How Much Does A Belgian Malinois Cost?

When getting the Belgian Malinois, the price is something to think about. This is an expensive breed, and never suited for first time dog owners.

Belgian Malinois is a herding breed that enjoys being busy, running, and being active all day long. As such they are often used as police dogs, military dogs, and agility dogs.

Thanks to their skills, Mals’ are also great family and guard dogs. Just buying a Belgian Malinois puppy is expensive, and raising it will require costs on a daily level.

If you want to know how much does Belgian Malinois costs and how much it will cost to raise a Belgian Malinois then check this buyer’s guide.

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Belgian Malinois Price

Belgian Malinois is an expensive breed, with the price going up to $3,000 on the high-end.

The price of this breed, just like any other, will depend on the dog’s lineage, age, training, and conformation to breed standards.

How much does a Belgian Malinois cost? All in all, the average price of Belgian Malinois is somewhere between $1,000 to $1,800.

No matter how tempting it might be, never approach a puppy mill or a backyard breeder. Getting a dog from this type of facility will cost you more in the long run.

When it comes to getting a dog of any breed, you want to find a reputable and responsible breeder who actually cares about dogs and puts their welfare in the first place.

When you get to talk with a responsible breeder you will have a lot of questions to answer. This is because the breeder wants to know that you are the best choice for their puppy.

Plus, responsible breeders will always screen puppies for the most common health issues in the breed and present you with medical documentation on the dog.

Not only that but Belgian Malinois responsible breeders will provide the following:

Show you the facilities
Let you meet the parents, or at least the bitch
Help you get the puppy that fits your temperament and lifestyle
Provide further tips on overall Belgian Malinois care

In most cases, reputable breeders will tell you that in case of an emergency (if you have to leave the dog for whatever reason might be) to return the dog to them. This isn’t a must, but it’s a practice with some breeders.

You may expect a registered Belgian Malinois puppy, the price to be around $1,500 and up to $2,000 for a professionally trained protection dog.

Factors That Impact The Cost Of A Belgian Malinois Price

There is no single factor that affects the price. The cost of Belgian Malinois will depend on various factors, such as age, training, breed standards, and certification..

If you’re still serious about buying Belgian Malinois here are major factors that will definitely influence Malinois price.

1. Coat Color

Belgian Malinois is an easy-to-recognize breed. Breed standards say that this powerful dog must always have a fawn to a mahogany color. They should also always have black ears and mask, which is kind of their signature.

Responsible breeders should always follow the breed’s standards perfectly which is why all show puppies tend to look identical – they are just as they should be.

Still, many puppies may turn out a bit different. They will not be marked as puppies of high quality.

As result, these puppies tend to be cheaper. Another coat-related fact is that coat is never a health indicator.

This means that opposite to gums that can show a dog’s health, coat color has nothing to do with overall health.

In puppies, a better coat only indicates that the better coat will be better ranked in a show.

2. Gender

It is common for female dogs to be more expensive than males. The main reason for this is that female dogs come with breeding potential.

This price difference isn’t too big, it’s just a few hundred dollars.

On the other hand, owners of this breed often point out that male Belgian Malinois have heavier when compared to females which means that they will eat more than females – as result, this means higher investment in buying food.

3. Lineage and Bloodlines

As expected, puppies that come from award-winning bloodlines will be more expensive compared to pet-quality puppies.

As a general rule, puppies without award-winning lineage are less expensive.

Don’t forget that puppies with award-winning lineage and without are great dogs, amazing companions, and great family addition.

As long as you get in touch with a reputable breeder you should get a healthy dog and that is the most important thing.

4. Location

Ok, this one may sound a bit unusual, but distance matters.

The total cost of Belgian Malinois will be affected by your location. If you and the breeder are in two different places it can increase the price of the Belgian Malinois puppy.

Some breeders may ask you to pick up the dog in person, while others have the practice of bringing the puppy to your doorstep.

Both options are great in a way. If you are going to the breeders’ place, you will get to see the facilities, meet the bitch, see how your puppy interacts with other puppies, and so on.

If a breeder brings the dogs to you, it may be a way for the breeder to check your place and make sure that the puppy is going to a really great home.

Responsible breeders always care about their puppies, and they usually won’t sell them unless they are 100% that you are a great fit for their puppy.

