Having just joined and being unable to for some reason put a photo of my BSM on my profile page I thought I would put one here so all can see my wonderful Aroha/Shiloh who i rescued last june from a Rescue Centre in NSW OZ So here she is at 2 yrs oldAroha is her Maori name and means LOVE , I live in OZ but am from New Zealand and Shiloh is the name I call her.
My BS Malinois
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Hey hey Rotten (lol) hard when one doesnt know real names aye. Thanks so much for the welcome and my Shiloh would love a playmate to but think she would run rings outta your lovely rottie (read your info on him lol) Shiloh is a goer and thinks shes a greyhound at times I think. Besides the good ole US of A is a bit far hehehehehe for a playdate
Awww how cute your lot are and thanks for the welcome
Awww how cute your lot are and thanks for the welcome
There are very few here. What venue are you interested in, I can probably point you in the direction of a group. Dantero is on this board, she has many mals. I have 15 currently. (9 in a litter)
I train in SAR, hrd, tracking, narcotics and protection. Would be more than happy to help with the quirky mals if I can lol.
I train in SAR, hrd, tracking, narcotics and protection. Would be more than happy to help with the quirky mals if I can lol.
So many thanks for your reply, great stuff. Firstly there is just to much to tell about my Shiloh and her "issues: all I can say at the mo is that she is extremely anxious/temperamental/jittery/fearful etc etc in lots of circumstances. Thru lots of work she is settling SOMEWHAT. I have read that the Mal is or can be like this and not necessarily a abused dog because of their behaviour but I can tell when a dog has been abused in some way and my Shiloh obvously has to some extent.
In short I would like to do Agility and or dancing with dogs with her. I have taken her to dog obedience on the Mainland (I live on a Island off QLD) and she takes nearly a whole session to settle down but already passed first grade. She has travelled with me on the ferry (30mins travel) lots of times but alas she will not settle so at this present point in time I have stopped going to training. I have agility equipment here at home and she just loves it although training in the AFrame etc isnt the easiest of tasks.
I firmly beleive in what training method that works for one dog does not necessarily work for another so any help is appreciated.
I have had a interest in what you do for many many years also. Unfortunalty my life hasnt worked out in terms of being able to do this type of training and my German Shephard who I was teaching scenting and basic obedience died of cancer 3 years ago but even she would not have made a good guard dog in the true sense of the word - gun shy ban shy etc lol.
I just love my Mal to death but her nervous nature even tho doesnt drive me nuts does get to me at times as she is just so scared of lots of things.
To put it in a nutshell when I got her home last year (June) she had obviously never walked up stairs, not even one, never been in a house, ran for her life at the click of the jug, microwave and just went into a fearful state that sent ME outside to cry my head off. Her reactions to everything just made me literally die inside. I have never seen a dog so scared of anything in my life and I have been a dog trainer for many years off and on.
Thats bout it for now and thanks so much, so great to chat to someone with Mals. :whoo:
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Very handsome Malinois!!
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She's beautiful!
My old GSD mix was a lot like your Mal when I first got him. He was abused by his former owner, but I think a lot of it is that GSDs, and Mals even more so, are very smart, very driven dogs and if they don't get tons of exercise and training and mental stimulation, they get scared and neurotic. He calmed down a lot when I figured out that mental exercise is even more important than physical exercise. I think there's certainly hope for Shiloh, especially with an owner as dedicated as you.
My old GSD mix was a lot like your Mal when I first got him. He was abused by his former owner, but I think a lot of it is that GSDs, and Mals even more so, are very smart, very driven dogs and if they don't get tons of exercise and training and mental stimulation, they get scared and neurotic. He calmed down a lot when I figured out that mental exercise is even more important than physical exercise. I think there's certainly hope for Shiloh, especially with an owner as dedicated as you.
I feel for you, as I have an extreme abuse case here too. She completely shuts down with very little stimulus. We have come along way over three years, but she won't be able to be re homed.
Poor breeding and handling can lead to very neurotic dogs. She will make progress with you, just stay patient, and accept her as she is.
Mals can be so extreme, either completely fearless, or complete nerve bags. Keep looking for what motivates your girl, and what she responds to. Every dog is different. Some respond to attention, some better to ignoring them. Some love food or toys, others just thrive for companionship. Good luck with her. Keep trying!
Poor breeding and handling can lead to very neurotic dogs. She will make progress with you, just stay patient, and accept her as she is.
Mals can be so extreme, either completely fearless, or complete nerve bags. Keep looking for what motivates your girl, and what she responds to. Every dog is different. Some respond to attention, some better to ignoring them. Some love food or toys, others just thrive for companionship. Good luck with her. Keep trying!
Re: My BS Malinois - Thanks All
:clap2:Thankyou all for your lovely comments and info about Mals. Yes I agree with you on keeping their brains active. I willl continue to use little fluffy toys that squeak and training treats to "entertain" and train her, these motivate her to help focus on me but will have to figure out how to keep that focus on me. Loud harsh words really upset and scare the hell outta her so calmness reward repitition are important.
Thanks thanks thanks all you lovely people and will keep youz up to date with her training and progress. Will go over to the training pages and read up other ideas and try some input myself lol
Meanwhile feel free to PM me anytime.
Kindest Regards to All
From Shiloh & Aroha:clap2:
:clap2:Thankyou all for your lovely comments and info about Mals. Yes I agree with you on keeping their brains active. I willl continue to use little fluffy toys that squeak and training treats to "entertain" and train her, these motivate her to help focus on me but will have to figure out how to keep that focus on me. Loud harsh words really upset and scare the hell outta her so calmness reward repitition are important.
Thanks thanks thanks all you lovely people and will keep youz up to date with her training and progress. Will go over to the training pages and read up other ideas and try some input myself lol
Meanwhile feel free to PM me anytime.
Kindest Regards to All
From Shiloh & Aroha:clap2:
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Hi Amaryllis Thankyou so much for your very kind words and advice, its nice to know more about this lovely crazy breed. I certainly will give my Shiloh my all specially in the mental exercise areas. Her most favourite "game" is to find those squeaky things in her fluffy toys and just squeak squeak squeak and drive you nuts - shes soooooo funny to watch and beleive it or not she does not destroy her toys just gently squeezes em till they squeak. Of course if the insides start coming out thats a big NO NO so she pulls the bits out till she finds that SQUEAK but overall she hasnt destroyed any of her toys to date, they just wear out squeak and all. LOL
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