Hey, forget calling dachsies with treats if they smell a rabbit. They do have a ranking system, you know... and rabbits are higher up than any treats we might provide.
Malinois are very cued in to what matters to you, while Dachsies are much more independant. My male dachsie would "tip-toe" past me on rainy days so he could "pee" on the stair landing, rather than get "it" wet outside... really was kinda funny when you saw him trying to pull it off.
My Malinois would rather die than pee in the house. And, all they need to see is a frown on your face to try to figure out how to please you. They are the easiest dogs in the whole wide workd to train... so easy that it isn't a good idea to take them to "dog classes"... for they learn by watching! We do not need to expose them to other dogs being clueless.
All it takes to teach a Malinois something is five minutes. They are that quick, but the downside is trhat they get very bored, and long training sessions just do not work for them. If you push the training session too long, they start to goof off. Not at all like dachsies, where it takes forever to get it into that hard little head that it is your way, not their way.
Anyway, to keep this thread-related, I will bet that Malinois are in the dog group they are trying to get into Aruba, and they know better than to put these dogs in cargo. I would NEVER do that to one of my Belgians, for it would totally mess up their heads. These dogs need to be close to their "beloved" humans at all times.
I guarantee you, that if they are using Belgians, the owner/handlers are very used to having these dogs "velcroed" to their hip at all times, even in the bathroom. Both of mine follow me everywhere, including there, ansd watch with worried eyes until I have completed my mission.
How did you know I'd just cleaned up a puddle? I have a friend with a doxie, George, and they'd lived on a third floor apt.. She couldn't always get him outside, so he was paper trained. Now they have a house, and he saves it until he gets indoors! God forbid he should piddle in the grass.
How did you get interested in Malinois? Such an interesting breed, and you don't see them often except in big shows. Lovely to hear what they're like, by the way, so thank you! Didn't they herd sheep at one time in Belgium or maybe still do? That would help explain that instinct to focus and also to please you. (Well, I'm speculating, having seen enough herding dogs on tv to know they're very smart and so focused on their owners.) Another friend in Vt. raises sheep and got an Australian shepherd to do the herding. Same intense focus, great dog, smart, but turned out to be allergic to grass, so that was that. She now has another Aussie and a llama to do the chores.
Greta's on Fox now laying out the timeline, who, what, when, where, and why. Tonight at 10, she's on with the interview with Mrs. Kalpoe. The Equus Search interview earlier was interesting. The gentleman they talked to was calm and matter of fact. If N was buried anywhere on that island, they'd find her. No 'if's, and's or but's'. They have an incredible success record, and amazing, since it's volunteer, but you know all that. Greta was matter of fact, too, just now, and in her own way, frightening, that calm, professional competence and experience -- describing the likely scenario and how it would play out if one or more of the suspects broke. If you were guilty, you wouldn't want her on your trail.