Cross Breeds

is it good to have a cross breed belgian malinois than a pure breed malinois?

people have said that belgian malinois pure breed puppies tend to be stubborn and very high drive dogs. pain on the neck to train, so i am thinking to have a cross breed belgian malinois to neutralize the effects of the dog behavior, since i love belgian malinois breeds. they also say that belgian malinois are much stronger and protective compared to german shepherds. thanks

Public Comments

1. It depends on where you get them. I am personally a fan of mixed breeds because you seem to get the best of both worlds and less health problems.
2. I can't say that I completely agree. There are people that can handle certain breeds better than others. If you're willing to put in the time and effort towards exercise and training you shouldn't have a problem. The high drive comes in handy when training because they want to please the owner. Trainers look for high play drives when looking for police dogs, see and eye dogs, obediance competition dogs. If you love the breed but only want a pet and do not plan on doing any sort of competitions go w/ the mix. If you're interested in things like agility, shitzhund (i know i spelled it wrong), jumping, frisbee, etc, etc then go w/ the pure breed. Good Luck
3. Are you going to get that dog from a rescue group? then it does not matter. But Please don't get a cross breed from a breeder... a respectable breeder would only sell pure-bred dogs, not cross breeds. if you go to rescue groups that specialize in one breed, they usually have purebred and then some cross breeds. The rescue group that had my border collie had border collie mixes as well... (I prefer border collie mixes actually) Contact a rescue group that does malinois, and talk to them, they will inform you. go to that site, enter your zipcode and the breed. http://www.petfinder.com/ Adopt :-)
4. It's never "good" to intentionally breed in order to produce a mixed breed dog. It's irresponsible. That being said, there are some wonderful Belgian Malinois (and mixes thereof) in rescues across the country. Dispositions will vary from dog to dog, regardless of whether they are purebred or mixes. Go to http://www.petfinder.com and check out the Belgian rescuers. They will be happy to tell you everything they know about the breed, and the mixes. They will tell you the good as well as the bad.
5. So, you are looking to aquire a Belgian Malinois mix, right? What you have to keep in mind is that a mixed breed dog is going to have personality traits from both breeds. For example, I owned a Labrador/American Pit Bull Terrier mix growing up. The dog had both the docile nature of a Labrador, and the affection level, eagerness and prey drive of a Pit Bull. Both breeds in the mix have to be taken into consideration when purchasing a mixed breed dog. Familiarize yourself with the breed specifics of whatever is mixed with your Malinois, to ensure that you can handle both personality traits in one dog. If you are considering breeding a mix, I sternly advise against it. There are plenty of unwanted mixes in shelters.
6. Well, there is an interesting question. I have owned malinois since 1980 and they are the most wonderful breed in the world. The epitomy of a working dog. Not the easiest dogs to live with because of reasons you mentioned above. Iknow because I have had as many as 10 of them at a time at home and I have trained hundreds more. Now, there are mixed malinois and I owned several of them. They are not as easy to live with either because for some reason malinois genes are VERY dominant. There are breeders who intentionally mix malinois with shepherds for larger size and to intensify certain working qualities. It happens all the time with serious dog sport breeders in Holland and Belgium where the emphasis is on working/competing ability, not the show ring. There are no REAL 90-plus pound pure malinois, but, there are plenty of them currently competing in the NVBK and KNPV. Malinois are very hyper, highstrung, dominant, aggressive, possesive, high drive animals and that is exactly what makes them the best dogs in the world.
7. With a mix, you never know what you are going to get. With a malinois, you have a good idea how it will turn out. If you don't want a malinois, why would you want a malinois mix? If you have something in particular you are looking for in a dog, look at other breeds. There are more than 400 different breeds worldwide, one of them should fit your needs (if your needs are reasonable).
8. We choose a breed we want by the traits of the breed. If you feel a Malinois is "too much dog" for you to train....choose another breed! Pretty simple! How about the German Shepherd then? Genetics are not as simple as you think: if you breed a hyper dog to a low energy dog, it does not equal a medium energy dog. You could get varying %s as 1/2 the litter hyper, 1/2 low energy......or 75% hyper, 15 % mellow....... if you breed a shorthair breed to a long haired breed, it does not mean the puppies will be medium haired... if you breed a 18 " dog to a 12" dog, it does not mean the puppies are going to be 16".....
9. If everything that you know comes from what you've been told, than it's safe to assume that you have no experience with the breed. Based on your comment about "neutralizing", I'm guessing that you know little about breeding, and how genetics work. Dominant traits will continue. It takes many, many, many generations of breeding to create a "true" breed. Otherwise, all you have is two uncontrolled variables. If you want a mutt - please go to a shelter, humane society, or rescue group. Check craigslist, petfinders. Anything is better than intentionally seeking a breeder. Don't support backyard breeding. Only back-yard breeders, puppy mills, and idiots intentionally make mixed breed animals. Because of their greed, and the public's ignorance...millions of animals are euthanized every year. Millions more die at the hands of the breeders or owners - by far less humane methods. Leave breeding to the best breeders - those experienced/educated/reputable breeders who work diligently to improve their breed. Dogs that are not show quality, are never bred. They are spayed and neutered, and sold as pets. Good breeders do not attempt to create "designer" mutts. They would never breed a show quality registered dog to another breed dog...to neutralize breed specific qualities. Any dog is only as good as their owner. If you are properly educated about the breed, and as a trainer, you should be able to train almost any dog. A strong breed like that needs a strong pack leader, someone who understands dogs, and pack mentality. Dogs are dogs. Don't expect them to understand human behavior - you need to understand theirs. I highly recommend the training methods of Cesar Milan (the dog whisperer). http://cesarmillaninc.com/ He really doesn't "train" dogs...He trains people to understand dogs and pack mentality. He teaches people how to be pack leaders. His methods are simple and clear. It really works. In my own household, it has made an amazing difference. His trademark "tsst" sound even works on cats, pet birds, and other people. The true "trick" is that being a good pack leader, is like being a really good boss. A great boss is calm, assertive, patient and in control. They give clear, consistant instructions. A bad boss screams, yells and is out of control. They give poor instructions, and then reprimand for poor results. Submission is based on fear, rather than respect.
10. If you get a mix, get one from a rescue group. http://www.petfinder.com/ if you get a purebred, try to get one from a rescue group http://www.petfinder.com/
11. Are you looking to use it for a working dog? If so then I assume your question is would the cross make a better working dog to help tame the temperament, better health, add size, etc. That would be perfectly acceptable in my opinion. There is no such thing as the dog 10 commandments. That's an arrogant idea. You are looking for a specific set of characteristics in a working dog, and you are manipulating the breeding to achieve that. It is done all the time. Greekman answered your question well about specific traits.
12. cross breeding why
13. Yes it is that is true