Before getting to the rest of our post, watch this video:
How much energy does a Malinois really have? from Scout Dogs on Vimeo.
Now that you’ve seen it, the findings by Whistle (a company that makes a GPS and activity-tracking dog collar) will make sense to you. Analyzing data from its roughly 150,000 “smart collar” users, Whistle found that the Belgian Malinois came out on top as the most active breed on a daily basis among the nearly 100 breeds listed in its database. Walking a dog three times per day amounts to less than 34 minutes 17 seconds per walk, but a typical Belgian Malinois moves around an average of 102 minutes 52 seconds per day – but wait! One of the more active Belgian Malinois with a Whistle smart collar averaged 323 minutes 35 seconds of activity per day.
That’s more than five hours of nonstop movement.
Read the rest of the article at Business Insider.com here which is where we obtained the image
I’ve had Belgians for 25 years. They are a total committment of time and energy. The nice thing is you can pretty much forget about diets while you own of of these breeds! I decided to downsize recently and got a Pyr Shep because with the research I did I found out they were a lot like Belgians, only smaller. They might even have more energy. I didn’t thing that was possible. Probably a good thing as I was starting to gain weight once my last Belgian died. Most herding breeds require more work than an average pet requires. Too smart and too much energy. You really do need to give them a job. I do obedience, agility, herding, tracking and any other dog sport we can do. I also hike about an hour to 4 a day to keep these guys from driving me nuts. If you can do that they are the greatest breed, if not prepare to have your house destroyed, and lose your sanity!
As herding breed owners ourselves, we hear you, Melinda, and found your journey to a Pyr Shep fascinating! Will you be cording your dog?
I try to introduce my Belgian Tervuren puppy (14 week old) to at least 100 people per week. She is a bundle of energy!
Awwww, Dan, she’s WONDERFUL! What’s her name? Any chance you know another Terv person named Libbye?
Her name is Raven! This will be my 7th Belgian (4 Tervurens & 3 Malinois). We currently have 2 Tervs and 1 Mal in house. Raven loves her Uncle Jacques Rieur Malinois!
She’s lovely, Dan, really lovely. It sounds like you have found your forever breed!
I’ve had a lady wolf (she passed at 19 years) and a perfect alpha lady malamute. The Lady Wolf, Mischa, was a great baby-sitter, and we found-out a year after we got her that she was a pure-blooded arctic wolf.
Oh good gosh! A pure-blooded arctic wolf?????
Nope, but apparently she is a vet involved with the ABTC. We’ve been active in Malinois rescue through the ABMR. I sure that my honey, Wendy, knows who she is. Attached is Revv, who passed over the rainbow bridge last December.
Yes, Libbye is a vet, and quite involved with sheep herding as well (we love to see the dogs doing what they were bred to do!). We’re so sorry that you lost Revvy, Dan. They never live long enough. Ever.
While I know that many more breeders of the Malinois variety of Belgian Shepherd Dog breed for the intense energy level and focus because the smooth coat is preferred by working folks, this video and the warnings about being fully prepared for the challenges (and benefits) of these dogs applies equally well to all the other varieties of Belgians; Tervuren, Groenendael (or Belgian Sheepdog in the USA) and Laekenois. Photo by Eric Louis
What a stunning picture, Peri! It’s good to know that the video is applicable to the other Belgians. We’ve been fortunate to know a few Terv people, including one who showed a breathtaking Tervuren named, Chance” back in the late 80s, early 90s. We’ve never known a bad tempered Belgian….
It is great to hear that you have only belgians with good temperaments! That means that both the breeders and the owners were doing a good job. You mentioned Libbye in another post! She is a rock star in Belgian Land!
Here is a grown up photo of Tag, also taken by his owner Eric Louis!
Wow
We go back a ways with Libbye, Peri, whose sense of humor is legendary. Is it Sharon Lutz who owned “Chance,” the Belgian who made us first seriously notice the breed back in the late 80s?
Chans (BIS, BISS Ch. Snowflower Viola’ Sharvonne, CD, TD, CBAR) was an iconic and influential dog, for sure! He belonged to Sharon (Lutz) Sweet. He appears in the pedigrees of many of today’s excellent dogs!
We were pretty consistent competitors for a few years, and it was hard to pay attention to one’s own dog in the ring when you couldn’t take your eyes off another one! He was pretty special!
My very active Terv
He’s absolutely stunning, Monique!
She’s only half, so she’s not as active (the other half is couch potato). She does however, have “fear of missing out.” When I have a foster or am dog sitting, she will play non-stop (including at 4 am).
Girls just want to have fun, P – even at 4 a.m.!
Absolutely beautiful Malinois (and Tervs). One of my two favourite breeds being the other one German Shepherd Dogs. I do own a GS bitch now and I’ve never owned a Malinois, but as much as I do love them, I can’t, at least at present, give them the attention and training they need…When I purchased my pure blood GS I asked for a “3” in the behavioural scale, due to the fact I’m a soccer coach and she goes with me everywhere, but needs to sit and quite whilst 16-18 soccer players are running and kicking balls near her! I can’t imagine a Malinois doing so, LOL. But when I retire, if I’m still fit enough…
Having been a “soccer mom” for many years (our kid competed for the National Title as a U17 player), I know EXACTLy what you mean, Tony. Malinois are fabulous dogs, but unless you’re game (ha, a pun) to make the dog a midfielder, sitting quietly on the sideline would be torture for you both. Kudos to you for recognizing that the breed may be the right one, but at the wrong time. That day will come!