Always eager to perform and work, the Belgian Malinois is an excitable dog breed that’s full of life and energy. While these active dogs need plenty of run to stay happy, they can be obedient too. But is an obedient dog a smart dog?
The Belgian Malinois is an exceptionally smart. In fact, they are the 26th smartest dog breed when it comes to “obedience and working intelligence.” However, it’s their adaptive intelligence that makes them highly intelligent. The Malinois’ ability to read and adapt to volatile situations is why they’re smart enough to be the gold standard for police K-9 work.
There’s more to the Belgian Malinois’ intelligence than just learning commands and tricks. Police units all around the world trust these dogs for a reason. We’ll discuss what actually makes the Malinois one of the smartest dog breeds in the world.
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Measuring the Malinois’ Intelligence
The intelligence of dogs can be broken up into three dimensions. For the list of smartest dog breeds, the rankings is based on just one dimension: obedience and working intelligence – a term coined by canine psychologist Stanley Coren.
According to Coren, this type of intelligence is the most objective to measure. That said, Coren was able to develop a criteria and “standard” for this obedience and work. This IQ type measures a dog’s ability to learn and retain that information.
It’s certainly not perfect, though a good starting point for measuring dog intelligence. Because the trial was essentially an obedience test, breeds with strong work ethics, like the Belgian Malinois, did a lot better on the test.
Coren’s Dog Intelligence Criteria
Although Stanley Coren was credited for developing this criteria, he had the help of 199 obedience trial judges from North America. They assessed as many breeds as possible (given the criteria), allowing Coren to collect enough data for his list.
The criteria for dog intelligence is as follows:
- The number of repetitions needed for a dog breed to learn a new command. Dog breeds that needed fewer repetitions, such as the Malinois, were considered smarter.
- The success rate that a dog breed will obey a known command on the first attempt. Those with a higher success rate were believed to be more obedient and intelligent.
As mentioned, the smartest dogs list only consists of 138 breeds. Of course, there are many more dog breeds in the world! It’s just that not every dog breed participated. In fact, only those that were recognized by the AKC or CKC were tested.
In addition, not every dog that participated qualified for the final list of smartest dogs. Only dogs that received at least 100 responses qualified. This ruled out uncommon recognized dogs because it was too difficult to get enough dogs for the test.
The good news is that the Belgian Malinois is recognized by the American and Canadian kennel club. Plus, they’re one of the top 50 most popular dogs in America. In other words, they had no problems with participation and qualification.
How the Malinois Performed
The Belgian Malinois performed exceptionally well on the trials. So well, that they ranked the 26th best in performance. This places the Malinois in the “bright dogs” category with other standouts of the same intelligence class.
But what does this actually mean? The Belgian Malinois is capable of learning a new command with just 5 to 15 repetitions. For a basic command, they’re able to learn it in 30 minutes or less! Few dogs are faster at learning commands than a Malinois.
The Belgian Malinois also excelled when it came to obedience retention. These dogs will obey known commands with a 85% or better success rate! They’re one of the most intelligent, but also obedient dogs in the world!
Performance like the Belgian Malinois isn’t easy. However, other popular breeds in the same IQ class include the Corgi, Pointer, Cocker Spaniel, Bernese Mountain dog, Springer Spaniel, Pom and the Weimaraner. Not a bad class to be in.
Malinois vs. Least Intelligent Dogs
Without question, there’s a significant gap between the least intelligent and the Malinois. Those in the lowest intelligence class are often stubborn and independent. They don’t work for the sake of working, unlike the Belgian Malinois.
On average, the least intelligent dog breeds needed between 80 to 100 repetitions to learn a new command. In some cases, they needed more. This means that a Belgian Malinois is at least 5 times faster at learning commands!
On the other hand, the Malinois is also much more obedient. The lowest dog intelligence class has a 25% or worse success rate when obeying known commands on the first try. That said, a Malinois is at least 3 times more obedient!
In all fairness, there’s nothing wrong with being in the lowest intelligence class. In fact, some of the most popular dog breeds are in that class! For example, the Bloodhound, Beagle, Chow Chow, Shih Tzu and Bulldog are all the “least intelligent.”
