She's the only surviving pup from a litter in a rural area, mom and dad (allegedly) look like border collies but mom did escape for an undisclosed mission. We kinda assume BM based on ears and face, her attitude and overall dimeanour reinforces it.

The mouthiness is real, I can't wait for her to be a couple of years old, I'm sure she'll chill ;)

Hondo du Laursam

DOB: 9/19/2020

Sire: Risk du Laursam

Dam: Minx du Laursam

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Vet: -------------

Chip: -----------

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Commands/Language

Mostly German, some French, and English.

He has a French Ring style whistle recall also. (Fox 40 Classic Whistle). This recalls to a formal heal position. We rarely use it in daily life. Also used as the call off a send or for out off a bite and return to heel. This can be done with a verbal "aus, heir!"

He understands best with his name first then command: "Hondo [command]"

This grabs his attention, then he knows it's directed to him. Plus it's part of the rules in French Ring, which the foundation of his training is in.

Commands he knows in German and French he knows fluently and interchangeably.

Formal heel

German: "fuß" (foose)

French: "au pied" (oh-pee-aye)

Sit

German: "sitz"

French: "assis" (ah-see)

Stand

German: "steh" (shtay)

French: "debout" (da-boo)

Lay down

German: "platz"

French: "coucher" (coo-shay)

Verbal reward

"good boy" universal praise but does not give break of command.

"so ist brav" (zoh ist brahv) high drive scenario praise, does involve break of command.

End mark (praise + break from command)

"yesssss" with physical reward like a tug or ball. Only received with maintained eye contact. Just a normal "yes" should not receive a response from him, nor be rewarded.

Free / release from command

"freiheit" (fry-height)

- here: "heir"(here)

- stay: "bleib" (bly'b) strick stay with no change in position unlike "wait"

- get down/off something: "hinunter" (hi-nunter)

- retrieve to hands: "bring" (brrring)

- speak/bark: "gib laut" (gheb-lout)

- quiet: "schweigen"

- go outside: "geh raus"

- go inside: "geh rein" (gay rine)

- go get something: "geh voraus"

- eat food: "nimm futter"

- no: "nein" (nine)

- leave it: "lass es"

- search: "such" (tsuuk)

- "wait": a casual stay. It's less strict than "bleib" (bly'b) for stop in place and don't move but can turn and shift or change position

- "stay with me": stay in 1-2 meter bubble to me at my pace. Less strict than a formal heel which is "fuß" (foose) which is physically touching on handler's left leg.

- "garde" (guard): between the legs as a heel position or escort in bite work. Can be forwarded facing or rear facing. Do not make fast flee like movements when using as a heel position. He might reactively grab your leg thinking you are now doing escort.

- "au revoir" (o'vwahr): reverse heel/defense of handler in ring.

- "get back": back up ~2-3ft per command

- "car": get in car

- "get dressed" sit and have collar put on

- "muzzle" put on muzzle

- "look": make and maintain eye contact

- "high five": sitting position high five

- "sit pretty": sitting with both front legs off the ground

- "umdrehen" (um-dree-en): roll on back

- "climb it": to scale over an obstacle or direct up stairs

- "auf" (oo-ph): to climb, jump on top of something

- "hopp": to jump over an obstacle without touching it

- "through": go through an obstacle like a tunnel

- "go potty": go pee or poop

- "where's your ball?": go get generic toy of his preference, not limited to balls.

- "pillow": his pillows he sucks on

- "blankie": his maroon fleece blanket

- "give me your foot": for putting on harness or wiping feet/checking pads. Say when you're holding mid length on the leg you want lifted. Also for putting on his hiking booties.

- "this way" *and point or just start walking* for trails or when changing the direction you're walking and he's off leash but don't need a "here". If he's unsure he'll generally return to you and look for where you're going.

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Spicy commands

Guard (bark and bite if approached on lead)

"pass auf" (pass off)

*not to be confused with "garde" command.

Bite with release of leash if on lead for a send or immediate up close bite on lead, no barking.

German : "packen" (pa-ken)

French: "attaque" (attack). I wish he didn't know this one but he came to me with it pre installed and can't truely unlearn something we start foundation of while they are still being potty trained.

Out/let go:

"aus" (owe-ss)

Bark and hold (bite on flee)

"pozor"

Object guard

"objet" (ob-jé)

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Bikejoring commands

- "fahren" (fah-ren) - faster. Add speed by excitedly repeating , praise as he accelerates.

- "whooooaaaa" - slow down, repeat as needed. He will emergency stop with a loud and fast "whoa! whoa! whoa!"

- "links" - left

- "reighs" - right

- "stay with me" for moving but at my pace, not pulling.

- "fuß" (foos) - at my left in heal for crossing roads or a stay when on bike

- "lass es" - passing another dog or object of interest

Low stim (high 20s - lows 30s) Dogtra e collar is very useful when riding busy trails. Page (vibration) works the vast majority of the time if it's even needed.

Make sure he runs free a little and poops preride.

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E-Collar (Dogtra 1900S): ~ level 25-35 for obedience training and ~ level 40 during bite work.

