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.
How I got interested in the Malinois... well, I got tired of trying to get a reliable recall on the dachsies... and we live in a rural area, and let's face it, dachsies are good for tracking wounded deer, chasing rabbits, but are a pain in the bum to train otherwise.
We needed good protection/farm dogs. I loved German Sheps 50 years ago as a child, but the American Kennel Club has ruined the breed. The only way I could get a good one was to import one, and that was way beyond our budget. I researched to find the most unspoiled breed, and found the Malinois, which some claim was the starting point got the GSD...
Knowing that I am a "homebody", I understood that I had the time, the temperment, and the intelligence to put up with the puppy Malinois stages, and would do right by the breed. These are not "yard-dogs", for you lurkers, and finding a good breeder is the first task, if you want to be taken care of by the Belgian Shepherds.
They herd well, but not by eye, and have excellent "prey-drive". (Tehy do it by heel-nipping) If there is nothing for them around to herd, you will do just fine, for in their mind, you are "herdable". My clothes from Hanna's puppy stages have patches to prove it.
Where we live in the woods, with plenty of deer, hawk, crow, fox, wild turkeys etc... our garden is never touched. Shadow's biggest task in life is to drive any and all nasty birds (like crows, owls hawk) into the next state.
They are not good combined with small breed dogs. They tend to think of them as "prey". I crate my two Malinois when our daughter comes to visit with her 9 lb. Bichon, for the lil thing looks too much like a fluffy rabbit to a good Malinois.
Took mine to a sheep farm once... even thought they had never seen sheep once in their lives, they knew instinctively what to do, and out-performed the resident Belgian Tervuurens... got to love these dogs!
Hope they are heading for Aruba tomorrow, for they can do the job!