The Belgian Malinois (pronounced Mal-in-wa) is one of the four varieties of Belgian Sheepdog with the others being the Groenendael, Tervuren and Laekenois.
When the first breed survey was held in 1891 in Belgium, it was found that the Malinois was uniform in type across the region. The towns of Oosterhout in Holland and Malines showed a large population of the short-coated variety. It is from the town of Malines that the Malinois recieved its name.
In the late 1800's a breed club was formed and exhibitions were held to showcase the dogs talents. These included feats from circus type tricks to scaling walls. In 1903 the Malines club held the earliest police dog trial on the continent. These dogs performed unusual feats such as scaling over 10 ft walls and jumping trenches filled with water.
As Belgium changed the Malinois was pressed into police work and military service where they showed great aptitude, adaptablity, and loyalty to their master. By 1914 however, there were more of all breed varieties being used for this purpose.
The Belgians did start to make
their way to the United States in much the same way the other breeds of
Europe did. The New York Police Dept was thought to have imported several
dogs but records of those first Malinois were lost. In 1911 the American
Kennel Club granted recognition to the Belgian Sheepdogs. The original
imports were two Malinois and two Groenendaels. Despite attempts to popularize
the Malinois, they were almost non-existent in the US until the 1950's.
In 1951 an imported bitch won Reserve Winners Bitch. In 1959, the AKC decided
to make the Belgian Sheepdogs three seperate breeds and not include the
Laekenois. From 1950 until 1965, the Malinois was placed in the Miscellaneous
class. Support for the Malinois started to grow again and by 1965 the AKC
once again gave full recognition to the Malinois. The number of registrations
were very low but have grown with a strong upscale. From the years 1963
to 1973 there were 107 registered. From 1974-1982, 329 Malinois were given
AKC registration.
The Belgian Malinois continues to grow in popularity for a number of dog events. Some of these include obedience, flyball, tracking, agility, and conformation.
The Belgian Malinois male is usually somewhat more impressive and grand than the female counterpart. Females look distincly feminine. Females are 22 to 24 inches. The males are 24 to 26 inches. The Malinois is a square dog. He is elegant in appearance with an exceedingly proud carriage of the head and neck. The dog is strong, well-muscled, alert, and full of life. The conformation gives the impression of depth and solidity without bulkiness. The coat is short and straight, with coloring ranging from rich fawn to mahogany with a black overlay. The tips of the toes may be white, a small white spot on the prosternum is permitted, not to extend to the neck.
Belgian Malinois dogs are confident. When properly raised and socialized they exhibit neither shyness nor aggressiveness in new situations. He may be reserved with strangers, but affectionate with his own people. He is naturally protective of his owner's person and property without being overly aggressive.
The Belgian Malinois possesses a strong desire to work. He is quick and responsive to commands from his owner. He is a hardy dog, resistant to bad weather and adaptable to all types of work. In addition to the uses listed above they are now used as police service K-9 dogs, narcotics detection,search and rescue, and are a favorite for dog sports such as French Ring and Schutzhund.
To See the Malinois Breed Standard
AKC,FCI
