Board & train
Board and train for Belgian Malinois
A Belgian Malinois in a pet home is a working dog waiting for an assignment, and if nobody gives it one it writes its own. Shadows get chased, sleeves get grabbed, the cat becomes a herding project. A live-in program supplies the structure and the job for a stretch of weeks. What it cannot do is turn the breed into a lower-maintenance dog, and this page is honest about that.
Last reviewed October 4, 2026
Drive with rules
The mouth, the speed and the missing off switch, handled in that order.
Many Malinois stay mouthy well past puppyhood: herding nips at heels, sleeves grabbed mid-stride, a tug game that starts without an invitation. A program works on bite inhibition through clear markers, a trained out, and rules about when the mouth is allowed on a toy. Nobody is asked to tolerate teeth on skin while the dog learns. Place and crate comfort are taught as an off switch, because a Malinois that cannot settle is exhausting at a speed few breeds match.
Functional Off-Leash, three weeks at $3,030 plus GST, works on reliable recall around distractions and distraction training with the Educator remote collar included, which suits a dog whose arousal spikes at a passing bike. Advanced Off-Leash, four weeks at $3,940 plus GST, adds off-leash heel, sit, stay and down at distance, and public manners. Protection and bite work are not on any of these curricula; the programs are built around obedience, manners and behaviour.
- A trained out and leave it
- Place as the off switch
- Recall past bikes and joggers
- No teeth on skin
The job continues
Structure comes home with the dog, and so does the appetite for work.
You leave the handover lesson holding the remote collar, the markers and the daily structure the dog has been living, with instruction on each. With this breed, what you keep doing is the job itself: short training sessions every day, legal outlets for the mouth such as tug with rules, scent games, and exercise that involves thinking rather than only running. A Malinois that only runs tends to get fitter, not calmer. The Belgian Malinois training guide covers the method in detail.
Day Training, $650 plus GST a week, Monday to Friday, drop-off 8 to 10 am and pick-up 5 to 7 pm, is built for dogs who need consistent work while the owner keeps them home every night, and includes a weekly one-hour go-home lesson. Private Training at $150 plus GST a session suits hands-on owners who want to run the training themselves with a written weekly plan. The consultation weighs the dog against each and recommends the smaller option when it fits.
The programs
Programs and prices
E · 3-week board & train
Functional Off-Leash
Everything in the on-leash program, then the next level: reliable off-leash recall even around distractions.
Includes handover lesson, follow-ups, Educator remote collar
SE · 4-week board & train
Advanced Off-Leash
The full four-week build: from functional foundations to advanced reliability in public environments and around higher-level distractions.
Includes handover lesson, 2 follow-ups, Educator remote collar
S · 5–6 week board & train
Behaviour Rehab
Kaitlin's specialty, and the work she loves most.
Includes assessment-built plan, 2 follow-ups, deep owner education
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Is a belgian malinois board and train worth it for a pet-home dog?
It is worth it when the goal is a civil, reliable working dog in a household, not a lower-energy one. A program works on recall, heel, settling on cue and bite inhibition in structured daily sessions, then hands you the system. The breed's daily need for work does not change, so the value depends on what you keep doing at home.
Will board and train calm a belgian malinois down?
A program teaches the dog how to settle on cue and when the mouth and the chasing are off limits; it does not reduce the drive the dog was bred with. Many Malinois tend to look calmer under a clear routine and get busy again without one. Persistent spinning, shadow chasing or frantic behaviour is worth raising with a vet and at the assessment.
Which belgian malinois training program fits a dog that grabs sleeves and herds the kids?
Management comes first: the dog is separated from children until the grabbing is handled, and children never take part in the training. On-Leash Foundations and Functional Off-Leash both work on place and control around distractions, and Behaviour Rehab is built for cases that have escalated into bites, after a full assessment. Which one is decided at the consultation.
Does board and train belgian malinois include protection training?
No. These programs cover obedience, manners, recall, off-leash work and behaviour rehabilitation, and service-dog training is not offered either. A Malinois here is being taught to be a civil dog at home and in public.
Keep reading
Give the working dog a job
Describe what your Malinois chases, grabs and cannot switch off from. Book a consultation and we will recommend a program.
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