The third option is for a breeder to ship your dog by air. This includes additional fees and can cost up to $1,000 (as for the air transport, the biggest price factors are the distance and the dog’s size).

Are local puppies cheaper than puppies from the other state? Simply said, yes.

All in all, local puppies are always cheaper than puppies that have to be transported.

5. Breeder Practices

Belgian Malinois is an AKC registered breed. In practice, this means that breeders must respect the AKC standards of the breed.

As a result, AKC registered breeders must meet certain requirements which in the end increases the price of a puppy.

Does this mean that non-registered breeders charge less? Yes, because they tend to skip care requirements.

This behavior can also lead to puppy mills, which is why you should always double-check breeders, because puppy mills are something that you want to avoid no matter what, no matter how lower the price might be.

Beware: If the cost of Belgian Malinois sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Always be wary of breeders and do your research.

Feel free to ask them questions and search for testimonials. Don’t forget to check breeders’ credibility online as well.

6. Certification and Warranties

One of the biggest impacts on Belgian Malinois puppy price is certification.

Puppies that come with certification are puppies with a certain level of pedigree and award-winning bloodlines. Plus, certification means that your Belgian Malinois puppy is usually a healthy puppy.

In practice, this means that these puppies come at a premium price.

Is a Belgian Malinois puppy without certification cheaper? Yes, puppies without certification can be 50% cheaper.

Does this mean that show Belgian Malinois puppies have certification? Simply said, yes. Show puppies always have the certification behind them.

Isn’t It Cheaper Just To Adopt Belgian Malinois?

Simply said, yes. Adoption is always cheaper compared to purchasing a puppy.

Adoption is something that you should really think about it. Don’t let the low fee (compared to buying a Belgian Malinois puppy) trick you into believing that adoption will cost you less.

Abandoned dogs are in high need of love, but they often come with some sort of anxiety and difficulties adjusting, which is something to consider.

Adopting a dog is great, but only as long as you have extra patience and love to wait for that dog to open up and trust you. Adoption should be the final move.

You don’t want to force the dog go to through abandonment twice, right?

This is why if you are adopting, make sure that you can handle it, and that animal shelter representatives help you choose the best dog and provide you with as much information as possible.

As for the price, Belgian Malinois’s price for adoption will range between $300 to $600 depending on the dog’s age.

Now, let’s see how much purchasing a Belgian Malinois can cost you.

Think About Belgian Malinois Long Term Ownership Costs

Getting a dog is easy, but owning a dog is a completely different story. Finding the best Belgian Malinois isn’t easy, but all of that research will be worth it.

Once you find your perfect dog you are ready to actually own a dog.

Being a responsible dog owner means that you know how to care for a dog, that you can deliver the right training sessions, that you understand the importance of grooming, and that regular veterinarian check-ups are a must.

Once you bring your dog home you are starting a new chapter, that demands a constant investment. This means that Belgian Malinois is a high-maintenance breed.

Let’s see what you can expect in terms of costs when it comes to training sessions, grooming needs, and overall health.

1. Training Belgian Malinois Costs

As mentioned earlier, Belgian Malinois isn’t a breed for first time dog owners.

This breed can thrive only in hands of experienced dog owners, who know about and around herding dogs. These dogs are highly trainable as long as you know how to train them.

Even experienced dog owners choose to enroll this breed in puppy classes or to work one-on-one with an experienced dog trainer.

Dogs thrive on food-driven classes and positive training methods. No dog should ever experience any harsh training method or rough handling.

Obedience classes for dogs can cost you between $30-$80 per group class.

If you want to challenge your Belgian Malinois even further and you can afford it, you should think about search and rescue training. This type of training can cost around $15,000-$20,000.

2. Grooming Belgian Malinois Costs

Grooming dogs goes beyond weekly brushing. Yes, brushing is a big part of a dog’s grooming routine but isn’t the only thing that adds to the dog’s overall health.

Grooming is a set of different practices, including:

Weekly brushing
Cleaning ears
Weekly gums check
Daily eye check
Monthly nail trimming or grinding
Bathe only when needed

The grooming area is probably the only area where this medium-sized dog is affordable.

They are a bit wash-and-go dogs, which means that regular grooming practice, should be enough to keep them clean and well-maintained.

