Several breed standards remain virtually unchanged since their creation, but others are “tweaked” over time to more fully “flesh out” or emphasize important aspects of the breed. Last month (October, 2021), a new standard for the Belgian Malinois became effective.
Most of the standard remains unchanged, but as far as we can tell, new additions and/or edits serve to expand a judge or breeder’s understanding of the ideal Malinois. The section on general appearance, for example, includes two new sentences. One reflects the historical importance of character (“his elegance and expression denote great strength of character, reflecting his heritage as a herding breed”), the other takes a sentence on gender traits and builds upon it. The original statement went like this: “The male is usually somewhat more impressive and grand than his female counterpart, which has a distinctly feminine look.” The new addition is one that’s more specific: “The male should appear unquestionably masculine; the female should have a distinctly feminine look and be judged equally with the male.” Note that wording has been added stressing that bitches should be given equal consideration when judged. Owners of bitches, rejoice!
There have been other “tweaks:” The Belgian Malinois is a moderate breed, so the word “heavy” was removed from the section on Size, Proportion, and Substance. Since the Belgian Malinois is a square breed, wording that alluded to bitches being longer as acceptable was also removed.
The section on the head added that light eyes are a fault, and also included language to better clarify the ideal using positive statements. (well-chiseled, dry, well-cupped, well-split, strongly pigmented, complete dentition). The section on the neck, topline and body was rewritten to give a better flow from stem to stern, while muscle description was added to the section on forequarters. It also specified that the ideal Belgian Malinois has a shoulder angle that ensures free and efficient movement, and that the pasterns are short.
The section on coat also was fine tuned to add that “a lack of sufficient undercoat to form a double coat is a fault. Hair that is too long, silky, or wiry is a fault. The Belgian Malinois is a natural breed and there is no need for excessive grooming.”
With regards to color, readers are given clarity by mentioning that colors other than those described are not correct and are to be disqualified. It is quite specific about the mask as well. Whereas the old standard simply wrote, “The mask and ears are black,” the new standard writes: “The mask must be pronounced and tends to encompass the top and bottom lip, the corners of the lips and the eyelids in one single black zone. The mask and ears appear black.”
The section on faults was removed, and the area on disqualifications now includes the added color disqualification.
You can read the updated version here.
Image: “3 Malinois” by Suzanne Leonard is available as art, and in lifestyle and home decor items here