A Belgian Malinois is a loyal, loving, and highly intelligent K9. Often used as personal protection dogs, these alert and protective animals make perfect family companions and bodyguards. Before you go out and purchase your own Belgian Malinois, however, it’s important to learn about their costs.
Here is everything you need to know about the costs associated with owning your own Belgian Malinois.
Cost Factors for Belgian Malinois Puppies
If you’re starting with a puppy, your cost will initially be lower than a fully trained youth or adult dog. They will still be expensive, however, and cutting corners will only buy you trouble. Here are some factors you need to consider when purchasing a Belgian Malinois puppy.
Location of Breeder
Depending on where the breeder of your puppy is located, you’ll need to factor in traveling or shipping costs.
If you’re going to pick up your puppy in person, you’ll have travel arrangements at a minimum, including transportation and, if a significant distance away, hotel stays and meals. Should you need to have your puppy shipped, you’ll have to cover their shipping and export fee.
Reputation of Breeder
The better the breeder, the higher the price you’ll pay. Dogs from top breeders will be highly sought after, and breeders will limit the number of dogs they have each year. Always purchase your dog from a known and reputable breeder.
Trying to cut costs by purchasing your puppy from a backyard breeder will only cost you more in the long run when your dog runs into health issues from overbreeding, such as hip dysplasia.
The Lineage of the Puppy
The better the lineage of your Belgian Malinois, the more you’ll pay. Top bloodlines come at a price, but purchasing a dog with quality lineage is well worth the cost.
Always request paperwork that proves your dog’s lineage. No paperwork is a red flag. Never accept a Belgian Malinois puppy that doesn’t have paperwork that accompanies them proving their parentage and breeding.
Training
If the puppy you are purchasing has received some training, expect an additional cost to accompany the purchasing of your pup.
Cost of a Belgian Malinois Puppy
Now that you know all the factors that go into the overall cost of a Belgian Malinois puppy, what can you expect to pay for one?
Keep in mind that these numbers are approximated, but they should give you a good guideline for budgeting purposes. A puppy with lineage papers but lacking breeding rights or show quality, expect to pay around $1,067.50.
If you want a puppy with papers proving superior lineage, breeding rights, and show quality, you should budget anywhere from $3,400 to $9,000.
Do not try to cut corners by purchasing a Belgian Malinois puppy from a backyard breeder. With this kind of a dog, you get what you pay for. Many backyard breeders do not know how to breed correctly, and inbreeding causes many health problems such as hip dysplasia.
Cost of a Belgian Malinois Adult
When you go from purchasing a puppy to an adult, the price for your protection dog exponentially multiplies. There are several reasons for this, the biggest one being that they will have already been fully trained to serve you as a protection dog.
Training instills in your dog the ability to obey commands instantly, protect you, take down threats, keep you safe until help arrives, and neutralize threats if necessary. The training they receive goes far beyond “fetch” and “rollover.”
Because of this:
You should expect to pay a premium for an adult trained Belgian Malinois protection dog.
Total cost? Anywhere from $45,000 to $65,000. It may sound like a lot, but these are the same dogs that accompany the police and military members on their rounds.
If there’s any doubt whether these dogs will do their jobs, you only need to ask the Navy SEALs who depend on them.
Cost to Keep a Belgian Malinois
Now that you know how much it will be to purchase your pup in the first place, you’ll want to factor in costs for their upkeep. As with any animal, your dog will need constant care, including food, water, toys, and vet visits.
Food
Depending on the type of dog food you choose to feed your dog, you should budget anywhere from $400 to $1,000.
Veterinarian Bills
For a healthy pup that only needs a routine checkup and vaccines, you should budget around $250-$300 per year.
Health Insurance
Pet health insurance is a lesser-known service but can come in handy if your pet experiences significant illness or an accident that nets costly vet bills. Insurance for a healthy dog will cost around $200 a year.
Toys
While the amount of goodies you provide your dog depends entirely on your budget, most people spend an average of $100 per year on extras.
Combined Cost
When you add up these yearly costs, you can expect to spend anywhere from $1,000 to $1,500. When budgeting, it’s critical to think about expenses in terms of each year for the next fifteen years.
A healthy Belgian Malinois should have a long life, and you’ll be responsible for providing care for them as long as they live with you. Be sure you can handle around $1,000 for their care each year after you’ve brought them home.
A Cut Above the Rest
A Belgian Malinois is loving, loyal, and highly intelligent. They make a wonderful family or personal protection dog and can be trained to do nearly anything. Due to their bloodlines and training needs, a Belgian Malinois puppy or adult can be a costly initial purchase.
While a puppy will cost less initially, you’ll still need to enroll them into training classes, which add significantly and should be considered. After you bring them home, you’ll also need to budget for their basic care each year they’re part of your family.
Though these dogs are quite expensive, they will more than pay off for the protection and safety they’ll provide for your family. Now that you know how much these animals cost, are you ready to purchase one?