The German Shepherd Belgian Malinois Mix is a hybrid or mixed-breed dog, where the German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois breed. The dogs are also known as Malinois X, The Shepinois, or the German Malinois.
As with all hybrid dog breeds, the resulting dogs will inherit the traits of both parent breeds. Of course, no-one is quite sure which traits from either dog a puppy will inherit. So if you are considering adopting a German Shepherd Belgian Malinois mix, you should research as much about the puppy’s parents as you can. This article will talk about the German Shepherd and the Belgian Malinois, so you’ll get some background on their personalities, appearance, and training requirements. Then you’ll get some idea of dealing with your new German Shepherd Belgian Malinois mix puppy helpfully.
Everything You Need To Know About The German Shepherd Belgian Malinois Mix:
Belgian Malinois
On many levels, the Belgian Malinois is very similar to the German Shepherd; in fact, many people mistake them for each other. But the Belgian Malinois is undoubtedly a unique breed in his own right.
A quick look at his appearance shows a medium to large dog from 22-24 inches tall and weighing from 40-80lbs. The females are generally shorter and weigh less.
The AKC (American Kennel Club) place him in the herding group. And today, he is a favorite of Police and security firms worldwide.
The Mal (as he’s also known) has a short, smooth double coat. With colors ranging from fawn, brown, and reddish-brown. You might also see the Malinois with a black mask and ears, which might account for the mistaken identity with the GSD.
1. Personality Of A Belgian Malinois
The Malinois is primarily a working dog, which is a testament to his high intelligence and willingness. However, he will make a wonderful family pet and is good with children. But a Mal is bred for herding, and you might find he enjoys herding your toddlers a little too much. So the first thing to do when you bring home your new Malinois puppy is to get him to socialization classes.
These classes are crucial for ensuring that the dog can deal with very young children, other animals, and different environments. Plus, they are quite suspicious dogs around strangers and if you don’t want a dog that growls at every passing stranger, then take socialization classes to help with his confidence.
The Malinois are very active, high-energy dogs that need a lot of exercise, so if you’re a runner or jogger, then you’ll have a very willing participant. If outdoor running is not your thing, you might try enrolling him in dog sports. They excel at agility and obedience trials. Because for the dog’s sake, he needs the exercise and to stretch his brain cells. A bored and fed-up Malinois will become destructive and turn to excessive barking, especially if you leave him alone for hours.
2. Malinois Grooming
As we mentioned, he has a short thick double coat that requires only the minimum of grooming. But brush him every week to move the oils around on his skin to prevent dry, flaky skin. He will shed profusely, and it will get worse when the seasons change. You might find you brush him more regularly than you need, if only to reduce the amount of hair around your home.
3. Malinois Health
There are some health problems with the Malinois, as there are with all purebred dogs, but they aren’t numerous and are not generally life-threatening. I am talking about healthy dogs from reputable breeders. If you buy a puppy from some reprehensible breeders who breed dogs purely for how much money they make, then I cannot say what health problems those poor dogs will inherit.
German Shepherd
The German Shepherd is an instantly recognizable dog and ranks number two on the AKC lists of most popular breeds in the US.
The German Shepherd is a large dog standing at a height up to 25 inches (females a little shorter at 23 inches,) and their weight can vary between 75-100lbs. The GSD has a medium length thick double coat with an acceptable range of colors. He will shed all year round.
1. German Shepherd Personality
Although the German Shepherd is one breed, there are distinct lines within the breed. So the personality you’ll see will depend on the line he’s from. Some breeders concentrate on breeding working lines; they are best for protection type work and dog sports. Other breeders focus on show lines. These German Shepherds are bred for the show ring and have a more even manner, and don’t come across as intense and sharp as working lines.
If you want a German Shepherd for a family pet, then aim for the general breeder. They aim to produce calmer, easily trainable dogs. These German Shepherds are suitable for non-protection sports as in agility and obedience trials.
Overall, the German Shepherd is smart, learns quickly, and is a breeze to train. There are hundreds of German Shepherd breeders out there, and not all are reputable. Poorly bred dogs can be nervous, skittish, and highly-strung. The German Shepherd was originally bred to herd sheep, and that trait can still be with many dogs, mostly from poor breeders.
