Q: My Malinois is really "mouthy". He play bites, nips at everything... he's a real "mouth first, ask questions later" kind of dog - how do I make him stop?
A: There's a reason why we affectionately call them Malligators...
Mouthiness and biting: bad behavior or unique trait?
The key to happiness with any working breed is to understand your breed's inherent abilities BEFORE you bring one into your home. This rings more true with a Malinois than any other dog we can think of. The traits that make this breed so special and so highly regarded among police, military, and the sport ring are the very traits that make them often highly unsuitable for the novice handler, "regular" dog owner, or family home. That is not to say these dogs aren't sensitive, loving, and incredibly handler oriented - they are. And possibly more so than any other dog - but that doesn't make them right for everyone. They STILL possess the qualities that make them the dog of choice for police officers and the military, and being a mooshy squishy love bug is not the main reason for their success in these fields, trust me.
So what do you do? Let him run amok? No. You train him. You teach him when it is ok to use his abilities and you teach when it's not ok. Working dogs, in general, do not "grow out of" things, it's the owner's job to train, teach and lead. Here's some tips on dealing with mouthiness in a Mal, GShep, or really any breed:
1. Build a strong foundation of basic obedience from the very beginning (we at the CA Working Dog Foundation endorse only Positive ReinforcementTraining methods and equipment, as in our experience this yields the most reliable results). Remember that EVERY interaction with your dog is a training experience, and whether you're training good or bad behavior is entirely in your hands.
2. Maintain this foundation by daily obedience exercises. Yes, daily. 10 minutes twice a day of basic obedience refreshers (sit, down, down stays, recall, etc) keep your dog's vocabulary fresh and strong. Part of the joy of living with Mals is they never tire of work or learning. You'll be doing daily obedience trials and refreshers for the life of the dog if you want to maintain a happy relationship.
3. Employ methods like "the game stops" (ignore/turn around/walk away/disengage) when behaviors occur at inappropriate times (mouthing as a greeting, for example) to remove the fun (for the dog) reactive element. You simply engaging the dog in any way has rewarded/enforced the undesired behavior, so turn away, walk away, ignore it. Note that I do not refer to mouthiness as a "bad" behavior, because it isn't. If you have a Mal, he was born to bite, and if you haven't properly trained a dog to know when that behavior is acceptable, you can expect it all the time.
4. Use Alternative Behavior Training (here's where that string foundation of basic obedience comes in) and ask (no need to yell or demand) for the behavior you do wish to see. Example: The dog is jumping up and mouthy when we walk in the door. We ask "sit?" (once!), a well trained dog will do so, we give a verbal cue "yes!", wait a moment, and then reward if needed with touch or treat. If the sit is not immediate and held until we release, then we haven't trained it well enough. Period. There is no "he didn't feel like it" or "he wasn't in the mood", a dog's ability to perform on command is entirely on the handler, not the dog.
If we don't have compliance when asked, we resort to step 3 above, we do not engage, make eye contact, etc. We walk away. If you've just gotten home and Snappypants needs walkies but he's nibbling and mouthing all over the place, do not engage! Do not make eye contact or react. Grab your leash, walk to the door, he will follow; without looking, reach down and leash up and start walking. As soon as you feel confident that you can get that sit you've asked for (maybe now you have treats handy, or Snappy has calmed down a little), ask. If you get it, follow steps above and praise. If Snappy is just being mouthy for no dang reason, keep a little 4" leash tab on his collar. Until that basic obedience foundation is rock solid, mouthiness starts? Take the leash tab and quietly escort Moutho The Terrible to the other room or his crate for a peaceful Time-Out. Wait a few minutes, and repeat the above as needed. Remember: Take baby steps, if the dog isn't complying, go backwards, rework what you thought was already solid. it wasn't.
5. Find an outlet for your dog's skills: athleticism, mouthiness, drive, intelligence, and extreme handler intuitiveness and sensitivity. Mals are born wanting to do what we want them to - you just need to train them well so they know exactly what that is. If you have a Malinois we hope you're active: a runner, jogger, hiker, whatever; or already well versed and immersed in dog sport or some form of work or training club. If not, get on it!
