requires 2x daily walks and 2 times a week at the dog park to maintain a mellow state, though id say the un-mellow state is not that bad. She is compliant and relatively obedient.

My question to Mali owners is this. Were your pups like this, or did they show that Mali temperament from an early age? Should i expect more craziness out of her as she gets older or is what i see is what i'll get?

 

[Mali1397]

 

[busannie]

Were your pups like this, or did they show that Mali temperament from an early age? Should i expect more craziness out of her as she gets older or is what i see is what i'll get?

My guess based on the photos of your girl is that she may not be a malinois at all, as her facial profile (particularly in the side view) is more typical of a GSD. My guess would be that she's a GSD mix of some sort, maybe with a more "laid back" breed, but could be with Malinois. Even Malinois puppies generally have a very intense expression, and tend to have a "sharp" temperament, which does not sound like your girl. Shelters usually guess at breeds (unless heritage is known) based on appearance first, then temperament, but that's not an exact science.

She looks incredibly sweet, and sounds like the perfect dog for you, so enjoy!

 

[gattymu]

I also agree with busannie, GSD's are more relaxed than Malis, that's why probably she inherited this character. I think you were lucky, if you said that you thought you couldn't satisfy the needs of such an energetic dog!

 

[Mali1397]

Thanks for the replies guys!!

I’ve wonder the same about her breed myself. I had a DNA test from Mars done a couple weeks ago and I’m awaiting the results, hopefully I’ll find out in a couple days.

Yes, I would not use the words sharp or intense to describe her. Sweet would be the most adept description. I do wonder if her temperament is potentially a result of her rough start in life. When I picked her up she had just gotten out of the doggy ICU, having just survived Parvo. She was severely malnourished and 20lbs under-weigh. She had coccidia, giardia, and kennel cough which we had to treat. I read through the medical records the humane society provided and she really had a rough go. My Vet has said she nearly died twice while fighting parvo after reading it too. I wonder if this has profoundly impacted her demeanor and temperament.

I’ll let you know what the DNA results say. But I definitely appreciated the comments!!

Mike

 

[Mali1397]

Well folks, i'm not sure i entirely believe it but the DNA results are in.

37.5% German Shepherd
25% Aussie Cattle Dog
12.5% Chow Chow
12.5% Mini Schnauzer???
12.5% Other Breeds

Mom was a German, Cattle dog & other Mix
Dad was a German, Cattle dog, Chow Chow, & Schnauzer

 

[SusanLynn]

Well, you don't have a Mal!

I agree that the Mini Schnauzer sounds unlikely, but it looks like you've got some cross between a German Shepherd with an Australian Cattle dog with perhaps a Chow thrown in for good measure. And, that probably makes for an easier temperament.

 

[StormyPeak]

She could have some slight brain damage too, that has given her a mellow personality. You say she battled parvo, along with some other illnesses. High fevers can cause brain damage.

Stormy

 

[leashedForLife]

a favor, please?

pretty-please, could a kind person post the photos in another format, or simply "quote" & thus re-post them?

i'm guessing they're on Snap or at least, not on PhotoBucket - all i see are small light-blue squares, they're not clickable / don't open.

Thank U kindly,
- terry

 

[StormyPeak]

.....all i see are small light-blue squares, they're not clickable / don't open....

I'm not even seeing squares...just a blank post.

Stormy

 

[DriveDog]

Try this.

https://goo.gl/photos/1SyRtU52xbRrGJL2A

 

[leashedForLife]

the Google-Pix link gives me just one head-shot of a BSD-Mal type puppy.

No way to see any other photo, any full-body shots, --------- ??

 

[AlwaysTomboy]

This is the other photo:

https://goo.gl/photos/KLGxfF5MbLZNShk67

 

[leashedForLife]

Q

Shot #1 is a profile, pup is lying on owner.
Shot #2 she's younger, ears are still down; she's riding in the car.

I don't see any GSD - her coat is slick & tight to the body, but what's her tail look like, now that she's older?

a brush-type tail ala' GSD vs the narrow tapered saber of a BSD-Mal would be a clue. :thumbsup:

 

[Mali1397]

She may have brain damage i suppose, but she's very trainable, and smart, if there is any damage it just affects behavior. So far she's turned out to be an amazing dog and we feel incredibly blessed to have found her. here are the pictures requested below plus a little video of some training.

https://goo.gl/photos/1SyRtU52xbRrGJL2A

https://goo.gl/photos/KLGxfF5MbLZNShk67

https://photos.app.goo.gl/OogpTHR3h77dg5L82

https://photos.app.goo.gl/maThhrlv52Kx7kjm1

 

[leashedForLife]

lurcher, but IMO, def a BSD-Mal-X

the only side-on, full-body - head-&-tail that i saw was in the video, LOL.

i don't see any sign of GSD; she looks like a classic lurcher, a BSD-Malinois crossed with a sighthound or sighthound-mix.
The narrow, over-long tail is only unusual in being carried as a J-hook, not seen in sighthounds - it's not a common flaw in Malinois, either.

I see nothing that indicates brain-damage - gait, her eyes both track, her back-end awareness & spatial awareness are all normal or better than average; she's co-ordinated, & doesn't drag the upper surface of any toes, but places her feet cleanly.

She looks fine. That's not a Dx, it's only my opinion, but i've seen plenty of dogs with neuro-damage that ranged from subtle to severe, & i don't see a doggone thing in that brief video that would worry me. :thumbsup:

Does she get clumsy when she's overtired? - that can be neuro, or just plain tiredness.

- terry

 

[StormyPeak]

I see nothing that indicates brain-damage - gait, her eyes both track, her back-end awareness & spatial awareness are all normal or better than average; she's co-ordinated, & doesn't drag the upper surface of any toes, but places her feet cleanly.

Since I was the one who brought up brain damage...due to the dog having numerous issues earlier on, which probably included high fevers...

Brain damage doesn't mean coordination has to be affected, nor show any other physical issues, or even affect their intelligence/learning capabilities, but I do know that personalities can change due to brain damage.

The OP just stated that they thought the dog was pretty laid back and mellow, and not really how they thought the breed should behave. That could be just a plain and simple personality quirk of the dog, and I think my suggestion could also be a possibility....that the personality of the dog *might* have been affected by being sick and having it's brain slightly damaged due to high fevers.

None of it makes for anything wrong with the dog though... be it just plain personality or something else that made him mellow. Sounds to me like he's a great dog. I'm biased, though, since I prefer mellow dogs over high energy one.

Stormy