My good friend Maya has a beautiful 1-year-old Malinois Lisa. Lisa is a great dog, likes to cuddle, very friendly towards familiar people, but extremely aggressive and hostile with other dogs.
This poses a big problem when Maya takes Lisa to a dog park. Neighboring dogs are also an issue, she seems pretty disturbed inside the house when she notices that they are out.
Will Lisa ever learn to at least tolerate other dogs? I have tried to help Maya by searching for that answer. I will be happy to share my findings with you, in case you or somebody you know have a similar problem.
Belgian Malinois dogs may get along with other dogs if they are brought up together. If you want your Malinois to be friendly with other animals, especially dogs, early socialization is the key.
In case Malinois was not taught how to behave with other dogs, he will be aggressive with them. In that case, it’s the owner’s responsibility to restrain the dog in the presence of other canines.
Table of Contents
Does Belgian Malinois Get Along With Other Dogs?
Belgian Malinois may get along with other dogs if they were raised together or Mal was introduced to another dog when he was a puppy. Otherwise, Belgian Malinois may not act so friendly around other dogs.
Malinois will not be thrilled with other animals as well, especially those he doesn’t know. He may get along well with a house cat but, again, only if he knew that cat from an early age.
Belgian Malinois are not aggressive by nature but they were bred to be herding and protection dogs so they are very territorial which may bring problems with other dogs.
Genetics plays a major role also in the way Mal behaves around other dogs. Some dogs are simply outgoing and friendly and in most cases, you won’t have any trouble with them. But some dogs are simply not social and with these dogs, you need to work with them.
Does Belgian Malinois Get Along With Small Dogs?
Belgian Malinois is a very energetic dog with a high prey drive. These dogs usually like to chase cats and other small animals including small dog breeds.
Of course, if your Mal is raised with another dog (small breed), the interaction between them should be friendly.
Where Does That Intolerance Towards Other Dogs Come From?
If you have a Mal with an outgoing personality and he was socialized on time, most probably he gets along with other dogs or at least sees them as an object or background noise.
This is ideal, but things are rarely ideal, right? If you had an ideal Mal you wouldn’t have been reading this article.
First of all, let’s say a few words about Malinois’s personality. The thing is that not all dogs are the same, but still every breed has some characteristics.
Belgian Malinois were bred to be herding dogs. Nowadays they are still working dogs but their job is changed. Today they mainly work for police or military, as service and protection dogs. So the main characteristic of this breed is that they are working dogs.
Malinois dogs are highly energetic, loyal, and obedient dogs. They are intelligent and self-confident dogs, that are almost never shy or scared.
Mals are not aggressive by nature but mishandling and poor socialization may lead to aggressiveness in these dogs.
Belgian Malinois dogs have very strong territorial and protective instincts so they need extensive socialization at an early age. The trainer must be firm, yet never harsh, as they don’t respond well to harsh training.
Dogs are pack animals and Malinois is not an exception. Since you and your family represent a pack for your Mal, some other dog from a dog park or your neighbor’s pet is a stranger to your dog.
As said before Mals have strong protective and territorial instincts so an unfamiliar dog passing by or close to you raises an alert in your Mal.
Your Malinois may never get well with other dogs, no matter how hard you try. But it’s important to teach him to, at least, tolerate them.
What does that mean? It means that he ignores them, acts like they are not there, he is focused on you, as you are the center of his world. Other dogs are just background noise that will pass.
Why Socialization Is Important For Belgian Malinois?
Early socialization ( starts between the age of 1-3 months) is a very important process for all dogs but especially to Malinois as if they are not socialized properly they can become very aggressive and not only towards other dogs but humans as well.
Socialization is a process during which you expose your dog to different people, animals, sounds, smells, objects …
It’s simple if your Mal is not familiar with some sound or animal, he might be scared of it and one of the reactions could be aggressiveness.
Socialization starts at home. If you bought the puppy from a reputable breeder, you should know that socialization has already started, and now it’s the time to push it forward.
Note that your puppy will be confused for sure, once he comes to your home. He needs to get used to new space, new people, so take it easy, don’t push it too hard.
First, make sure to introduce all members of your family to your Mal. If you have two-three kids or even more, introduce each one at the time.
Don’t let more than one kid handle the puppy. Continue with house pets if you have any.
Very young Mal should take obedience classes as well as puppy kindergarten. These activities will help him socialize and get used to the presence of other dogs.
The old traditional method of socialization suggests that you should take your puppy with your everywhere, show him different places, expose him to different sounds, smells. Let him find himself in the crowd. Call as many people to your house as possible and so on.
On the other hand, there is a kind of new method written by Mrs Meagan Karnes, a professional dog trainer.
Meagan suggests a new approach in which you should let your puppy feel and see new things ( objects, obstacles, different surfaces, and textures ) but in your home or yard not elsewhere.
Your puppy feels secure there so he can explore all these things at his own pace. The point is that taking a puppy to unfamiliar surroundings and encircle him with many unknown things may trigger fear and stress.
This approach leaves that for later when the puppy grows up a bit.
The point is that your puppy needs to see you as a leader of the pack, an alpha. You are the one who gives guidelines and directions, you are the one who organizes his entire day.
But at the same time, you are the one who watches his back and makes him feel secure. He is sure that you won’t push him into situations he is not prepared for. He trusts you ( at least he should, that’s the whole point)
If you raise your Mal like this, you will raise a brave, self-confident dog that will see you as the center of his world. Even when you find yourself close to other dogs that just passing by, your Mal will ignore them, as he is focused on you and your commands.
If you are not sure how to do that on your own, or you got an older Mal with existing behavioral issues, it’s recommended to hire a professional trainer- behaviorist but make sure you find one specialized in Belgian Malinois.
This breed is quite special and you need a person who really knows what to do.
Final Thought
Early socialization is super important for Belgian Malinois. This will help them get used to other dogs (among other things).
If you have a genetically social dog, he might get along very well with other canines but if that’s not the case, with proper socialization your Mal will at least learn to tolerate other dogs and don’t attack them.
