There are definitely people here more qualified to answer this other than myself, however, I have had and trained several Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd puppies.
This is not a dog for a beginner to train, but of course it can be be done. The Belgian malinois is intelligent and very high energy dog. If you don’t take the time to assert your status as pack leader and train them, they will take over you household and do whatever they want (at high speed), they may look a lot like shepherds, but they are incredibly fast.
However, they are also a very loyal and affectionate breed. My first Malinois we used to joke, when people would ask if she bites, that oh yes, she is very aggressive, aggressively friendly. She insisted on being part of every conversation and greeting anybody that came to visit.
I digress though. On the plus side, they are very intelligent, they love to learn new things, and they live to “work”. Now, “work” does not [have] to mean guarding, herding, etc. It means whatever you, and your dog, define it to be. Their nature is to be protective, and to herd, so it helps to keep this in mind. The individual dogs personality plays a part as well. One thing I have noticed about Malinois vs Shepherds, is, I have had shepherds that were smarter than my Malinois, but especially my last Malinois, was extremely good with communications.
For example, I had a large backyard, in a warm climate, so she could come in an out at will during the day. Consequently, throughout the day she would spread her toys around the house and yard. You could tell her “Nisha, it's dinner time, put your toys away” and should would gather them all up, put them in her box, then site by her bowl.
Be patient and be consistent. Positive reinforcement works better than negative. Give them a treat or just encouraging words and some affection when they learn/do something properly. Sometimes, you do need to “punish” them. If you have properly established yourself as pack leader, you do NOT need to hit them. you will just end up with a skittish, anxious and aggressive dog if you do that too much and you do not want that in a large, strong, fast dog. They like to be near you as well as able to aware of everything happening in the household, at all time. Mines favorite spot was a [large] chair where she could see monitor every entrance into the house. With that in mind, I found a very effective punishment was a “timeout” where she had to “go to her room” (a laundry room, where could not see anyone or anything), where she had to stay until she calmed down and stopped complaining and/or whining. Keep in mind though, punishment needs to be immediate, when caught in the act, or at least clear to them, why they are being punished.
One last point, establishing dominance. You absolutely MUST establish dominance as the pack leader. This isn’t being aggressive, yelling at them, and especially not hitting them. This just means them knowing and accepting that you are in charge, In charge in “dog” terms. When they are young, and they like to wrestle [a lot]. They are playing, but keep in mind they are also establishing their place in the pack when they do this. It’s perfectly ok to wrestle with them, even let them “win” some time (run off with the ball, get the rope away from you, etc). However, especially when they are young, YOU need to WIN in the end. If wrestling, stop and calm them down, with you on top, and them on their back (once it clear that you won, scratch their belly etc so they know it was game not aggressiveness). If playing with a toy, end it with you having the toy, putting it away and ending the game. When they get a bit older, you can just say STOP, calm down, etc. Another thing is, pack leaders eat first. Dogs are smart, they know they are part of a mixed pack, so you don’t always have to finish your meal before you feed them. However, if they are establishing any kind of food dominance or aggressiveness, you need to put their food somewhere they can’t reach it, until you have finished your own meal or at least until they have calmed down and wait for you to give it to them. Don’t starve them, not by any means, but, they do need to understand you are the leader.
Most of all, they need a lot of attention, love, and each one will have their own personality. Yes, they need to understand their place in the pack, but the pack is also your family, so they need to be treated and rewarded like they belong and are important part of the pack/family.
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