Malinois dog


The Malinois is a medium-to-large breed of dog, sometimes classified as a variety of the Belgian Shepherd dog rather than as a separate breed. The name Malinois is derived from Malines, the French name for the breed's Flemish city of origin: Mechelen.
The breed is used as a working dog for tasks including detection of odors such as explosives, accelerants, and narcotics; tracking humans for suspect apprehension in police work; and search and rescue missions. The U.S. Secret Service uses Belgian Malinois to guard the grounds of the White House.

Appearance

The Malinois is a medium-to-large and square-proportioned dog in the sheepdog family. The Malinois has a short mahogany coat with black markings. It has black erect ears and a black muzzle. It has a square build in comparison to the German Shepherd.

Coat and colour

Due to its history as a working dog, the Malinois can vary greatly in appearance. The acceptable colours of pure-bred Malinois are a base colour fawn to mahogany and tan with a black mask and black ears with some degree of black tipping on the hairs, giving an overlay appearance. The colour tends to be lighter with less black agouti or overlay on the dog's underside, breeching, and inner leg. White markings are also allowed on the tips of the toes and the chest. A Belgian malinois may have a longer and darker hair coat than the typical malinois, but may still be referred to as a Belgian malinois.
The other varieties of Belgian Shepherd are distinguished by their coats and colours: the Tervuren is the same colour as the Malinois but has long hair, the wire-coated Laekenois is fawn and lacks the black mask and ears, and the Groenendael has long hair and is solid black. When the Malinois was first bred, the four breeds would usually be cross bred; this would result in Malinois with longer hair, or even a darker coat. Today the four breeds are considered different breeds.

Size

Males are about, while females are about at the withers. Female Malinois average ; males are heavier at.

Temperament

Well-raised and trained Malinois are usually active, intelligent, friendly, protective, alert, and hard-working. Belgian Malinois exhibit energy levels that are among the highest of all dog breeds. A typical Malinois will have puppy-like energy until the age of three, though it is not uncommon for them to exhibit this energy level until the age of five. Many have excessively high prey drive. Some may be excessively exuberant or playful, especially when young.
They can be destructive or develop neurotic behaviours if not provided enough stimulation and exercise. This often causes problems for owners who are unfamiliar with the breed and are not prepared to provide the exercise they require or a job for them to do. They are medium-sized, strong dogs that require consistent obedience training, and enjoy being challenged with new tasks. They are known to be very easy to train, due to their high drive for rewards.

Working dog

In Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and other European countries, as well as in the United States, Canada, Australia and Hong Kong, the Malinois is bred primarily as a working dog for personal protection, detection, police work, search and rescue, and sport work like Schutzhund. The United States Secret Service and Royal Australian Air Force use the breed along with other working lines such as Dutch Shepherd, and also GSD. In the United States Armed Forces, German shepherds lead the way, but close behind follows the Belgian Malinois.
In India, the ITBP and National Security Guard commando unit have inducted Malinois breed into its K-9 unit.
Malinois dogs are used by the Oketz, the K-9 unit of the Israel Defense Forces. Malinois are a suitable size to be picked up by their handlers when required, while still being large enough to control human aggressors.
In 2011, United States Navy SEALs used a Belgian Malinois war dog named "Cairo" in Operation Neptune Spear, in which Osama bin Laden was killed.
In 2014, two Belgian Malinois dogs, Jordan and Hurricane, were used to stop a man who jumped over a fence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Belgian Malinois have also been called a "game changer" in the fight against rhino poaching in South Africa's Kruger National Park, where one dog, K9 Killer, has been responsible for more than 100 arrests.
In 2019, a male Belgian Malinois, Conan, was used during the Barisha raid to chase Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Activities

Malinois can compete in dog agility trials and in dock diving, flyball, herding, obedience, showmanship, and tracking events, and are one of the most popular breeds used in protection sports such as the Schutzhund. In America, herding is a popular activity.
Herding instincts can be measured at noncompetitive herding tests. In 2011, the AKC awarded 39 new herding titles to Belgian Malinois.

Health

The average lifespan of the Belgian Malinois is 10–12 years. Notable health problems prevalent to the Malinois include cataracts, epilepsy, thyroid disease, progressive retinal atrophy, and hip dysplasia.

Notable dogs

Dickin Medal recipients

Awarded the Dickin Medal for conspicuous gallantry or devotion to duty while serving in military conflict
Awarded the PDSA Gold Medal for animal bravery:

Literature