The Belgian Malinois is a terrific pet. Whether you are using him as a home companion, a working dog, a police dog, or a personal protection dog, if you have enough time to train the dog, you will greatly enjoy the breed. Of course there are a few things about the Belgian Malinois that should be considered, especially when a potential owner is deciding whether or not he or she has the time or experience to raise and train this breed. One of these considerations is the puppy behavior of the Belgian Malinois.
The Belgian Malinois is a good dog, but he goes through a significant period of time during his puppy stage of life where he may act out. This is comparable to the typical human teenager, and just like a human teenager, if the parenting is good, the child (or dog) will eventually grow out of the stage. But until the dog grows out of this stage of life, it can be quite frustrating for the owner.
The interesting part about this puppy stage is that even a very stable and well-trained Belgian Malinois can succumb to poor behaviors. These behaviors can be as simple as overly exuberant behaviors like jumping or barking, to more severe behaviors like nipping. The Belgian Malinois is rarely aggressive even in this stage of life, but these behaviors need to be curbed lest the dog permanently adopt them.
As a puppy, the Belgian Malinois will have a lot of energy. The adult Belgian Malinois also has a lot of energy, but during the dog's puppy years is when you as an owner can teach the dog what he can do to burn that energy without reverting it to destructive behaviors.
For Belgian Malinois puppies, it is highly recommended to enroll them in puppy obedience classes. These classes typically teach puppies to do the basic tricks and tasks like sit, stay, and lay down. Also, as the puppy matures and learns more, he will learn to run courses and if trained properly, he will see this as a big game to play with his owner. Puppy kindergarten is also highly recommended for Belgian Malinois puppies, as this gives the dog socialization skills that are essential so the dog will grow up to be a friendly dog that is not afraid of people and other animals.
If you have children, you can have a successful relationship with a Belgian Malinois. This breed is very good with children, especially when they have grown up together. The Belgian Malinois should be introduced to the children as a puppy and then trained to accept and appropriately deal with the quick movements and loud noises of children. This is part of the puppy socialization that all dogs should have.
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