Just make sure that you have the right grooming tools, the right tool should help you make grooming an easy and stress-free process.

They shed, but they aren’t notorious like German Shepherds are, but you can expect heavy shedding during the shedding season which occurs in spring and autumn.

You can always opt for professional grooming services, but they will cost you.

You can expect to spend between $50-$100 for a detailed grooming session.

3. Health Care and Veterinary Bills

Belgian Malinois is considered to be a healthy breed.

If you work with responsible dog breeders and provide regular veterinarian check-ups there shouldn’t be larger health issues. These dogs tend to live up to 16 years if you manage to provide the right care and great nutrition.

Still, no matter how great care dog owners might provide, dogs still may get sick.

Some of the most common health issues that this breed may go through include:

The surgery for hip dysplasia (if one is needed) can cost between $2,000 to $3,000. Fixing elbow dysplasia can cost up to $4,000 per elbow.

Bloat is a serious condition that appears in high-energy dogs of larger postures.

To avoid this condition you should avoid feeding your dog after an intense walk, or workout. In some rare cases, bloat can lead to death.

Dealing with the treatments listed above isn’t easy. Not only that you will have to invest a serious amount of money to keep your dog healthy, but you will have to invest yourself emotionally as well.

Watching your Fido suffers isn’t something that falls easy on the human heart. To avoid these hard emotions and high veterinarian bills, you should focus on prevention.

Prevention is the key when it comes to keeping your dog healthy and your wallet whole.

Invest in prevention by following these steps:

Provide high-quality food
Know how much you should feed your dog
Know when to feed your dog
Implement regular veterinarian check-ups
Provide regular grooming
Know how to read pet food labels
Provide regular exercise
Keep dog’s joitns strong

It is always a good idea to invest in pet insurance. You never know when you could use the extra money, or insurance to keep your dog extra safe.

Pet insurance is especially handy when it comes to major health issues.

The cost of your insurance will always depend on the package that you choose. An average price may vary from $10 to up to $100.

Before you choose your final package, make sure that you do your research first and choose a package that fits your needs the best.

4. Food And Treats

Just like any other dog breed, your Belgian Malinois will love food and treats.

Dogs thrive on high-quality food and great food will not only keep the dog’s weight in order but will also keep his teeth healthy.

Use treats wisely and use them to encourage your dog to perform a certain trick or simply as an occasional treat.

Serve them in moderation because too many treats can easily put extra pounds on a dog.

Obesity in dogs is on the rise across the States and you want to keep your Belgian Malinois fit and on optimal weight because extra pounds can lead to more than many health-related issues.

Make sure that you always chose the food that is appropriate to the dog’s age, size, and activity level.

Do not feed puppies with food for senior dogs and vice versa. This doesn’t mean that they won’t get full, but mean that they won’t get the needed nutrients.

Food and treats will cost you so make sure that you plan your finances accordingly.

Belgian Malinois Price Overview

Getting this breed demands solid preparation, throughout research on Belgian Malinois, family consensus and organization, and serious planning.

Owning this breed will also demand significant financial investment. Owning a dog is much more than merely having a cuddling buddy.

Owning a dog is all about caring about another living being and making sure that their needs are met.

To provide the proper, and on going, care you will need to invest into:

Proper nutrition
High-quality food
Training sessions
Training toys and material
Regular veterinarian check-ups
Vaccination
Parasite control
Dog equipment
Dog walking services if needed
Dog insurance
Travel expenses
Professional grooming
Treats

These are just mandatory points that every dog owner should provide. As you may guess, all in all, every point comes with a certain price, that when it sums up isn’t something that everyone can easily handle.

Plus, these are items that are a must during the dog’s entire life, without the price of a dog.

Are you familiar with black-coated Belgian Malinois? Belgian Malinois are commonly of red to fawn coat color, but some of them do come in black color.

Although Black Belgian Malinois exist today, they are extremely rare.

How much does a black Belgian Malinois cost? Black Belgian Malinois price will usually be like regular Malinous price, between $1,000 to $1,800.

Note on black Belgian Malinois: Not all kennel clubs recognize black Belgian Malinois since black isn’t the standard color, meaning that only a few breeders produce them.

When getting a rare dog breed, you should be extra careful in choosing the right and responsible breeder.

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