The Belgian Malinois is named after the Belgian city of Malines. This dog is one of the four Belgian sheepdog breeds (the Malinois, the Laekenois, the Groenendael and the Tervuren). Those four breeds are considered, in most parts of the world, as the same breed, but have been recognized (except for the Laekenois) in America in 1959 by the AKC.
The Malinois is rare in America, but very popular in Belgium. The Groenendael and the Tervuren are now more commonly used as companions while the Laekenois and the Malinois are used as guard dogs.