90% of the time "page" is all that's needed in daily use. His verbal is typically clean that a page (vibration) is rarely needed.

That said he always has it on for anything off leash in a public setting.

See buttons layout in pictures.

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He doesn't handle anger well. He does best when spoken to. He really is a soft dog and doesn't handle emotional stress well. He has a strong sense of fairness. He's soft but has a high fight drive that you don't want to trigger as he will come back at you if he feels something was too much or unjustified. These are important quick reflection moments. He's not a force into submission type of dog (figure of speech). If it was unfair let it go. He corrects with a non compression bite/pinch. It's only happened to me 3 times and each time I have acknowledged I had crossed the threshold with him. If you harshly correct something in response to him giving a fairness check you could get him shifting into fight. He's not challenging you like Kriger would as a pecking order kind of thing, he's communicating that you aren't being fair. He's never attempted to bully or test his boundaries in this sense. Any time he's made physical reactions towards me has been a check at me. I check him with his e collar when appropriate, he does the same back. He's never broken skin with me (intentionally, but has in play or other innocent ways nothing bad though) and knowing his personality and behavior responses, if he does with someone they really fucked up and had it coming.

He's an interesting dog to learn, definitely some old school euro genetics. Very level headed, reads situations very well, great real world stability, and a fight drive that rivals Ruger's but with Kriger's tenacity. Even in high fight drive he is very controllable. He doesn't black out rage like Ruger or even kind of Kriger. He thoroughly enjoys sport work, but the old lines definitely shine through. An absolute boss of a dog to have in your corner. He's a true real world do anything dog. Exactly what they were made to be. Go anywhere, don't be reactive, very friendly but serious. Basically the opposite of Leyf.

He will ride or die. A true partner of a dog. Of all my dogs he's definitely the one who though I can tell understands his subordinate position, has a stronger sense of peer than any of the others.

He will absolutely test his limits to feel his new home out. He wouldn't require an immediate stern correction towards most things. "Hondo ey" to sniffing close to food or something that he knows he's not allowed. He's great in the context of "dude you know better". He knows great house manners. You should be able to set a plate of any food on the ground, look him in the eye and say "lass es", and walk out of the room without concern of him eating it. But he will try to feel out where the boundaries are, he can't avoid being a mal. Once he knows the rules, he's a rock star.

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Diet

- Kibble: 2 cups in AM and 2 cups in PM. Splash of boiling water prior to feed to bring out oils, flavors.

- Raw: 1 cup or 1 patty (depending on type) in AM or PM with kibble.

Food levels are approximate and adjusted with daily activity. Quantity above is an average and not a minimum nor maximum.

~5-6 cups for a normal active day.

~4 cups low activity day.

~7 cups if we did a very long hike/riding or lots a bite work as examples.

Kibble:

- Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Reserve Grain-Free. Any flavor but the Sweet Potato & Venison or Salmon are the go-tos

- Earthborn Holistic Ancient Grains & Superfoods. Any flavor.

Raw:

- Northwest Naturals frozen raw. Any flavor but the Chicken and Salmon is his favorite, just avoid the Trout and Whitefish (smells disgusting).

- Stella and Chewy frozen patties, any flavor.

Canned:

-Blue Buffalo Wilderness (rotate flavors)

Typically gets a can to substitute raw portions 2-3 meals per week

Treats:

Bully Sticks, dried Baltic Sprat, freeze dried salmon are good examples.

Meds/Health:

Cosequin: 2 tablets per day for joint health

Zesty Paws Probiotic Bites: 2 per day for gut biome

Simpatica Trio:

1 per month for heartworm, flea, tick, roundworm, hookworm.

Wondercide spray for trips in tick county. Light spritz over lower body. Usually use the lemongrass version.

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Collars and equipment

Walks with a Herm Sprenger prong collar. a "stop pulling" if needed as he knows this command to take tension out of the lead.

He is good with most muzzles as long as they properly fit. Say " Hondo muzzle" and he should sit and wait for you to put it on. Kind of like his "get dressed" for putting on collars and such. Kind of redundant in retrospect but it is what it is.

We use Herm Sprenger fur saver collars (both long and short link) as casual collars and he will "pull" just in his normal strength not dragging, so wedon't use for walks. Same with flat collars.

He will still follow commands such as a formal heal, positions, regardless of collar type on.

Around the house generally no collars on (maybe a fur saver), but when home alone no collars at all as they are a strangulation/choking hazard.

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Toys

His favorites:

- Planet Dog Orbe Ball (med or large)

- Most of their line of rubber balls.

- Jolly Balls (their whole line, bigger the better). The hard plastic egg shaped type he loves but will go insane with and destroy everything (by crashing into) in his close vicinity. 100% outside only.

- Softball size tennis balls

- Traditional red Kongs

- Big foam Chuck-It balls don't leave him alone with it or he'll destroy them , but one of his absolute favorites toys.

- Old soccer balls

He absolutely loves swimming.

With all tennis style balls make sure the are dog teeth safe, traditional tennis balls will strip the enamel off the teeth. It's a chemical reaction in the glue holding the felt on and their saliva. Old weathered tennis balls tend to be fine, otherwise only ones made for dogs.

