This was a decent, albeit somewhat long movie that could have enjoyed a little editing. I enjoyed it, as did my 10 year old son.
Here's the problem. I own a Belgian Malinois. They're wonderful dogs that are very smart, quite trainable and looking to please. They also require extensive daily training and heavy amounts of exercise. If you get one of these dogs expecting they'll bond to a couple of 13 year olds in two days and respond to other people reasonably without a lot of work you're going to be very disappointed and the dog is going to end up in a shelter after it eats your bed, couch, etc.
You cannot leave this dog alone in a house or an apartment for hours and hours at a time. Its not a part time dog. Its not a family dog. Unless you have extensive experience with dog training and expect to spend hours a day in training and exercise, you're going to have a problem with this breed.
Its a working breed that needs a job. I'm retired and have decades of experience with dogs, and mine is a challenge. She's jumped a 6'+ fence, dug under it twice, she has a strong aversion to cars and other animals. I got her at ~2 years old with some training, but she'd been dumped at a shelter and adopted out/returned twice.
Unfortunately the movie made the breed look pretty easily managed and lots of people will want the "tough guy dog", so mill breeders will be turning them out like they did Dalmation's and Chihuahua's when those movies came out. I wish they'd made the dog a German Shepherd, those are FAR easier to handle.
If all of that wasn't enough to turn you away from trying to turn one of these into a family dog, once a Mal gets its teeth into something, it does not want to let go.
Here's the problem. I own a Belgian Malinois. They're wonderful dogs that are very smart, quite trainable and looking to please. They also require extensive daily training and heavy amounts of exercise. If you get one of these dogs expecting they'll bond to a couple of 13 year olds in two days and respond to other people reasonably without a lot of work you're going to be very disappointed and the dog is going to end up in a shelter after it eats your bed, couch, etc.
You cannot leave this dog alone in a house or an apartment for hours and hours at a time. Its not a part time dog. Its not a family dog. Unless you have extensive experience with dog training and expect to spend hours a day in training and exercise, you're going to have a problem with this breed.
Its a working breed that needs a job. I'm retired and have decades of experience with dogs, and mine is a challenge. She's jumped a 6'+ fence, dug under it twice, she has a strong aversion to cars and other animals. I got her at ~2 years old with some training, but she'd been dumped at a shelter and adopted out/returned twice.
Unfortunately the movie made the breed look pretty easily managed and lots of people will want the "tough guy dog", so mill breeders will be turning them out like they did Dalmation's and Chihuahua's when those movies came out. I wish they'd made the dog a German Shepherd, those are FAR easier to handle.
If all of that wasn't enough to turn you away from trying to turn one of these into a family dog, once a Mal gets its teeth into something, it does not want to let go.
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