2 More Reasons Why the Malinois is Smart
Obedience and work intelligence is just one dimension of dog intelligence. And according to Coren, here are two more: instinctive and adaptive intelligence. Both of which, may be more important in measuring a dog’s IG. Though, they’re harder to measure.
This is especially true with adaptive intelligence. In this case, we can only rely on examining stories and anecdotes from owners. And while instinctive intelligence is easier to measure, it’s nearly impossible to compare dogs of one group to another.
1. The Malinois’ Shepherding Intelligence
Instinctive intelligence is the dog’s natural ability or innate skillset. In this case, the Malinois’ skill would be sheep-herding, which they’ve done long before becoming a top military dog. Though few are still herding today, their instincts are still intact.
In the past, all dog breeds were bred for a purpose, role or job in society. They were mainly used as a helping hand for humans. For this reason, we now have a wide variety of specialized dogs, such as guard dogs, herding dogs, retrievers and more.
But how is herding a type of intelligence? Just think about it. With little to no human training, these dogs are able to instinctively push and drive livestock in a certain direction. They can predict the movements of sheep and guide accordingly.
He’s very playful, and we have been on top of correcting aggressive behavior. The pup is learning to not herd her (persistent – nip ankles, cheeks, ears, etc.)
– Sands101 (GermanShepherds.com)
This requires a special type of intelligence in dogs, that is, instinctive intelligence. And because the Belgian Malinois is one of the top herding dog breeds, we can assume they have exceptionally high instinctive intelligence as well.
However, this can be a problem too. If you’ve owned or played with a Malinois puppy, it’s easy to see the herding instincts. Without proper socialization and exercise, they won’t be able to control herding. As a result, they will likely nip at your heels.
2. The Belgian Malinois’ Adaptive Intelligence
The adaptive intelligence of the Belgian Malinois is a bit more complex than the other two types of dog intelligence. It’s a lot more subjective and relies mainly on “word of mouth” stories to assess this special IQ type in dogs.
That said, this intelligence refers to the dog’s ability to learn for itself. For example, a Malinois may be a great problem solver or quick at learning from past experiences and mistakes. All these are clear signs of an adaptively intelligent dog.
While adaptive intelligence can vary among the Belgian Malinois, most seem to excel in this area of dog IQ. Here’s an example of an adaptively intelligent Malinois learning:
We live in an apartment, on the top floor next to the elevator. Our Malinois knows when we have people heading to our floor based on the length of the elevator sound.
– Jemstaff (Dog Forums)
The owner continues to explain that whenever the elevator sound lasted a certain length (longer than when going to lower floors), their dog would patiently wait at the door. His Malinois picked up on such a small cue and learned from the past.
Another Malinois owner explains to us his dog’s incredible ability to learn on his own:
After putting on sunscreen every day before our daily jogs, our dog has associated the scent of the sunscreen with going out. He’ll wait for me patiently by the leash.
– Jason F. (Malinois owner)
This Malinois picked up on two things. First, he learned that the action of his owner putting on some sunscreen always meant that they’re going on their jog. Next, he also learned that the next step is to put on the leash. This is a clear sign of high adaptive IQ.
These are just a few stories demonstrating what adaptive intelligence in the Belgian Malinois looks like. And while not all Malinoses may be this smart, many of them are. Just ask any owner and you’ll likely hear many stories like these!
How to Deal With a Smart Malinois
Owning a smart dog breed, such as the Belgian Malinois, doesn’t really matter. In fact, smarter dogs can be a bigger problem for most owners. In other words, smarter dog breeds have their own issues that may likely lead to inconveniences.
For example, smarter dogs tend to need a lot of mental stimulation. Much more than a proclaimed “dumb dog.” But the problem is, not every owner has the time or commitment to provide the Belgian Malinois with sufficient mental stimulation.
And by mental stimulation, I mean activities that work their brain. You may be great at getting the proper physical stimulation (exercise) for your Malinois, but that is only half the equation for raising a happy and healthy Malinois.
What my Mal likes is mental stimulation. Wear that little brain out with half an hour or more of problem solving, fetch, tug, and bite. Works better than running with him.
