Malinois in a condo
Sittin' down eating lunch at my desk, and I completely forgot about this this morning when I was posting.
Koda and I woke up late, which meant we went on our walk late. I usually walk Koda through my complex into the condos next door. They have a great "dog walking" area that surrounds the complex and all the dogs I have met before in the morning are very well behaved.
Since we were late, we saw a new dog. Barrelling out of what is probably only a 1 to 2 bedroom apartment condo was a Malinois!!! There is a gate that separates the walkway from the condos. I saw a woman coming around the corner with a wierd looking GS, then I realized oh shoot it's a Malinois. He caught site of Koda and started pulling towards us, really hard. I'm surprised the woman could pull him back and I could tell she was using her full weight to do so. She pulled him back through the gate and slammed it. The Mallinois jumped up on it and began barking. Koda looked up and started wanting to walk the other way. He was going to have nothing to do with that dog.
We kept going forward since she was pulling her dog back and the gate was shut. When I got up further, I spotted her pulling her dog (who was still pulling in the other direction and was being slowly dragged backwards) into her apartment.
Now, I'm not thinking that an apartment is a good place for this dog to live. There are lots of dogs there, but the biggest one I have seen is a GR mix who is probably around 13 years old and doesn't need that much exercise.
Just wanted to tell that story. It just shocked me that my first Malinois encounter ever would be one living in a small apartment.
Koda and I woke up late, which meant we went on our walk late. I usually walk Koda through my complex into the condos next door. They have a great "dog walking" area that surrounds the complex and all the dogs I have met before in the morning are very well behaved.
Since we were late, we saw a new dog. Barrelling out of what is probably only a 1 to 2 bedroom apartment condo was a Malinois!!! There is a gate that separates the walkway from the condos. I saw a woman coming around the corner with a wierd looking GS, then I realized oh shoot it's a Malinois. He caught site of Koda and started pulling towards us, really hard. I'm surprised the woman could pull him back and I could tell she was using her full weight to do so. She pulled him back through the gate and slammed it. The Mallinois jumped up on it and began barking. Koda looked up and started wanting to walk the other way. He was going to have nothing to do with that dog.
We kept going forward since she was pulling her dog back and the gate was shut. When I got up further, I spotted her pulling her dog (who was still pulling in the other direction and was being slowly dragged backwards) into her apartment.
Now, I'm not thinking that an apartment is a good place for this dog to live. There are lots of dogs there, but the biggest one I have seen is a GR mix who is probably around 13 years old and doesn't need that much exercise.
Just wanted to tell that story. It just shocked me that my first Malinois encounter ever would be one living in a small apartment.
Comments
I actually have a friend who lives in a condo with 7 dogs! Mostly all Malinois but she has some other breeds & mixes as well. She has a very active lifestyle though and keeps all her dogs under control. As far as I know...she doesn't keep any of them in crates, they have free roam of the place. She's a dog trainer and trains i obedience and sportwork every day. She takes great care of her dogs. When it's time for bed, all the dogs are exhausted and ready to sleep away the night. She takes her dogs out with her for trail rides/hikes and goes to various places (off-leash doggie parks, beaches, etc) so the dogs can just run, run, run and play all day.
It's TONS of work though...but hey, if the owner is willing and up for the challege. It's really not a big deal with just 1 dog though. So long as one understands all the upkeep and work involved and meets ALL of that dog's needs/requirements.
Now, if the Mali is left at home all day, all the time and doesn't get out much, then I agree an apartment/condo isn't a suitable place for a Malinois...or for any dog really.
Ah, it's so nice to have space now!
This woman has two dogs. The Malinois and another "big dog" mix. She can't walk both of them together because they pull her too much. He also said that she only walks one on a certain day, and another on the next.
I had Bear in an apartment for a month while I transitioned moving after college. He did alright, but I made an extra effort to make sure that he got lots of exercise. He probably got more that month than ever come to think about it. I may have overcompensated for taking his 1/2 acre of running space away.