Advice for Buyers

Some questions you might consider asking prospective Breeders How long have you been involved in Malinois? Does the breeder have a genuine and long term interest in the breed or are they just a flash in the pan breeder hoping to make a quick dollar. How many Malinois Litters have you bred? Here you can gauge the breeders experience although quantity does not always equate to quality generally experience is an advantage. How many Malinois have you trained? Here you can gauge the breeders experience with regards to working with the breed and breed specific temperament and traits. What are the strengths and weaknesses of your dogs? No dog or bloodline is perfect and an honest breeder will talk openly about their dogs strengths and weaknesses. Are their any health problems in these lines? Ask to see the health test results for the parents of your puppy - read the next section about health testing to ensure you have an understanding. Are the sire and dam of the puppy hip and elbow scored? Both the sire and the dam of your puppy should have hips and elbows x-rayed and scored and the results be satisfactory - read the next section on this page about health testing. Are the sire and dam of the puppy eye tested? Both the sire and dam of your puppy should hold a clear eye certificate.  Read the next section on this page about health testing to ensure you have an understanding. Are the puppies health guaranteed? An ethical breeder will guarantee the puppies sold against any hereditary health problems. Hearsay, Lies, Gossip and Rumour Be aware that the world of Dog Breeding is very competitive and some breeders are very skilled "Sales People" with the "gift of the gab" who are prepared to say ANYTHING to discredit another breeder to ensure a puppy sale or their own stud dog is used instead of another.  I advise people to see the dogs for themselves and make their own judgments.  Do not make decisions based on gossip and the opinions of others whose motivation may be malicious or purely monetary. Health Here at Vanrusselhof we take the health of the breed very seriously. The Malinois is generally very healthy however to keep it that way responsible breeders should be testing a minimum of hips/elbows and eyes before breeding. Not only should breeders be testing their breeding stock they should also heed the results - unfortunately some breeders choose to breed on with unacceptable health test results with a barrage of excuses on hand to justify their actions. Ask to see the hip & elbow scores and current eye certificates of the sire and dam of the litter before making a commitment to purchase your puppy.  If you have trouble understanding the results feel free to contact me for clarification - I am happy to assist. Although rare the health problems within the breed to be aware of include: Hip Displaysia - Parents can be tested by x-ray.  Each hip is scored out of a possible score of 52.  The worst score for each hip being 52, the best being 0.  The scores are expressed as follows: 1:3 this means the left hip has a score of 1 and the right a score of 3 making a total of 4.  The generally accepted range for a Belgian Shepherd to be used for breeding is a total score of 9 or under.  Here are some hip score examples to help you understand: 3:5                   total score of 8        OK 0:0                   perfect hips             OK 15:12                total score of 27      Not ok for breeding 23:41                total score of 64      Not ok for breeding Elbow problems - such as ununited anconeal process (UAP), fragmented medial coronoid process (FCP), osteochondrosis of the medial condyle of the humerus (OCD). Parents can be tested by x-ray.  Each elbow is scored out of a possible score of 3.  The worst score being 3, the best being 0.  The scores are expressed as follows: 0:1 this means the left elbow has a score of 0 and the right a score of 1.  The generally accepted range for a Belgian Shepherd to be used for breeding are scores of 0's and 1's only.  1:0                  OK 0:0                  OK (perfect elbows) 2:2                  2's and 3's not ok for breeding 3:2                  2's and 3's not ok for breeding Epilepsy - No gene or marker linked to an epilepsy gene has been identified in any dog breed as yet. Continued work over next few years will hopefully find the answer. Most common in the Tervuren variety. Eye problems - such as Cataracts, PPM's - Persistent Pupillary Membranes stands left on the iris of the eye after development in a young pup, entropian - where eye lashes grow the wrong way and into the eye. Parents can be tested by an ophthalmic specialist vet to minimize risks to offspring.  The ophthalmic specialist will issue each dog an eye certificate with the results of the eye testing.    Dog used for breeding should have an eye certificate stating the eyes are clear of any hereditary disease.   