There are a lot of different jobs that a dog like the Belgian Malinois can do. He was originally bred as one of the varieties of the Belgian Shepherd dogs, so his background is in herding sheep. He also can be a terrific guard dog, or protection dog for a family. But the most common job for a Belgian Malinois is as a police dog.
The police see a lot of crime and violence. They also do a lot of searching for things like drugs, bombs, and guns. Police dogs have to have excellent noses and a keen intellect. They have to be incredibly alert to their surroundings, and they must be loyal and willing to protect their master. The Belgian Malinois fits all of these standards, and this is why he makes such a tremendous police dog.
The Belgian Malinois has a very high level of what is commonly termed as "sniffing" drive. This means the dogs have keen noses and they can easily smell and identify scents when they are trained to do so. This makes Belgian Malinois dogs very popular among police officers who work in airports, train stations, subway stations, and on the boarder. The Belgian Malinois police dog is trained to find bombs and drugs simply by the smell, and they do an excellent job of finding these items when they are present.
The protection instinct in the Belgian Malinois is also a tremendous benefit to the police force. The dogs are quite loyal to their masters, and once they have bonded with their masters, they will protect them. While the Belgian Malinois is not a naturally aggressive dog, he can be taught to protect and serve his master.
Another of the traits of the Belgian Malinois that makes him a superb candidate for police work is his alertness. As a shepherd, the Belgian Malinois needed to know where his flock was and whether there were strays. This ensured that the dog was a very alert animal, and that trait still abounds in today's Belgian Malinois.
One of the Belgian Malinois's traits that is not commonly known also makes the dog a good cop. He is quick to react to situations; in fact, he reacts faster than the German Shepherd in situations that are common in law enforcement. And this makes him a slightly better police dog for certain situations than the German Shepherd. The Belgian Malinois is even preferred to the German Shepherd by the Unit Oketz, a part of the Israel Defense Forces. This group feels the Belgian Malinois is better than the German Shepherd because of his slight build. The slight build makes him faster than the German Shepherd.
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