# Malinois recommendations in CA? (read inside)



## LancerandRara (Oct 22, 2015)

First time posting in the forum:

I'm located in Los Angeles. My current dog is an Australian Shepherd from stocklines, and we started K9 Nose Work a couple months back. We've barely dabbled in herding. My interests include (but aren't limited to) nose work, tracking, dock diving, and flyball.

I'll definitely be adding a Mal puppy in 1~2 years, assuming my lifestyle and home is suitable at that time... So hoping to identify dogs/lines I like now, and talk with breeders in advance. I'm totally open to any suitable "pet quality" pups from working lines. 

I like social, open Mals with no handler aggression, tracking titles, great work ethic to focus on a single goal for hours, great off-switch. The reason why I'm looking at Mals and not Golden Retrievers or Labs is mainly because I'm still looking for protective instinct, especially when I live alone and I'm walking at night. <__< I also like the option of getting into IPO, but it's not a current priority.

I know the bigger name breeders around here, but am very open to smaller breeders with solid lines. Any and all recommendations to dogs/lines/breeders in CA (or even nationally) would be great!


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## joeinca (Mar 19, 2015)

I have an 11yr old male Malinois and a 5mo old female GSD. They are both awesome. 

Have you considered a good working line GSD? To me it seems much easier to find a quality bred GSD than a Mal.


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## LancerandRara (Oct 22, 2015)

I'd prefer a Mal over a GSD just for the performance sports I'd like to really compete in (dock diving, flyball). GSD's _relatively_ aren't as cut out for these sports as mals are. 

But any GSD dogs/line recommendations off the top of your head (primarily for tracking and scent work then) would be great too, if only since it's still nice to look at all options! In a GSD then, I'm really look for strong nerves/bombproof and minimal to no handler aggression.


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## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

Are you just looking in California? Loups de Soleil and Dantero come to mind first. 

Caveat- I do not know any of their dogs personally or by association (meaning I'm friends with the owners).

Have you met a malinois that actually meets your criteria? If so, find out what lines the dog comes from and who the breeder was and go from there. 

The dog world can be a bit cut-throat. PM me if you want more recommendations, I'm most familiar with KNPV malinois, but I do know people competing in the sports you mention very successfully with malinois- particularly dock diving.


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## LancerandRara (Oct 22, 2015)

Muskeg said:


> Are you just looking in California? Loups de Soleil and Dantero come to mind first.
> 
> Caveat- I do not know any of their dogs personally or by association (meaning I'm friends with the owners).
> 
> ...


I'm open to looking nationally. I haven't heard of Caveat before, so thanks!

There's a 6 month old pup from LDS in my nose work class who I love watching. She's very social and so sweet, happy and excited and drivey all of the time, but focused fast once she got the gist of the game. Being only 6 months though, we've yet to see how her temperament matures.

I know of one mal who fits the temperament criteria very well and has her IPO1. I've been told that her breeder is extremely extremely selective with where she rehomes her pups, so I doubt it would be me (been told by a mutual friend, close friend of said breeder). The one mal also seems like a one-in-many kind of thing where her temperament is pretty uncharacteristic of working mals, and her grandpups still have a good chance at handler aggression... which I've been told is inherent to the breed as well? I'd just like to expand with anyone else's experiences, because mine are pretty darn limited. I figured I also suck at google searching for smaller name Mal breeders, so if anyone here has specific recommendations... Dantero, Loucyn, and LDS are always the first ones to pop up googling.  LOL

I'll pm you though! Thanks!


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

If i was restricting myself to just breeders in California id go with Debbie Skinners dogs at les ombres valeureux kennel


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

Nationally Id go with another Ot vitosha dog though


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## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

I do know two of Deb's dogs. Both are certified in SAR.

Here's a good article to get you started: Rainbows, Unicorns and Dogs that Bite | The Loadout Room


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

Always hated that article. But yeah Debbie will steer you right.


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

One of the Loups du Soleil dogs is doing quite well dock diving these days (India or Inde). Have met dogs from them and Dantero. Kadi (Dantero) is in So Cal.


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## LancerandRara (Oct 22, 2015)

I ended up emailing both Michael Ellis and Debbie Skinner four days ago. Hopefully I can get a reply at least on their thoughts on if their dogs/lines are right for my situation and what I'm looking for. :s

I tend to get blown off very very often by breeders, I think because I inquire way too in advance...


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## holland (Jan 11, 2009)

I would not get a dog from Mike Ellis-and I have met one of his dogs-actually more than one-but the one kinda did it for me -and also mals in general


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## Dotbat215 (Aug 19, 2015)

"I'm open to looking nationally. I haven't heard of Caveat before, so thanks!"