– Littlelebowski (Pistol Forum)
Without adequate mental stimulation for your Malinois, they will likely exhibit destructive behaviors. For example, they may start digging holes or tearing apart the couch. No matter how much you walk your dog, they can still be active without metal exercises.
Mental stimulation can come in the form of obedience training, which is the most common type. But that does take a lot of time and commitment that many owners don’t have. However, you can also use dog puzzles and games for mental stimulation.
Best Dog Puzzles for a Malinois
Dog puzzles keeps your Malinois’ brain busy while giving you some “time off.” It’s a no-brainer and a win-win for you and your dog. That said, here are some of my favorite dog toys.
One of my Aussie’s all-time favorite dog puzzle is the StarMark Bob-A-Lot. It’s a lot more useful than it looks. The Bob-A-Lot is an interactive bobble toy that releases treats when your dog pushes the toy. It forces your Malinois to problem solve to get the treats!
This dog puzzle comes with two chambers, which allows you to put both treats and even a full meal in the capsule. For your Belgian Malinois, I would recommend getting a size large. It’s been so useful and I highly recommend checking it out on Amazon.
I bought this dog puzzle for both my dogs because they just love it so much. The Nina Ottosson Dog Puzzle is the perfect dog puzzle for a Malinois that needs some mental exercises. Yes, there are more variations, but the Hide n Slide looks the most impressive.
Don’t be fooled – it’s a challenging puzzle where your Malinois needs to figure out how to get to the treats by moving around the sliders. Just put in a few of his favorites and he’ll be stuck to this puzzle for a good while.
If these don’t appeal to you, that’s okay. These are just what I’ve personally used with my smart dogs. The point is to get your Malinois something – anything that appeals to you. There’s a huge selection on Amazon to choose from.
So do you own a Belgian Malinois? How intelligent is your dog? What smart things does your dog do? Let us know in the comments section below!
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Frank Hancock
Saturday 7th of January 2023
Our 10 month old Malinois will sit and stay until we go out or in doors and only moves when we “break” him. He also can open doors himself, we have lever door handles, he’ll use his paw to pull down and in to open the door. He has opened the Larson storm door from the outside but can only get it open about a foot and when he get down the closer closes it before he can get in. He’ll get it before he’s 1 1/2 years old, I’m sure of that. He was house broken in 24 hours and always goes in the woods, we never have to clean up after him. He wears a Fi series 3 collar that records an average of 25,000 steps per day, probably a third are running steps.
Elizabeth Csicsery-Ronay
Monday 5th of June 2023
@Frank Hancock, My cats open door with lever door handles. I had a cat that pulled on my house coat hanging on the door and opened the door. Can I dog do that?
Steve Ward
Friday 7th of October 2022
I was working on a new yard fence. My Malinois “George” was always coming to watch me. Packing up my tools one day, I joking pointed at the heavy 1.5kg Mallet and said, “Hey George, how about helping and carry the mallet up for me”. He immediately picked it up straight away and proudly pranced off in a trot up the path as if it was a toy. Several days later I was throwing a ball to him and it accidentally flew off the balcony past the new fence below and onto the grass beyond that. He watched where it finished up. Then immediately turned and ran the other direction to the path and down around to the brand new gate. He stopped. I called out “this way” and pointed to the small unfinished gap in the fence back under the balcony and back up the hill next to a second set of stairs. He immediately follow my point. Ran along the fence. Up the hill. Through the gap. Down the stairs on the other side of the fence. Down to the lawn. Grabbed the ball. Back over to and up the stairs. Through the gap. Back down the hill and past the gate. Up the path back to the balcony to proudly show me the ball and refuse to let me have it (which was SOP). Haha. I was so impressed.
Steve
Thursday 18th of November 2021
My Belgian Malinois insisted we play fetch or some other physical activity every day. We usually played with a ball, occasionally with a stick. He usually picked up the stick by one end and carried like a cigar in his mouth. One time, as he was doing this, I told him to stop, drop it (both commands he already knew) then I told him "pick it up in the middle". He canted his head a little, picked up the stick in the middle and pranced back to me proud as punch. From that day forward, he knew to pick up a stick in the middle.