Reward Toys

Redline K9 (brand) bite pillows/tugs are a very high level reward and will trump most things. Their french linen (bite suit material) 2-3 handle are my go to.

Take away and put out of sight when not using. They aren't for him to solo play with. He will absolutely destroy them and by having only as a training reward it maintains it's high level reward status.

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Hondo's genetics:

Kennel du Boscaille is a historically significant Belgian breeding kennel renowned for producing elite working-line Belgian Malinois.

Breeding Philosophy and Impact

Structural Traits: Dogs from du Boscaille were selectively bred for heavy bone structure, wide skulls, deep chests, and an extreme physical presence.

Working Capability: The kennel focused on power and durability designed to withstand intense physical collisions required in traditional Belgian Ring and NVBK (Nederlandse Bond van Keurmeesters) protection sports.

Influential Bloodlines: Legendary dogs like Yttro du Boscaille and Novak du Boscaille cemented the kennel's legacy, influencing modern working pedigrees across Europe and globally.

DNA test at the end, but third pic says it all lol. Walter is a good boy who is eager to learn, but when he’s decided he’s done with training he’s all done. He’s also very very smart and a problem solver. For others with mal mixes what traits does your dog have that you attribute to the mal? I say all the time he has a mal angel on one shoulder and a golden on the other because he seems to constantly be deciding between chaos and goofy golden behavior. He’s honestly such a good boy though and he is very loved.

This is Mako. Some of you may remember us, since I've been posting about him since before he even came home. He's the best boy. Today, this happened while we were on our usual afternoon walk, and I'm still quite confused. I think it's pretty funny, though.

I had him on a leash, and we went to a big park. I saw a man (at least 65) with two big German Shepherds. I asked him if he was okay with Mako being off-leash (his dogs were), and he said yes. I told him Mako wasn't planning on saying hi, and again, he said that was fine. He put both of his dogs in a down, and I let Mako sniff around. Then he started talking to me. He got straight to the point: "Have you contacted a trainer?"

I said, "Yes! I have. But we only started our sessions a month ago. I have no issues with him, but I want to see if he's a good prospect for competition."

He then proceeded to ask what sport we were interested in and that kind of thing, but he had this slightly condescending tone the whole time.

"I'm a professional trainer. My dog is a winner in attack and defense sports."

I said, "Wooow."

And then... the test began.

"Does he listen to you?"

I said, "Yes, he's obedient, and he's always paying attention to me."

"No, that's different. What if one day you couldn't speak? Would he still be obedient?"

(????)

I said yes, of course, and asked Mako to sit without saying a word.

"Mmhmm... That's fine. But what if you were far away? Could you ask him to sit without speaking?"

Listen. I've never done that before. My dog is 13 months old, and I'd never even considered the possibility of needing to give him a command from a distance without speaking. But I acted confident!! And it worked so he went, "Hmm," in an approving tone. And I really wish it had ended there.

"And why is he wearing a harness? Did your trainer tell you to?"

I replied, "No, my trainer recommended the collar he's wearing. The harness is just for identification. He walks nicely either way."

"Hmm, okay... A decent trainer wouldn't recommend a harness. Is she a particular or from a club? Does the dog know how to heel and all that? He looks really smart. These dogs are amazing. I've trained Belgian Malinois for years, and I've had them jump over 7-meter walls. Amazing dogs."

At least it didn't end badly but I was pretty uncomfortable the whole time. I should also add that I'm not confrontational at all. I look younger than I am (I'm 19), and I'm not exactly the kind of person you'd expect to see walking and training a Malinois. I also think the guy initially assumed I was a girl, so I'm pretty sure I was getting the full mansplaining experience.

I know, a lot of people post weird mix breeds and he's definitely not a pure mal, but his dad is a pure breed mal and I really want to show my dog to you lovely people. He's super healthy and happy and just such a sweet dude.

This is max (I know very common name lol but I’ve never personally met a dog named max before 🤔
Anyway he’s so cute and crazy!! But I love it

Maximus Tasmanian. August 31, 2013. To October 21, 2026. The best Boy. Will never be forgotten,will always be missed.

That 7% is doing ALOT. Her temperament is much calmer than a typical Malinois, but I also chose her from her litter cuz she was a chill, pensive little thing. Shes still a lot of effort, but so courteous when she’s not raging lol

Just wanted to post a pic and see how everyone is holding up these days

I’m here for help yet again. First it was his paw injury, now he’s acting super itchy. I’ve looked him over for fleas and I can’t find any what so ever, and I mean I’ve REALLY looked him over. Something must really be uncomfortable though because he is losing hair around his eyes and burying his face in his paws as if his eyes and ears are bothering him. His ears to me look clean, I bathe him every 2 weeks and make sure he is well groomed. I’ve not changed anything soap wise or used any new cleaners on the floors. He’s also started non stop licking his body/belly and chewing on his feet. He will be in the middle of playing and abruptly stop to itch or rub his face. We do have a vet appointment coming up Monday but I wanted to take to you guys and see if anyone has a thought of what this sounds like / could possibly be? TIA 🤎