If we compare the Belgian Malinois with another breed…let’s say with Bull Dogs, Malinois will definitely be much easier to train.
The thing with Malinois is that they have intrinsic motivation.
This drives them to want to work with you.
A dog with little to no motivation is hard to train…they simply don’t want to ‘work’.
Depending on what your goal is, the dog should be…
…meaning- you should be matched with a Malinois that is suitable for what you want to accomplish.
Not all Malinois are the same.
There are Malinois that are TOO intense for some applications…and then there are Malinois that are TOO low-intensity for others…
So the key is using the right level of Malinois for what you want to accomplish.
This will make training EASY.
Image above: A Malinois doing agility.
Image above: A Malinois doing agility. This dog sport requires a motivated dog that wants to train without easily giving up. Malinois for that purpose (at the professional level) would probably need to be a little more intense than a Malinois for just hiking, jogging, or casual dog training…
When it comes to civilian life…the Malinois that work best are the ones that are medium-high or medium-low intensity.
It mostly depends on the owner’s goals.
You typically don’t find a Malinois with anything less than a ‘medium-low’ level of intensity because Malinois in their essence are dogs for you to do activities with.
A Malinois that has the energy levels of a Bull Dog, for example, would no longer be considered a Malinois.
It would be a Bull Dog with a Malinois outfit 😀
For that reason, the people that make good candidates for a Malinois are those that are physically active and want a dog that can keep up with their lifestyle.
These people are usually very athletic and enjoy hiking, jogging, cycling, hobby training, and so forth.
These are activities in which most ‘pets’ simply don’t cut it.
So to answer your question…
A dog requires motivation to be trained.
A dog with no motivation is VERY hard to train.
Malinois typically are very motivated dogs…
They love to train. For them, training is a game they like playing.
If you want to train, then a Malinois would be a good breed to consider working with.
Depending on the level of training you want to engage in- would be the recommended intensity levels for your ideal Malinois.
If all you want to do is some casual training, then a medium intensity Malinois should be fine.
On the other hand…
If you want to get into some serious police/military work or dog sports like French Ring or Schutzhund, then a HIGH intensity Malinois with good energy levels would be most suiting.