Dogs with cataracts or any other hereditary condition affecting the dogs vision should not be used for breeding. Teeth - Incorrect bite & missing teeth. Both parents preferably to have full dentition and scissor or even bite. One missing premolar 1 (P1) is acceptable in the breed standard.  Missing Premolar 2's (P2's) or 3's (P3's) or multiple missing teeth (2, 3 or 4 missing teeth) are a disqualifying fault in the show ring.  As a pet or working dog missing teeth do not normally cause any problems and Dogs with missing teeth live happy and normal lives.  Some breeders do not consider missing teeth to be a serious fault and breed freely from dogs with this condition. However I prefer not to perpetuate this fault and for this reason only dogs with full correct dentition are included in my breeding program.   Canine Dentition diagrams Click images to Enlarge Full dentition preferred 1 X missing P1 Acceptable in breed standard Multiple missing teeth Disqualifying fault       Scissor bite preferred Level Bite Acceptable in breed standard Undershot Bite Disqualifying fault Testicles Monorchid - absence of one testicle in the male dog. Cryptorchid - one testicle fails to descend. Neutering is recommended as the retained testicle may have problems later on.   Dog used for breeding should have 2 testicles fully descended into the scrotum.   Monorchid and Cryptorchid dogs should not be used for breeding. German Shepherd vs. Belgian Malinois What are the differences between a German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois? This is a common question - generally speaking the Belgian Malinois is smaller, faster, more agile and higher in prey than a German Shepherd. I am often asked if the Belgian Malinois is as effective as the German Shepherd for protection work due to being smaller.  The force a dog hits with is a mix of speed and weight - although slightly smaller in most cases the Belgian Malinois hits harder than a German Shepherd due to the speed factor. The Belgian Malinois also bonds more strongly with their owner much preferring to live as part of the family with their owner rather than in a kennel. Working Bloodlines vs. Show Although there are many contributing factors to a good working dog - genetics, environment, training, conformation, physical structure and socialization - the most important factor is genetics.  Dogs inherit the prey, defence drives and nerves necessary for protection work.  These factors are "genetic" and can't be "trained" into the dog as such. Dogs that excel at Protection work normally come from bloodlines where the parents and grandparents were used successfully for similar work and have passed on the necessary genetic factors required to their offspring.  This is why you will very rarely see a good Protection, Police Service or Ring Sport Dog descending from purely show bloodlines. While the show bloodline Malinois make excellent family pets and excel in many avenues such as obedience, agility, herding, tracking etc most do not have the hardness and nerves to handle the stress of protection type work. Occasionally a good protection dog may be produced from show bloodlines but this dog is usually the exception in the litter rather than the rule and will therefore be less likely to pass on the genetic working ability to its offspring. My advice to buyers looking for a Malinois to work in any of the dog sport/police service or protection areas is to avoid disappointment purchase the dog from PROVEN working bloodlines. Sport Dog vs. Street Dog I think most of us can agree that not all sport dogs could work successfully as Service or Security dogs just as not all Service or Security dogs could cut the mustard on the sports field. The 2 scenarios are quite different.  However I believe a genetically sound working dog can do either the only difference lies in the training of the dog. With the current working scene fad in Australia favoring “aggressive” and "anti social" dogs I think it is important not to confuse fight drive with handler aggression or poor temperament.  Many dogs show aggression through poor nerves having leant to show this aggression as a way to solve the problem when placed in a stressful situation.  Just as other dogs might react to stress by biting the handler – this is not fight drive.  A dog high in fight drive with good nerve is capable of being quite safe around his handler, children and even strangers but when called upon is willing to engage in a fight with the confidence that he can beat the attacker. General Temperament Although it is acceptable for a Belgian to be somewhat reserved with strangers this should not be used as an excuse for poor temperament. Poor nerves, fear biting, shrinking away from strangers or fear of loud noises should not be considered part of being reserved.  Be wary of purchasing a puppy from a breeder whose dogs display this type of temperament.