6. Please don't get (or encourage others to get) a Mal if the unique abilities of this breed don't "work" for you (or them). Get a GSD, or something else. You don't buy a race car to get around a golf course, be honest with yourself about your lifestyle, and get the dog appropriate for who you are, not who you hope you're going to be - wait till you get there, then get the Mal. ;)
So what do you do? Let him run amok? No. You train him. You teach him when it is ok to use his abilities and you teach when it's not ok. Working dogs, in general, do not "grow out of" things, it's the owner's job to train, teach and lead. Here's some tips on dealing with mouthiness in a Mal, GShep, or really any breed:
1. Build a strong foundation of basic obedience from the very beginning (we at the CA Working Dog Foundation endorse only Positive ReinforcementTraining methods and equipment, as in our experience this yields the most reliable results). Remember that EVERY interaction with your dog is a training experience, and whether you're training good or bad behavior is entirely in your hands.
2. Maintain this foundation by daily obedience exercises. Yes, daily. 10 minutes twice a day of basic obedience refreshers (sit, down, down stays, recall, etc) keep your dog's vocabulary fresh and strong. Part of the joy of living with Mals is they never tire of work or learning. You'll be doing daily obedience trials and refreshers for the life of the dog if you want to maintain a happy relationship.
3. Employ methods like "the game stops" (ignore/turn around/walk away/disengage) when behaviors occur at inappropriate times (mouthing as a greeting, for example) to remove the fun (for the dog) reactive element. You simply engaging the dog in any way has rewarded/enforced the undesired behavior, so turn away, walk away, ignore it. Note that I do not refer to mouthiness as a "bad" behavior, because it isn't. If you have a Mal, he was born to bite, and if you haven't properly trained a dog to know when that behavior is acceptable, you can expect it all the time.
4. Use Alternative Behavior Training (here's where that string foundation of basic obedience comes in) and ask (no need to yell or demand) for the behavior you do wish to see. Example: The dog is jumping up and mouthy when we walk in the door. We ask "sit?" (once!), a well trained dog will do so, we give a verbal cue "yes!", wait a moment, and then reward if needed with touch or treat. If the sit is not immediate and held until we release, then we haven't trained it well enough. Period. There is no "he didn't feel like it" or "he wasn't in the mood", a dog's ability to perform on command is entirely on the handler, not the dog.
If we don't have compliance when asked, we resort to step 3 above, we do not engage, make eye contact, etc. We walk away. If you've just gotten home and Snappypants needs walkies but he's nibbling and mouthing all over the place, do not engage! Do not make eye contact or react. Grab your leash, walk to the door, he will follow; without looking, reach down and leash up and start walking. As soon as you feel confident that you can get that sit you've asked for (maybe now you have treats handy, or Snappy has calmed down a little), ask. If you get it, follow steps above and praise. If Snappy is just being mouthy for no dang reason, keep a little 4" leash tab on his collar. Until that basic obedience foundation is rock solid, mouthiness starts? Take the leash tab and quietly escort Moutho The Terrible to the other room or his crate for a peaceful Time-Out. Wait a few minutes, and repeat the above as needed. Remember: Take baby steps, if the dog isn't complying, go backwards, rework what you thought was already solid. it wasn't.
5. Find an outlet for your dog's skills: athleticism, mouthiness, drive, intelligence, and extreme handler intuitiveness and sensitivity. Mals are born wanting to do what we want them to - you just need to train them well so they know exactly what that is. If you have a Malinois we hope you're active: a runner, jogger, hiker, whatever; or already well versed and immersed in dog sport or some form of work or training club. If not, get on it!
6. Please don't get (or encourage others to get) a Mal if the unique abilities of this breed don't "work" for you (or them). Get a GSD, or something else. You don't buy a race car to get around a golf course, be honest with yourself about your lifestyle, and get the dog appropriate for who you are, not who you hope you're going to be - wait till you get there, then get the Mal. ;)