Belgian Malinois are bred for agility, speed, and strength. As such, they make for some of the best canine athletes in the world. They excel in canine contests that require dogs to be quick and nimble and rely more on their senses than on instinct.
The Belgian Malinois is a popular watchdog, police dog, and military dog with an acute sense of hearing. The best possible dog sports for Belgian Malinois are those that require good eyesight, speed, and some form of an obstacle course. We know that Belgian can run fast. But what sports are their favorite? Here is a list of the top 5 best sports for the Belgian Malinois.
5 Best Sports for the Belgian Malinois
1. Bikejoring
Bikejoring is a type of dog sport that combines biking and dog sledding. The human will bike while pulling their dog on an attached towline, often with the use of a harness. This exercise can be beneficial for both the dog and its owner, as it provides aerobic exercise/
2. Dog Agility
Dog agility is a sport that combines the thrill of dog shows with the speed of racing. Dog agility competitions are usually done in an obstacle course, where dogs compete through varying obstacles to complete a course. The obstacles include tunnels, jumps, weave poles, and teeters. One of the most important parts of dog agility is training your dog to follow commands, as these are often necessary to guide your dog through the course. Dogs are ranked by how quickly they finish the course without any penalties.
3. Dog Sledding
Dog sledding is a winter activity that involves pulling a sled by a team of dogs, typically Siberian Huskies or Alaskan Malamutes. The dog’s speed and pulling power helps the driver move across snow-covered terrain with relative ease.
Belgian Malinois are hardwired to be excellent long-distance runners. Combine this with their size and power, and you have the perfect dog to navigate snowy terrain with ease.
4. Scent Work
Scent work for dogs is a new trend for dog owners who are looking for more low-impact activities to do with their dogs. Scent work involves the use of various scents, both artificial and natural, to stimulate your pup’s olfactory senses.
The Belgian Malinois’ job in scent work is to find and identify an article by sniffing and searching for it. The handler trains their dog to be sensitive to various scents, depending on what they are looking for.
Scent work has been proven to help with improved behavior in dogs, such as increased focus and attention span, increased impulse control, and decreased frustration.
5. Schutzhund and other protection sports
Schutzhund is a German word for “protection dog.” It’s designed to test a dog’s skill in obedience, tracking, and protection. Some other protection sports include French Ring, Belgian Ring, Mondio Ring. These sports are often used as a way to determine the drive and trainability of dogs in order to be used for certain jobs such as police dogs or military dogs.
It is important for breeders to evaluate the dogs they are raising so that they can properly use them in these different types of competitions.
