Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois)
The Malinois is the short-coated fawn variety of the Belgian Shepherd Dog, named for the city of Mechelen, and it has become the police and military dog of choice across much of…
About the Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois)
The Malinois is the short-coated fawn variety of the Belgian Shepherd Dog, named for the city of Mechelen, and it has become the police and military dog of choice across much of the world, largely displacing the German Shepherd in that role. Almost all of it is bred for work, and the drive shows.
Dogs stand about 61 to 66 cm, short-coated in fawn to mahogany with black overlay and a black mask. The Malinois is fast, hard-biting and tireless, needs a great deal of structured work, and is genuinely unsuitable for a first-time owner. Choose a stud on nerve rather than on bite: a dog that stays clear-headed in a crowd, recovers instantly from a startle and can be switched off is worth far more than one with an impressive grip.
Ask for hip and elbow scores and a current eye certificate, and about cataract and progressive retinal atrophy in the line. Epilepsy appears across the Belgian varieties and nothing will test for it, so ask what the parents and grandparents were like. If the stud holds a working qualification, ask to see the score sheets rather than the title alone, and ask how the dog lives when it is not working.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois)
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Best Practice — further tests it recommends
Completing these as well as the Good Practice tests is what the Royal Kennel Club calls Best Practice.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hip score (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Total of both hips, 0–106. Lower is better. |
| Elbow grading (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Grade 0–3. The dog is graded on the worse of the two elbows. |
| Eye testing (BVA/KC/ISDS) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC/ISDS | Result printed on the eye certificate. |
Breed hip median
Breed median 8 (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 5 years, 233 dogs scored). Lower is better. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois) stud dogs
No Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois) studs are listed right now
When a Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois) on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois) litters
No Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois) litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
