Recall training for GSD and Malinois

Two working-breed dogs trained separately — that's actually the right call, and it tells me you already know what you're doing. Reliable recall is the single most important skill either dog can have, and with high-drive breeds like a GSD and a Malinois, the winning combination is almost always a high-value treat that cuts through distraction paired with a long line so they're practising in real environments before you trust them off-lead. Tell me: how is each dog's recall right now — solid in the garden but shaky in the field, or genuinely unreliable in most contexts? And are you training in the same locations with both, or completely separate sessions and spaces?

That's a really common split — the GSD has the foundation but the arousal threshold is too low, while the Mali has the intelligence to know the recall cue means the fun stops, so she's gaming it. For both of them the fix starts with the treat: it needs to be so good that nothing else in the environment competes. What are you using at the moment, and is it different for each dog?

That's your biggest problem right in front of you. Kibble doesn't beat a squirrel for a GSD and it absolutely doesn't beat self-rewarding independence for a Mali. You need to jump several levels up the value scale. My recommendation for both dogs is Forthglade 100% Natural Liver Treats — they're single-ingredient air-dried liver, intensely smelly, soft enough to break into tiny pieces so you can reward fast and often without filling the dog up, and they work especially well for high-drive dogs because the smell alone hits hard at distance. Use them exclusively for recall — nothing else — and both dogs will start to associate that cue with something genuinely worth interrupting their fun for. Pair that with a 10-metre long line (a simple webbing one is fine) so the Malinois in particular can't self-reward by staying out — she comes in, gets the liver, then you release her straight back out. The recall predicts more freedom, not less.

Start with the liver for both — it's genuinely high on the value scale and you want a consistent protocol you can maintain. If after two or three weeks the Mali is still stalling, you can layer in small pieces of cooked chicken or cheese as a jackpot on top of the liver for the moments she comes in fast. But don't skip straight to that — you want to know whether the treat is actually the variable or whether it's the release back to play that's missing. The long line will tell you that pretty quickly. Keep sessions short, especially with the Mali: five or six recalls per session, every one rewarded, end on a good one.

You've got everything you need. The main thing is patience with the Mali — she's not being stubborn, she's being a Malinois, which means she's constantly calculating whether compliance pays. Make it pay every single time for the next few weeks and you'll see the shift. Good luck with both of them.