The Malinois is one of four Belgian sheepdogs, distinguished largely by their coat types and named for the regions where they developed.
Feeling under the weather one afternoon, Charlotte Bloch went to bed with a 102-degree fever. Close by her side lay her German Shepherd Dogs, Dakota and Axel, offering comfort. On top of her, playing king of the hill, wrestled her two Belgian Malinois, Arko and Eros.
The Malinois had absolutely no sympathy for me, recalls Bloch, a longtime dog trainer in West Peabody, Mass. They were like two kids on a rainy day into every kind of mischief. They're beautiful, they're elegant, and they're tough. But they're fresh.
The Malinois is one of four Belgian sheepdogs, distinguished largely by their coat types and named for the regions where they developed. The United Kennel Club groups all four the Malinois, Laekenois, Groenendael, and Tervuren into one breed called the Belgian Shepherd Dog. The American Kennel Club recognizes the Malinois as separate from the longer-haired Belgian Tervuren and Belgian Sheepdog (Groenendael). The AKC doesn't recognize the Laekenois.
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