Erm, I don't * think * the poster was referring to a breeder named Caveat. They were giving you a caveat about the breeders they had mentioned earlier in the post.

Not trying to be nitpicky... Just didn't want your search to become a goose chase.


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## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

Hey Holland- I actually haven't met any of Ellis' dogs. Can you detail what you didn't like about them? I don't want to get into breeder bashing or anything, just curious about what you saw in behavior, nerves, temperament, activity(?) that turned you off? 

Malinois can be a mixed bag. Breeders in it for a while generally have a better idea of what they are going to produce. I've heard first hand from breeders that washouts (for whatever reason) often don't get a second chance (euth'd), too risky in a pet home, not right for working, hard to find experienced non-working home, dog has nowhere it belongs and moreover is a liability. Moreover, most malinois rescues don't take in "aggressive" malis of any variety.

Which is why breeders can be very picky about where pups end up, but even more why breeders need to be very picky about what they are breeding... and how much. 

One way to just quickly see which breeders have dogs working is to look through the results lists for trials. Mondio, IPO, PSA, ring, obedience, whatever. See which kennels the malinios in those venues are coming out of. I mostly see some USA born and bred dogs, often from the same kennels, and then a bunch of dogs out of kennels in Europe that I've often never heard of. 

Doesn't tell you everything, though as the pedigrees behind SAR, police, and military dogs are harder to find. But it does give you a general idea. 

If you are looking to adopt, the shelters in California seem to have nice malinois suitable for the sports you mention fairly often. That might be a nice place to find young malinois, and that dog would be thrilled!


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

LancerandRara said:


> I'd prefer a Mal over a GSD just for the performance sports I'd like to really compete in (dock diving, flyball). GSD's _relatively_ aren't as cut out for these sports as mals are.


I've got a nice little working line GSD that's doing quite well in flyball. Halo has been racing for 3-1/2 years and is on track to earn her Onyx award (20,000 points) next Spring. She loves dock diving too, going right off the dock the first time she ever saw a pool. She doesn't jump that far but we've only done a handful of events, and haven't actually done any training. It's my husband's sport, and strictly for fun.





































Halo is already ranked #37 out of 337 dogs registered in NAFA, the North American Flyball Association, and could break into the top 20 by the end of next year. 

There are actually fewer Mals and Tervs registered in NAFA - 242 and 219, but more of them seem to be actively racing. Halo is only one of two GSDs I ever see at tournaments. The other one lives in Southern California and they're only up here occasionally. I see quite a few Belgians. 

So anyway, if you like GSDs I wouldn't rule them out just yet.  Halo is one of the most bombproof, if not THE most bombproof dog in our club. She's been body slammed by other dogs chasing her in the runback area and never even let go of her tug, and one time was attacked and bit by a pit bull when we were lined up at practice. Once my teammates got the dog off her, she shook it off and was ready to go. She's got super nerves, and an even better off switch. She lays quietly in her crate until it's time to go in the ring, and then she turns it ON!


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## LancerandRara (Oct 22, 2015)

To those who PM'd me, I unfortunately can't reply to PM's until I have 15 posts in the forum. But thank you for the info! 



Dotbat215 said:


> "I'm open to looking nationally. I haven't heard of Caveat before, so thanks!"
> 
> Erm, I don't * think * the poster was referring to a breeder named Caveat. They were giving you a caveat about the breeders they had mentioned earlier in the post.
> 
> Not trying to be nitpicky... Just didn't want your search to become a goose chase.


LOL I ended up assuming that they meant the kennel Caveat, because this immediately came up when I googled "Caveat Malinois": Caveat Belgian Malinois - Welcome!

Apparently this Caveat breeder also dock dives. 



Muskeg said:


> If you are looking to adopt, the shelters in California seem to have nice malinois suitable for the sports you mention fairly often. That might be a nice place to find young malinois, and that dog would be thrilled!


Yeah, I totally have Woof Project in consideration, if they have a dog suitable for me at the time. But they do require "previous Malinois experience required", which is what's iffy, since I technically don't. Some talking about with the sports I'm involved in by then may help waive that requirement, but there's no for sure. I do have more a preference for breeder pups at the moment, but if there just happens to be a dream dog in Woof Project when the time comes, then... there we go LOL.




Cassidy's Mom said:


> I've got a nice little working line GSD that's doing quite well in flyball. Halo has been racing for 3-1/2 years and is on track to earn her Onyx award (20,000 points) next Spring. She loves dock diving too, going right off the dock the first time she ever saw a pool. She doesn't jump that far but we've only done a handful of events, and haven't actually done any training. It's my husband's sport, and strictly for fun.
> 
> Halo is already ranked #37 out of 337 dogs registered in NAFA, the North American Flyball Association, and could break into the top 20 by the end of next year.
> 
> ...


