Drive is fuel, not a fault
The instinct that makes a Malinois exhausting at home is exactly what makes it exceptional in trained work. We do not suppress drive, we put a switch on it, so the dog can be full throttle on cue and flat on the floor thirty seconds later.
More exercise is often the wrong prescription
Running a working dog into the ground builds a fitter dog with the same problem. Mental work, scent, structured retrieves and impulse control tire them properly, and an hour of that beats three hours of ball throwing.
- ●Scent games and searches, indoors and out.
- ●Structured retrieve with a clear start and finish, not endless ball.
- ●Place work and enforced downtime so the dog learns to switch off.
- ●Handler focus around real distractions, on a long line first.
The adolescent window
Between eight and eighteen months a working breed will test every boundary, and this is when most of them get rehomed. It is also when structured work pays back fastest, which is why board and train suits this group so well.
