Temperament & Hereditary Defects Of The Belgian Malinois
Temperament of the Belgian Malinois
The malinois was and is still breed mostly for it's working ability. Because most breeders want dogs that have high drives means their are some temperament issues to go over. In no case should a malinois be aggressive or shy. This is not proper for a malinois and any malinois showing these temperament problems should be removed from the gene pool. Some of the temperament problems that face the malinois are: aggression, fear-biting, skittishness, and sound sensitivity. It is imperative that all malinois are thoroughly socialized from puppy hood on into adulthood.
Hereditary Defects of the Belgian Malinois
Generally the malinois is a very healthy breed. As with every other breed there are problems that arise. Some of these include: Hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, progressive retinal atrophy, and epilepsy. As with other breeds hip dysplasia seems to be the most prominent of all the ailments. Elbow dysplasia is also on the rise, now that more breeders are doing more health checks they are finding more problems. Although a majority of breeders do not check elbows, a growing number of breeders do. For more information on hip and elbow dysplasia visit the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals website. Progressive retinal atrophy is a a growing concern, because it is undetectable or misinterpreted when a dog is younger, more dogs are bred and puppies are born that are going to be either, clear, carriers, or affected. Epilepsy is a growing concern as well, although it affects the long haired varieties more, than malinois is still at risk. For this reason it is often better to wait to breed your dog until they are 3-5 years old, although even then epilepsy can occur later than that.
Health of the Belgian Malinois
Due to the size of the files and the new easy to use databases, I am no longer listing the dogs individually. Please refer to the CERF Verification website and OFA Online Verification for malinois.