Ever wondered if crossbred German Shepherd Mixed with Belgian Malinois could make a good family dog?
But, What is a Shepinois?
Shepinois is, without a doubt, the best of both breeds in the Malinois X family of crossbreeds.
So, are Shepinois Good Family dogs?
Yes, Shepinois are good family dog and as the hybrid is commonly known, it is an excellently balanced designer dog breed between a docile large dog breed, (the German Shepherd) and a Medium-sized Belgian Malinois dog known to be more aggressive than the German Shepherd.
As the offspring of the German Shepherd and the Belgian Malinois is also known as the Shepinois, there is no doubt that this large crossbreed is an excellent watchdog and as a family dog.
Malinois and German Shepherd dog breeds are also avid law enforcement and rescue dog breed and that makes the Shepinois also a great working dog which is widely used for police, search and rescue, sports, personal protection, and detection.
If you’ve been considering buying this dog, then you’re precisely where you need to be right now.
This is a complete pet guide of the German Shepherd Mixed with Belgian Malinois, so you’ll learn every single detail you need to Know about this hybrid before buying it.
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History of the Breed
The Shepinois is a recent crossbreed, so there’s little information we can tell about its history. But to better understand it, we can look into the history of its parents as most hybrid dogs(mixed dog breeds) usually inherits their traits from the purebred dogs being cross mixed( parents).
The German Shepherd
The German Shepherd is a large-sized breed that has origins in Germany. Back in 1899, the breed was used as a herding and guarding dog.
When herding and guarding sheep, they were expected to patrol the boundaries to keep sheep from trespassing and damaging the crops and that’s exactly what they did.
If you have been looking for an intelligent, sassy and invigoratingly active dog breed, puppies from a crossbreeding between Belgian mals and German Sherpards is your best pet option.
The Hybrid puppies from purebred Belgian Malinois mixed with pure German shepherd dog breeds are also synonymous for their loyalty as they grow into this amazing dog.
Paired with their ability to learn simple tasks, the Sherpinois hybrid dog breed can quickly pick up training routines effortlessly after only five repetitions.
With their known traits of strength, loyalty, and ease of training makes the German Shepherd mixed with Belgian Malinois desirable working dogs, and some have gone to work as Military dogs, police dogs, guard, and search and rescue dogs too.
As service dogs, Belgian Malinois mixed with known service dogs like German Sherpads have the ability to learn various tasks and interpret the instructions given to them better than any other large dog can.
This breed is large, generally between 55 and 65 centimeters (22 and 26 in) at the withers, with an ideal height of 63 centimeters (25 in) according to Kennel Club standards. (1)
Weight is 30–40 kilograms (66–88 lb) for males and 22–32 kilograms (49–71 lb) for females.
They have a domed forehead, a long square-cut muzzle, and a black nose. The jaws are strong, with a scissor-like bite.
The eyes are medium-sized and brown with a lively, intelligent, and self-assured look. The ears are large and stand erect, open at the front and parallel, but they often are pulled back during movement.
They have a long neck, which is raised when excited and lowered when moving at a fast pace. The tail is bushy and reaches to the hock.
The UK kennel club accepted the breed in 1919 and till today, it’s adored by many people because of its amazing characteristics.
The Belgian Malinois
The Belgian Malinois is a medium to large breed with origins in Belgium.
For years the Breed has been used as a working dog for tasks including detection of odors such as explosives, accelerants (for arson investigation), and narcotics; tracking humans for suspect apprehension in police work; and search and rescue missions.
But because of it’s humble characteristics, many people love having this breed as a house pet too.
A well raised and trained Belgian Malinois is usually active, intelligent, friendly protective, alert and hard-working. The breed is also very energetic.
When it comes to appearance, the dog has a short mahogany coat with black markings, erect black ears, and a black muzzle. It has a square build in comparison to the German Shepherd.
The appearance of the German Shepherd Mixed with the Belgian Malinois
The hybrid is also a large dog weighing 65 to 85 pounds and measuring 20 to 26 inches tall.
Has deep eyes shaped like almost, has pointed up erect ears, and has a flat skull that is in proportion with all of its body.
Its body is sturdy and athletic and is more compact than that of a German Shepherd.
