Before you buy a dog.....

By doing your homework prior to purchasing your puppy you will lessen your risk of getting an inferior example of the breed and minimize any unnecessary stress, heartache, and expense due to health issues. Remember buying a Registered Purebred Malinois or Laekenois you may have to wait as they are not always readily available and breeders will sometimes have a waiting list.  While you may be tempted to rush in and buy the first puppy you see remember your new furry friend will be with you for the next 10-15 years and this is a long time to regret a mistake. We have extensive knowledge of the Malinois breeders & bloodlines in Australia for both working and show. If we don't have a puppy for you we are happy to help you find a reputable breeder who has. Remember Dog Ownership: Is a commitment for the next 10-15 years through the good times and the bad. Means giving your dog he necessary vaccinations, worming, heartworm and flea/tick prevention and taking your dog to the vet if necessary. Means taking the time to raise your puppy to be an acceptable member of society which involves socialization with other dogs, people, animals and training your dog. It means keeping YOUR dog on YOUR property (more commonly known as a dog proof fence!) and making sure YOUR dog is not a nuisance in any way to neighbors and the general public. Means appropriately exercising your dog. Means supplying good quality food and water. Means searching out the appropriate dog for your circumstances, requirements and personal ability. Hearsay, Lies, Gossip and Rumor Unfortunately in Australia jealously, competition for puppy sales and political rifts in the Belgian Shepherd world are rife to the point that some breeders openly lie about others breeding stock to prospective new owners. Some of these people even hold positions on Breed & Schutzhund clubs where novice owners would expect such people to be honest.  Their insidious handiwork is not confined to Australia. With the advance of technology and the internet we also get breeders divulging untrue information about others to stop them being able to import dogs from overseas.  Unfortunately many novices (and even some very experienced people who should know better!) fall victim to a sliver tongue and purchase a very average dog deluded into thinking they have the next Schutzhund world champion or Best in Specialty Show winner on the end of the lead… I strongly advise people to see the dogs for themselves, study the dogs titles/achievements and make their own judgments.  Do not make decisions based on gossip and the opinions of other breeders whose motivation may be malicious or purely monetary. Please visit our Testimonials page to hear what other people who have a Vanrusselhof Malinois or Laekenois have to say. The "pick of the litter"... People often get hung up on the "pick of the litter" and assume this is the best and only puppy for them come hell or high water.  Remember that one person's dream dog can be another persons nightmare.  The best puppy for you depends entirely on your circumstances and future plans for the dog. For example if we have someone who wants to do conformation showing, another person who wants to do Schutzhund and a family who want a dog as a pet to play with the kids the best or "pick" or best puppy for each individual will be quite different. Some Questions to ask 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? Generally experience is an advantage however quantity does not always equate to quality.  Just because someone has been in the breed for 20+ years does not guarantee they are ethical, honest or breed better dogs than a breeder that has been involved for a lesser amount of time.  How many Malinois have you trained? This indicates valuable experience with the breed.  Here you can gauge the breeders knowledge of working with the breed and breed specific temperament and traits. Breeders who work with or train their dogs have a better understanding of temperament and are more skilled at matching puppies to the most suitable homes. Are their any health problems in these lines? Responsible breeders will normally test hips, elbows and eyes of their breeding males and females. Ask to see the health test results for the parents of your puppy - read the section ahead 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. Be Honest! Do not say you want a companion dog to snuggle up with on the sofa when you actually want a security, obedience or agility dog.  Be honest with your breeder about your requirements and you will get a dog best suited to your circumstances. VISITING A BREEDER Do the premises look clean? Do the dogs appear well cared for?  Are the dogs well fed, good healthy coat, bright eyed and happy? Does the Mum of the litter look well cared for? (remember if she has whelped a litter of pups only 8 weeks ago despite the breeders best efforts she may look a little bit scraggly) Are the puppies happy and healthy with a shiny coat and bright clear eyes? 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.  The way the owner handles the dog can also produce vast differences in temperament and behavior.  To get a true picture of a dogs temperament it is a also good idea to meet the parents away from the home environment and out of their comfort zone.  Bad temperament can be due to genetics, environmental factors or sometimes both.  Remember even if the puppy you choose has parents with a happy and confident temperament, you must socialize your puppy and provide positive exposure to as many people, places and dogs as possible, not just occasionally but preferably everyday for the first 12 months. Obedience classes are also highly recommended to achieve the optimum behaviour from your dog, put in the time with your puppy and you will be rewarded with a well adjusted, confident adult dog that you are able to take anywhere and be proud of! Health Here at Vanrusselhof we take the health of the breed very seriously and where ever possible health test all our breeding boys and girls. 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 to justify their decision. 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 53.  The worst score for each hip being 53, 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 average hip score for a Belgian Shepherd is currently 9.  At times we may breed dogs with a slightly higher score as long as the partner has a low score.  For example if we breed an 11 with a 2 at the end of the day we are still improving the hips and will end up with acceptable scores with this mating.  As a point of interest it is not until the score is up around 30 that you would actually experience physical problems with your dog. 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 can be used for breeding but only combined with 0:0 3:2                  2's and 3's not ok for breeding OFA Statistics Normal Elbows x Normal Elbows = 12.2% offspring affected with ED Normal Elbows x Dysplastic Elbows = 26.1% - 31.3% offspring affected with ED Dysplastic Elbows x Dysplastic Elbows = 41.5% offspring affected with ED NOTE - OCD most commonly occurs in the shoulder but can also occur in the elbows and hocks. 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 Tevueren 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, defense 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 while 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.