Chapois's Story: A Malinois Who Knew His Commands and Broke Them When He Wanted

Where Chapois started

Chapois did not come to us as a blank slate. He already had the basic commands, and his owner knew it. The trouble was everything around those commands: everyday noise, other dogs and people could pull his attention away at any moment.

His owner put it simply: Chapois "basically broke all his commands when he wanted." His owner had doubts too. Being the owner of a Malinois, the owner simply did not think it was possible to get one this obedient.

The training journey

Chapois spent three weeks with one of our trainers. Knowing a command in a quiet moment and holding it with distractions all around are two different skills, and the second one was what he was missing.

His family got daily updates, pictures and videos of his progress the whole way through. One thing they saw in those weeks meant a lot to them. Chapois does not usually take to anyone outside his family, yet they could see that he loved his trainer, and that she treated him as if he were her own.

What actually changed

• He holds his commands. His owner says Chapois now stays with a command until he is released from it.
• He has manners. In his owner's words, he is now "well mannered."
• He is still himself. "Of course he is the same dog I had when he left," his owner wrote. The difference is in how he behaves.

★★★★★

“I was 100% satisfied with the end result. Being the owner of a MALINOIS, I just didn't think it would be possible to get mine to be so obedient. He already had all the basic tools of obedience as far as the basic commands. What he didn't have, was the ability to not get easily distracted by everyday surroundings of noise, other dogs, people etc. He basically broke all his commands when he wanted. What I got back after his three weeks of training was the complete opposite. Of course he is the same dog I had when he left, but now he is well mannered and will not brake any of his commands unless I free him to do so. […] We can see he absolutely loved her. And that is saying a lot as he doesn't really gravitate to anyone other than his family. Thank you OLK9.”

King Schultz, Google review, August 2023

What it changed for his family

The owner who doubted a Malinois could get here came away "100% satisfied with the end result." What came back after three weeks, in the owner's words, was "the complete opposite" of the dog who broke his commands whenever he wanted. That is a very different dog to live with.

Why Chapois's story matters to us

Plenty of dogs are like Chapois: already taught the basics, and reliable right up until something more interesting comes along. Off Leash K9 Training of Las Vegas works on that gap, because a command only helps if your dog still listens when the world gets noisy. Doubting that a Malinois could get there was reasonable. We are glad Chapois proved it could be done.

If your dog knows the commands but tunes you out around distractions, start with our board and train page. If you want that same reliability without a leash, read about off-leash dog training and the 3-Week Off-Leash Program. Every program and price is on our plans and pricing page.