Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Do the basic training
• Part 2 of 3: Teaching your Malinois commands
• Part 3 of 3: Discourage bad behavior
• Warnings

A Malinois is a sheepdog that has characteristics similar to a German Shepherd, including requiring a lot of training and attention. If you want to train a Malinois, you should start that process at a young age. Early, thorough training can help you eliminate territorial and aggressive behavior that can develop in this breed if the dog is not properly trained. With consistent training, a Malinois can be trained for a variety of tasks, including as a sheepdog and as a guard dog.

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Part 1 of 3: Do the basic training

1. Socialize your dog at a young age. Puppies experience a period of socialization when they are between 4 and 14 (possibly up to 18) weeks old. During this time, expose your puppy to many different places and people so that he knows that new places and new people are a normal part of life.
   • Walk or wear your puppy in public areas, such as a busy shopping street or market, so that he gets used to being around people. With such early exposure, he is less likely to feel threatened when he meets someone he doesn't know.
   • Have many different people come to your house. Hosting strangers into your home will teach your dog that it is normal for new people to come in and that it shouldn't make him feel threatened in the future.
2. Spend a lot of time with your dog. Play is essential in a dog's life, and it can help bond with your dog. Malinois are very affectionate dogs who love to spend time with their people. So you have to spend a lot of time with your dog every day from a young age. For a small puppy, at least 30 minutes of play time per day is a good guideline, while for an older dog you should allow more time to play and exercise together.
   • For example, you can give your Malinois a small, rubber ball to play with. Throw the ball in front of your puppy and practice retrieving.
3. Be nice to your dog. When creating a good foundation for training, make sure you don't get angry or aggressive with your dog. Malinois do not usually respond well to aggressive training techniques. You should avoid treating your dog roughly when he is young so that he trusts you and is eager to do what you ask of him.
   • Control your expectations for your dog's behavior and focus on forming a bond based on love, rather than fear.
   • While it's important to address negative behaviors like urinating in the house, it's more effective to edit and show him what to do than yelling and hitting your dog. Remember, your dog probably has no idea why you are yelling at him.

Part 2 of 3: Teaching your Malinois commands

1. Start training a puppy when it is 8 weeks old. A young puppy is very capable of learning how to follow your commands, and starting early will help prevent him from learning bad behavior. Teach the dog to on command to sit, stay and come. While you cannot expect perfect behavior at such a young age, starting early with verbal commands will form a basis for his obedience as he grows older.
   • For Malinois, starting training this early can be the key to developing a pleasant and enjoyable personality.
   • For example, you should start house training your puppy as early as possible. Take him outside on a regular basis, always to the same place, so that he learns to relieve himself only outside.
2. Use a rewards-based training technique. Rather than punishing your dog for doing something wrong, praise and reward him for positive behavior. When he's on command, goes outside, or comes when you call him, give him a pat, tell him how well he's doing in a positive tone, or give him a treat right away. By starting this positive feedback at a young age, the dog will strive in the future to do the things that make you happy.
   • This positive feedback can start very early and applying it when the dog is young will help you do more complex training later on.
3. Consider clicker training to use. Clicker training is a reward-based training technique that also incorporates a clear sound. This noise is made when the dog does what you ask it to do, so the dog knows when it has accomplished what was asked of it.
   • Clicker training is a useful method as it removes some of the confusion that can arise between dog and trainer. When the clicker is pressed immediately when the dog does what it was asked to do, there is no ambiguity about the command.
   • This can be very helpful in providing extensive and difficult training, which is often done by Malinois.
4. Adjust the length of the workouts as the dog gets older. When your Malinois is a young puppy, training sessions should last a maximum of 10 minutes. As your dog gets older, you can gradually extend each training session from 30 minutes to 1 hour.
   • Malinois love to learn, be active and spend time with their owners, so most Malinois don't mind training multiple times a day.
5. Teach your dog to sit. If you want your puppy to sit, wait for a moment when he wants to sit on his own and then say sits, after which you praise him and give him a reward. If you do this repeatedly, your dog will begin to associate the action with the positive feedback.
   • Try to practice sitting while you are out for a walk. When you stop at a corner, you have to be willing to give a reward or praise it, as the dog will likely sit on its own when you stop.
   • How long it takes for the dog to realize sitting can vary drastically. It may take a lot of repetition for your dog to understand the command and why he is getting rewards.
6. Introduce additional commands when the dog detects sitting. Sitting is the basis for several other commands, such as stay and lie down. For example, once the dog sits, you say low and signal that the dog should lie down. You may need to wait for the dog to lie down on its own, then give it a treat just like when learning to sit.
   • Keep the positive feedback in your mind and say good dog when he's doing well.
   • Keep repeating this routine daily until your dog is always following your commands.

Part 3 of 3: Discourage bad behavior

1. Keep your dog's hunting instinct under control. To minimize your dog's hunting instinct, socialization is the first, but not the only, solution. Use the dog's training to teach it to walk on the foot when you are out for a walk. You can also teach a Malinois to do something let, which means that he has to leave something alone. Teaching this command with reward-based training can control your dog's hunting instincts.
   • All Malinois have a strong hunting instinct, which usually means that they chase small animals such as cats, small dogs and possibly small children as well. So you have to keep a close eye on this instinct and get it under control.
   • When walking your Malinois, also make sure you hold the leash tight so your dog doesn't get loose when he suddenly pulls.
2. Reduce herding. When a Malinois starts herding you or other people, stop that behavior immediately because it can quickly escalate into bites. The first defense here is to give your dog something else to do, like play with a toy or go for a walk. However, you can also start working on the command stay, which should stop them immediately.
   • The Malinois is and will always be a shepherd, so try not to get irritated if your dog follows you around the house.
   • Herding behavior can become particularly problematic when your dog starts herding elderly or young children, who may not be stable enough to withstand the dog's physical attention.
3. Reduce begging. Make it clear that your meal time is not the same as the dog's meal time. Since your dog still requires some work, you should teach your Malinois that it is not desirable for him to stand in front of you while you are eating. Instead, leave it near the door while you and your family are eating.

Warnings

• It is important to train a Malinois very well and to give it something to do every day. They are bred to be protective and hardworking, so if you leave them to their own devices they can become aggressive towards strangers, destructive and generally bad-mannered.