Mondioring, and the Malinois

While Mondioring style training can, and should benefit all dogs, if a handler is a serious player, they must consider the fact that the # 1 place in the Mondioring World Championships has ALWAYS been held by a malinois.

Having a malinois is not a relationship that one should go into lightly. It is not uncommon that a healthy, well cared for mali can live 15 years or more. As in all canine-human relationships, the handler must be able and willing to take responsibility for the dog throughout the dog’s entire life. They must also be able to invest time and resources for the dog’s training and care. They must be capable of analyzing what’s happening in training as well as what’s going on for the dog. Most importantly, the handler must be capable of being honest with themselves about their own strengths and weaknesses, and have the capacity to change their own behavior when necessary.

An adult malinois can be a good choice for a handler who doesn’t have the time or experience to raise a puppy. When choosing an adult, keep in mind that a dog is sold as an adult with past training and experiences, some which may not show up for some time.

An adult that has been raised in a kennel can be taught to live in the house, but if the dog is not social, it should be avoided, as fear aggression is the most common cause of humans being bitten by dogs. An hour of exercise/training each day can be expected with a high drive mali.

Malinois puppies require extensive socialization as well as needing to be introduced to environmental variables. Puppy obedience should be motivational, using toys, praise and sometimes food for encouragement. They should neither be babied or forced into new circumstances, but gently and calmly be encouraged. Signs of stress, ears, hackles, body posture etc., should be closely monitored and the handler should “unload” the pup with tug or toys. Sounds can be slowly introduced as feeding time, again taking care to monitor stress levels and SLOWLY increasing intensity and volume.

Crate training is a must if the dog is going to travel in a car or airplane. Crates can also provide a break for the inevitable times when the handler is not feeling well or not able to supervise the dog. While it is best for the dog to be with the handler as much as possible, crates are also effective for “house-breaking”. An 8 wk old puppy can stay in its crate for 4 hours or so before needing a break. By 6 months, a pup should be able to “hold it” for around 8 hours in their crate. Be sure to exercise the pup, offer a potty break, come in and chill out for 10 –15 minutes allowing the dog time to calm down and offer another potty break, then crate time. If the pup then fusses in the crate, you can pretty much ignore him/her. If you take them out every time they cry, they will quickly train you to let them out whenever they want.

To build a pack bond and to introduce the dog to everyday occurrences, it is necessary to spend time hanging out with the dog, both in the house and on excursions for shopping, outside coffee drinking and so forth. Avoid stressful and aggressive conversation during the dog’s “pack” time.

If these guidelines are followed, a healthy malinois should be able to live in the house with children and guest’s children, but the children MUST understand about moving slowly and not making high-pitched noises and so forth. NEVER leave a child alone with ANY dog if the child is not able to handle the dog.

As far as protection work, the malinois is the dog of choice for many, but handling and training a malinois is not easy. The obedience is a reflection of the handler’s composure and calmness. The protection work shows how the training decoy has built up the dog. Many good dogs have been broken by too much pressure at the wrong time or too early in the dog’s development.

If the training is good, there will still be times when the dog may need a correction. The proper timing and intensity of the correction is essential. Intensity will vary from individual dog. In each individual, there may be variables as well depending on what type of work is being done i.e., obedience or protection work. The dog shows the proper intensity or force of a correction when the desired behavior is achieved after the first correction, and then without the correction when performed thereafter. Using more than one correction (too little) can be considered nagging and will train the dog to push the edges. Using too much force can cause weaker dogs to be broken and shut down and can cause stronger dogs to “come up the leash” (aggression to handler) or to just do what they want. Timing for a correction should also be well timed. In our system, we teach the dog the behavior and when we are SURE the dog knows then we teach the dog that they MUST do as we say. If the dog does not obey, we give a second command in the same tone and a correction at the SAME time. Again, depending on the dog and circumstances, a correction can range from a harsh look up to a collar correction. There are other good systems for training a dog and the handler must choose what works for them.

If one is interested in having a malinois, it could be very useful to spend time with the breed training as well as in the house. The time and energy needed by a malinois is great, but they can be the best for a companion as well as sport.

More info on socializationhttp://www.californiamondioring.org/imprinting.htm