Robbyfarm's website

About me:

I was seven years old when my mother gave me my first dog. My parents owned a pub, and the puppy was meant to ensure that I would not feel so lonely whilst they where busy making a living. It did not take long for this dog to become my best friend. He always had time for me, be it to play, hang around with each other or to get up to some kind of childhood mischief.

To help me learn more about dogs, I purchased a book on how to train them. Bob, my Boxer, was an eager student, and learnt the basic techniques very quickly. I could no longer imagine life without my trusted companion, Bob the Boxer remained my best friend until his death.

I soon decided to fill the void left by the death of my four-legged friend and after consulting an expert I became more than interested in another breed: the Belgian Mechelaar (Malinois). This breed of dog is a lighter, quicker, more agile dog, its attributes have been proven in both the sporting and professional fields. The more I learnt about this breed of dog, the more interested I became and started to gather more information via books, clubs and competitions. This enabled me to get in contact with a well-known breeder by whom I had soon chosen my new puppy that excelled in all schooling and training classes. I was then offered a chance to start training dogs myself, a challenge that I gladly accepted. Because of my job I was able to turn my hobby into my job: security agent working with a K9. I was able to attend various courses regarding K9 training, and how to teach police dogs to obey and attack, the highlight of which was a course using the French techniques in Suippes.

Due to my experience throughout the years, I was able to start my own dog pedigree kennels. I converted some fields at the back of my house into a training area, and now assist people in training their dogs to become police or guard dogs.

To train a K9 to become a confident and competent working dog, it is best to start teaching them as a puppy. It is important to buy your Malinois from a breeder who produces dogs with good temperament and to get your puppy used to meeting new people and dogs early in life, so that he will have a relaxed and accepting attitude towards them when he grows up. Good temperament starts with good breeding. There is almost nothing a Malinois won't try if encouraged by his master. These dogs excel at obedience, tracking, agility, herding, showing, protection sports, search, rescue and police work.

Private lessons are based on all the above activities. Together we will build relationships anchored in trust and mutual respect, from a puppy to a reliable and confident working dog.

A word of caution:

The US Military has imported many dogs from The Netherlands for use as Military Working Dogs (MWDs). Although they refer to these dogs as Belgian Malinois, many of them are mixed breeds and do not possess all of the typical Belgian Malinois breed characteristics. Which attributes must a working K9 have?

You cannot use all breeds of dog. Some are too small, too big, too friendly or too aggressive. An adult K9 that shows fearful or aggressive behaviour is either badly bred, badly socialized, or, most likely, both. A working dog must fulfil the following criteria:

· Agility

· Able to use its senses: sight, smell and hearing

· Be in good condition

· Able to work in all conditions: extreme heat or extreme cold

· A healthy dental structure

· General good health is compulsory - Malinois are generally healthy dogs, living an average of 10 to 12 years. They are susceptible to hip dysphasia, it is important when getting a puppy to make sure that both its parents have had their hips checked and been certified

· Good character

Various compulsory straits:

· Temperament - a temperamentful dog is a cautious dog, enthusiastic and enjoys working

· Sharp and brave - a frightened dog is no good to anybody

· Loyalty - the dog must trust and follow his master in all situations

· Serenity - a dog must be able to remain calm and confident in unknown and dangerous situations

· Obedient - very important - will protect family and property, but must never attack unwarranted

Most suitable breeds:

· Belgian shepherd

· Dutch shepherd

· German shepherd