When you come to choose a German Shepherd puppy, be extra vigilant about who you buy him from. Don’t buy on price. You’ll pay a lot more in the long run for vet bills because, undoubtedly, bad breeding will predispose the dog to genetic health issues. When you decide on the breeder, make sure you see all health certificates, meet the puppy’s parents, and ensure the puppies have begun socialization.
Socialization has a massive impact on German Shepherds. It must start when the puppy is around six weeks old and will continue through his life. Poorly bred and socialized German Shepherds grow to be anxious, highly strung, and aggressive.
While everything we have just spoken about is essential when choosing a German Shepherd puppy, it’s equally crucial for the German Shepherd Belgian Malinois mix. The quality of any hybrid puppy will be directly related to the breed quality of both his parents. A poorly bred GSD or Malinois will not miraculously produce amazing hybrid dogs.
2. German Shepherd Health
There are genetic disorders prevalent in German Shepherds such as Bloat, Digestive and bleeding disorders, Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency, Bone and Joint Problems, Epilepsy, Heart disease, and eye problems. Of course, it doesn’t follow that every German Shepherd will suffer from all or any of these diseases. It merely means that as a breed, they can be predisposed to the disorders. This is why we mentioned earlier to ensure the breeder you choose health screens all parent dogs for all the diseases possible.
German Shepherd Belgian Malinois Mix
1. German Shepherd Belgian Malinois Mix Appearance
There will be some leeway in the size of the German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois mix. The variables come from the size of each adult parent. For example, if the Belgian Malinois is on the smaller size, you can expect the full-grown dog to be shorter if any puppies favor those genes. You would generally expect the mix to be between 22 and 26 inches tall and weigh 40 to 85 pounds.
It’s impossible to know with any certainty what genes and from which parent a Malinois X will inherit. The coat can be a mixture of colors and textures from either or both parents. Some features the puppies will undoubtedly inherit because both parent dogs are so similar in those regards and that’s the high and erect ears, brown eyes, long muzzles with a black nose and a thick double coat that sheds all year. One trait that might pass from the Malinois parent is longer hair around the neck.
2. German Shepherd Belgian Malinois Personality
Both the Malinois and GSD are bred to be confident and assertive working dogs. Breeders never meant overly friendly behavior to strangers to be part of their DNA. As everyone is aware, both breeds are excellent protection dogs. Because of this, they have a history of attacking humans, especially the German Shepherd. While there is a lot of data on the GSD, the Malinois, being less well-known, doesn’t quite have the same reputation. But, both dogs are protection, guard, and working dogs.
Because of this, the Malinois X will have similar tendencies. I’m sure many Malinois X owners will say their dogs are not aggressive or have any issues, and that’s excellent news. But with the background of both the German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois, potential owners need to consider very carefully, especially if you have young children.
3. German Shepherd Belgian Malinois Mix Training
The only way to avoid any of the issues we’ve just spoken about is training and socialization. The puppy must learn about people, other pets, and strange situations. He must have confidence but not be assertive or aggressive in any way. The ideal age is from six to sixteen weeks for socialization, but it will be something to continue for the dog’s life.
Dogs of this intelligence will react badly to harsh training methods. No dog should be physically punished, but to treat a German Shepherd Malinois in that way will turn the dog aggressive. The Malinois X will respond to patience, kindness, and reward-based training methods.
4. German Shepherd Belgian Malinois Mix Health
We spoke earlier about the genetic disorders that both the Malinois and GSD can inherit, and this is also true of the mix of the two breeds. Health screening and genetic testing of both parents are the only way to ensure that those genes do not exist and will not pass to their puppies.
Conclusion
There’s every possibility if you get a young puppy Malinois X and enroll them in socialization and training classes, you will have a dog that will love and protect his family, including the children. But I wouldn’t be 100% certain that the dog will think the same of children and pets from other families in the neighborhood. It needs a considerable amount of thought if the German Shepherd Belgian Malinois mix is the right dog to bring into your home if you have children.
