Looking for a low-drive malinois puppy - Page 1

Hello everyone!
I am getting a malinois puppy for me and my family. I am a very active guy, I know how to handle a dog, I am very familiar with malinois breed and I have enough time for a malinois on a daily basis. But I am not planning to compete in any dogsport. So, I want to find a breeder in Europe (as close to Croatia as possible) which can provide me a low-drive puppy. Maybe showline breed. I know that every breeder can recognize a low-drive puppy in his litter, but I suppose that there are blood lines that are calmer and have lower drive than typical working lines. So, I dont want to start a discussion about "malinators" and their working needs because I saw malinois dogs which are perfect family dogs and are perfect active family members. And for me, my wife and my 7-yr old daughter, the low(er)-drive puppy would be perfect.
Please, recommend me some breeders which you know that they have something I am looking for. I am getting the puppy in June.
Thank you very much,
greetings from Croatia!

I do not have any breeder/lines recommendations for you, but do say that it's probably better to wait for the right puppy rather than stick to a certain timeline to get one. You just never know when you'll find the pup that will fit your home best.

Thank you for your answer. You are absolutely wright, off course. So, 01.06. is just the earliest point becouse of my work. I will have her for 15 years, I can wait for a perfect puppy. And I forgot to mention, I am taking a female puppy.

Are you set on a Malinois, or would you consider one of the other Belgian variety dogs, like the Tervuren or Groenendael. The Terv and Groenendaels tend to be more bred for show, and have less drive than Mals, but if you can find one with a decent temperament they can make a nice active family pet. The first dog that I did schutzhund with was a Terv., and although he wasn't really suited to sport work, he did everything I asked of him (we worked him through prey drive), including agility, and French Ring. He was very smart, easy to teach/train, and a great companion.

Yes, Malinois. These two are beautiful, but she will be in apartment with us most of time (I have a backyard but we want her with us) so long hair is just something we would like to avoid.. So, low- drive female Malinois it is :-)

Contrary to what you may think, my Terv shed a lot less than my Mal. The Terv would blow his coat twice a year for about 1-2 weeks, and it was downy undercoat. The long guard hairs did not shed out all the time like the Mal or GSD coat. Just wanted to let you know as many people think the long-haired Belgians shed more, when in fact I found the opposite.

Yep. The coated versions of the Shepherds typically shed FAR less than their stock-coated counterparts.

I, too, have seen Mals who are perfectly fine in a household, when under the supervision of a competent handler...some of the hype about them is due to the imprinting and training done early on. Raised differently, imprinted differently, they can be fine for the active family who can provide a decent outlet.

I have a litter of 12. Out of the 12 I have three really low drive Mals Two boys and one girl. I have a household Mal that is a great dog. She plays with the kids, rides in the car, loves to go on hikes and loves to cuddle. She is a great active dog. Loves to run and play but never to rough. She knows her limit and respects me as the handler.

Apartment most of the time, has to be low drive-
You sure you need a Mal?
Even low drive can still be a busy bee.
Large breed dog in apartment, especially a working breed, is a recipe for disaster IMO.
I have a NO drive female that STILL drives me crazy.
A low drive Mali doesn't mean it will be a dog with a good on/off switch.
Good luck with your search, although its a tall order to ask for.