The hybrid’s coat is coarse, harsh, rough and double layered and comes in many color varieties such as black, brown, blue, fawn, white and tan.
Temperament/Characteristics of the German Shepherd Mixed with the Belgian Malinois.
The characteristics of the German Shepherd Mixed with the Belgian Malinois will depend on the dominant genes of the purebreed’s parents.
The characteristics of the hybrid are unpredictable because it comes from two different dogs with different backgrounds, so each Hybrid will have different characters.
Below we have listed the most common characteristics you will notice from the hybrid:
The hybrid is very intelligent: This is a trait they inherit from the German Shepherd side of the family.
They have the ability to learn simple tasks after only five repetitions and obeyed the first command, given 95% of the time.
This trait is what makes them to be one of the best crossbreeds in the world. Moreover, they are adorable and make great family companions.
The hybrid is very energetic: The hybrid is full of energy and is also a very active dog, it needs not just a lot of physical opportunities but also mental stimulation too.
The hybrid would love to join you when you go for a jog or walk, would do best with a couple of long walks along with some play time and mental stimulation.
These are all ways of dealing with the high energy it has, is no exercise is given to the hybrid, it tends to get bored and become a bit destructive, it will dig holes in your garden, howl for no reason at all, chew your shoes and some of your important stuff.
Exercise is the key to dealing with the excess energy the dog has.
The German Shepherd Mixed With Belgian Malinois Is very loving and loyal: This is a trait the hybrid inherits from the German Shepherd and it’s because of this trait they are said to be good family pets.
They are loyal, will listen to orders and do exactly as told. They are as well good with children because of their humbleness and caring nature.
The hybrid is very protective: This is a trait they get from both sides of the family.
They are very protective, don’t appreciate strangers and will always bark once they notice something unusual happening around them. This is also why they are said to be good guard dogs too.
But this over protective nature can be dealt with when they are still young; that’s if you want it to be the kind of dog that socializes with everyone, including friendly strangers. Train her at a young age so that she grows up used to being around people, including friendly strangers.
Loves to be the center of attention: This breed loves to be the center of attention and will feel jealous when attention is given to other pets instead of it.
So owners of this breed Should always show love and attention and then it will always be happy.
The Training and Exercise Requirements of the German Shepherd Mixed with Belgian Malinois.
Training the hybrid at a very young age is very essential, because if proper training is not given to them, the dog may develop a behavioral issue and become very stubborn.
But otherwise, the crossbreed is very trainable, eager and will need fewer repetition so will learn quicker, but needs to be trained by someone who can be firm as it can try to be the dominant one. Early socialization is also very important.
When it comes to exercising, the crossbreed will need lots and lots of exercise because it is full of energy, if it is not given enough exercises, it tends to be very annoying and destructive.
So as the owner, you must take your dog for walks each and every day in the morning, have a 45 minutes walk, and in the evening time a 15 minutes walk would be okay.
Take your dog to parks where it can run around freely and also socialize with other dogs.
If you’re the kind of person who likes hiking and exploring, this mixed dog breed is pretty much like the Australian Kelpie who are athletic and agile. So taking your dog along with you, it will greatly appreciate that.
Grooming requirements of the Hybrid.
There are times when the hybrid sheds a lot and other times when it doesn’t, she’d much.
During the seasons it does a lot of shedding, the crossbreed should be brushed daily with a firm bristle brush in order to stay ahead of the hairs and Allow the coat to look healthy and shining.
When not shedding much, at least brush it once or twice a week. Bathing the dog daily should be avoided because it may trip the coat if it’s natural oils, so make sure you bath it only when bits necessary, that’s when it gets really dirty and starts to Smell bad.
Its teeth should be brushed three times a week and nails should be clipped when they have grown too long.
The ears should be checked often and when durty they should be cleaned, this will help avoid ear infections.
Health concern of the hybrid.
Almost every dog will have some health concerns once in their lifetime.
This hybrid may as well inherit health problems from both it’s parents, such as Bloating, Degenerative Myelopathy, EPI, PRA, Anesthesia Sensitivity, Joint dysplasia, and allergies.
The lifespan of the hybrid
When well taken care of, the German Shepherd Mixed with Belgian Malinois had a life expectancy of 10 to 15 years.
