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Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois) breeders

The Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois) is the short-coated variety of the Belgian Shepherd Dog.

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Advertise your Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois) puppies, litters and stud dogs

Breeding Belgian Shepherd Dogs (Malinois)? Create a listing on caninebreeder.co.uk to advertise Malinois puppies for sale, promote your Malinois stud dog and show buyers the health testing behind your litters. Your profile can carry your kennel name, location, website and social media, so people looking for a health-tested working, sport or show Malinois can find and contact you directly. Add planned litters as soon as you have dates and keep your stud details up to date.

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Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.

Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?

In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.

Is my listing already here?

We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.

About the Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois)

The Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois) is the short-coated variety of the Belgian Shepherd Dog. The Royal Kennel Club (RKC) registers four varieties, the others being the Groenendael, Laekenois and Tervueren; all are Pastoral Group breeds judged against one standard and told apart by their coats.

Origin and purpose. Sheepdogs of this type go back to the Middle Ages in Belgium. The first breed club dates from 1891, when Professor Adolphe Reul of the Belgian veterinary school studied 117 dogs and classified them into varieties named after the areas they came from; the American Belgian Malinois Club links the Malinois name to the Malines region. Originally a herder and flock guardian, the Malinois has also been widely used by police and armed forces, the RKC notes.

Size. The RKC classes the breed as medium to large and describes a quick, nimble dog of light but sturdy build. The standard wants a square-bodied, well-muscled dog that looks both strong and graceful. Ideal height is 61 to 66 cm (24 to 26 in) for dogs and 56 to 61 cm (22 to 24 in) for bitches, with weight in proportion. The RKC gives a lifespan of over 10 years.

Coat and grooming. The coat is short, thick and close-lying over a woolly undercoat. It is shortest on the head, outer ears and lower legs, thicker around the neck in a collar-like ridge, with longer fringing on the hindquarters and a thicker, unplumed tail. Accepted colours are shades of red, fawn and grey with black-tipped lighter hairs, a black mask that stays below the brow and mostly black ears. The coat sheds, and the RKC suggests grooming more than once a week.

Exercise. The RKC recommends more than two hours of exercise a day and a large house and garden, in town or country.

Temperament and suitability. The standard pictures an intelligent, attentive dog that is vigilant by nature, attached to its owners and perhaps reserved at first, but never nervous or aggressive. The Northern Belgian Shepherd Dog Club emphasises thorough puppy socialisation, plenty of activity and reward-based training. The Malinois is the most numerous of the four varieties on the RKC register, with 226 registrations in 2025 against 18 each for the Groenendael and Tervueren and five for the Laekenois. It suits owners who can offer daily training and a sport such as obedience or agility.

Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois) health tests

The Malinois is in Breed Watch Category 1, so the RKC has not identified any breed-specific points of concern for judges to look out for beyond those the breed standard already covers.

The RKC's pre-breeding guidance for the Malinois lists three best-practice schemes: hip, elbow and eye screening. No tests are listed under a separate good-practice tier. The RKC does not offer a breed-specific DNA test package for the Malinois, though individual DNA tests are available. Its general breeding advice is to check the inbreeding coefficient of any planned mating with its online calculator.

The Northern Belgian Shepherd Dog Club reports that, across the Belgian varieties, hip dysplasia is relatively rare, although most responsible breeders hip score before breeding. Hereditary juvenile cataracts affect some dogs, and the club says most responsible breeders only breed from dogs with a current clear eye certificate. It also notes that epilepsy appears to be inherited and often does not show until about five years of age, sometimes after a dog has been bred from.

Dogs must be at least one year old for BVA hip and elbow X-rays. BVA Canine Health Schemes advises breeding only from dogs with hip scores under, or near, the breed median and an elbow grade of 0.

  • BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme (RKC best practice)
  • BVA/KC Elbow Dysplasia Scheme (RKC best practice)
  • BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme (RKC best practice)
  • Coefficient of inbreeding checked on the RKC inbreeding calculator (RKC general breeding advice)
  • Breed Watch: Category 1

Choosing a Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois) breeder

Malinois are kept for showing, working and dog sports, so start by finding a breeder whose dogs match the life you can offer. A careful breeder screens both parents under the BVA hip, elbow and eye schemes, shows you the certificates and is happy for you to cross-check them on the RKC Health Test Results Finder. They can explain the litter's coefficient of inbreeding, describe the parents' temperaments honestly and will ask detailed questions about your experience, household and training plans. Breed club advice puts heavy weight on socialisation, so puppies should be handled daily and introduced to a range of sights and sounds.

UK law requires every puppy to be microchipped and registered by eight weeks old. In England, a council licence is needed by anyone running a dog-breeding business or breeding three or more litters in 12 months and selling any puppies, and licensed breeders must show puppies with their mother at their place of birth.

  • Can I see both parents' hip, elbow and eye certificates?
  • What is this litter's coefficient of inbreeding?
  • Are the parents from show, working or sport lines, and what are they like at home?
  • Can I see the puppies with their mother?
  • What support do you offer after the sale, and will you take a dog back?

Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois) questions

Is a Malinois suitable as a family pet?

It can be, in the right home. The breed standard describes a dog devoted to its owners and neither nervous nor aggressive, and the Northern Belgian Shepherd Dog Club describes Belgian shepherds as well suited to family life. Their needs are substantial, though: the RKC recommends more than two hours of exercise a day, and the club stresses thorough socialisation as puppies and reward-based training.

Why might a Malinois litter include a long-coated puppy?

The RKC notes that Malinois parents can produce one or more Tervueren puppies, the long-coated variety. Litters like this cannot be registered online and must be sent to the RKC by post, with the relevant puppy noted on the form.

How much grooming does a Malinois need?

The coat is short and dense with a woolly undercoat, and it sheds. The RKC suggests grooming more than once a week.

Which health tests should a Malinois breeder have done?

The RKC lists hip and elbow screening under the BVA/KC schemes and an eye examination under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme as best practice. There is no breed-specific RKC DNA test package. Ask to see the certificates, check them on the RKC Health Test Results Finder and ask for the litter's coefficient of inbreeding.

More for Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois) owners and breeders

Official sources