Thanks for letting me know!  GSD's are still in consideration to an extent, so I'm open! Halo sounds like a dream, and those are some awesome photos. What lines and breeder is she from?


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Halo is West German working lines. Here is her pedigree: Halo von Rokanhaus

Her breeder, Kandi at Von Rokanhaus, is no longer actively breeding, and Halo's sire Doc has been retired from competition. He was at stud for quite awhile though, and has a lot of progeny out there as does Doc's sire Hannes. 

Halo is on the smaller side, usually in the 52/53 pound range, and very athletic and agile, even at 7 years old. She ran a new personal best time in flyball last July at a few months before her 7th birthday. Some of her siblings and half siblings out of Doc went to working homes - IPO, SAR, and police K9s, but others went to active pet homes like ours. I think if you can narrow your search down to a few breeders who are producing the kind of dogs who do what you plan to do, and then are very clear and honest with them about what you want, you should be able to find the right GSD.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Isn't this a GSD site. Aren't there any malinois sites? I mean, wouldn't people head over heels in love with their mals be more likely to give you a good recommendation for a mal? Why do brand new people come on here and as for recommendations for mals or boxers or rottweilers? I don't get it. 

I mean, I've been here for a decade, I think, and maybe I know a member or two with a different breed that I am interested in, and I would PM them and ask them if they could recommend. But I wouldn't log onto a cocker spaniel site and ask them if they could recommend a Toy Poodle breeder.


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## LancerandRara (Oct 22, 2015)

Cassidy's Mom said:


> Halo is West German working lines. Here is her pedigree: Halo von Rokanhaus
> 
> Her breeder, Kandi at Von Rokanhaus, is no longer actively breeding, and Halo's sire Doc has been retired from competition. He was at stud for quite awhile though, and has a lot of progeny out there as does Doc's sire Hannes.
> 
> Halo is on the smaller side, usually in the 52/53 pound range, and very athletic and agile, even at 7 years old. She ran a new personal best time in flyball last July at a few months before her 7th birthday. Some of her siblings and half siblings out of Doc went to working homes - IPO, SAR, and police K9s, but others went to active pet homes like ours. I think if you can narrow your search down to a few breeders who are producing the kind of dogs who do what you plan to do, and then are very clear and honest with them about what you want, you should be able to find the right GSD.


Thanks! Yeah, that is basically what I'm doing- but I know that I won't be able to find every suitable breeder by just googling, so asking on forums for any possible recommendations always helps. =)



selzer said:


> Isn't this a GSD site. Aren't there any malinois sites? I mean, wouldn't people head over heels in love with their mals be more likely to give you a good recommendation for a mal? Why do brand new people come on here and as for recommendations for mals or boxers or rottweilers? I don't get it.
> 
> I mean, I've been here for a decade, I think, and maybe I know a member or two with a different breed that I am interested in, and I would PM them and ask them if they could recommend. But I wouldn't log onto a cocker spaniel site and ask them if they could recommend a Toy Poodle breeder.


No. There are not. As people involved in bitework, there are also often people with GSD's who also know a thing or two about Malinois in particular through their peers or connections, as you can see existing in this thread. Also, as a "new person", I don't know any members yet or who to even PM, thus the "recommendations". This is how we get started on forums.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I guess I was meaning, as an existing forum member, I might ask some folks where they got their dog of another color. But, I wouldn't join a site specific to one breed to ask about another breed.

You might get great answers to this question on a forum that is specific to working dogs, or protection sports, or any number of things. But this is a site specific to one breed of dog. If members want to discuss issues with their other dogs, that's kool, but they are here because they love GSDs.

I mean, in our pretty much dead rescue section we are not allowed to list dogs that are not GSDs, not even GSD mixes. 

In our photo contest, there better be a GSD in the picture.

We're pretty open to try and help people with training/behavior or nutrition problems regardless of breed, though I am not sure that is always wise, as different breeds have different characteristics and different health concerns, and often different requirements. 

Most of us shy away from recommending breeders anyway.

I guess I take it as an insult. I don't want your breed of dog, for whatever reason, but I will ask you guys where I can find this other breed. Kind of like going into a Buick dealership and asking them where you can buy a Honda. 

I just read the book Max and passed it on to my niece, and then I got the movie and watched it, but I am not going to discuss either here because the dog is a Malinois.

I know it is kind of personal, but you aren't the only person that comes here to ask about how to find other breeds of dogs, and it always befuddles me.


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

There are no malinois forums. Closest thing to a malinois forum is workingdogs forum. There are a few facebook groups too. They are generally not to my liking. I've been invited to a few of them and usually end up dropping group or unfollowing rather quickly. The only one I'm still in is one by Johan Limbourg in belgium because I get to see some European mondio and every so often some belgian ring footage.


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