A short report of how my two Malinois protected me from a too close encounter with a very large coyote, and fortunately for all three of us, the Mals were not on LEASH in the situation described below.

My male started a serious heavy alarm inside, at our patio sliding doors. At night, with the living room lights are on, all I could see is our reflections in the glass doors. Usually, the female is not "allowed" by the male to do "yard duty" - (he isnt allowed "under bed" privileges by her inside the house - their rules. (offensive snarling, immediately respected by the offender)

This night the inside/outside rules about varmints were suddenly, and shocking to me, no longer applied.

Shadow, the large male, had our female (Hanna) at the door within seconds. I opened the patio door, and - to my horror - right up on the patio deck & right up at the door - a nasty looking coyote.

I learned a lot that night. Instantly, like a pair of shotguns, almost knocking me over, barreling right out the door, in full snarl, both dogs went. I remember Shadow took my left side - the coyote's right -, and Hanna took my right side, the coyote's left. Momentarily, I was terrified, envisioning a horrible dog and coyote fight.

Didnt happen that way! Shadow took one side, Hanna the other, and proceeded to "air snap" and snarl over either side of the coyote's snout. Then they literally, backed that coyote off our deck and the slate patio, out across the lawn, the rest of our property. They wouldn't let the coyote even turn around, as they had him corralled on either side. This continued then even further across a field and then past a neighbor's drive into the woods beyond.

The two Malinois actually "bum-rushed" that coyote clear across our property and the neighbor's and the road between. No guns were required. HOWEVER! There were two dogs and one coyote. What would have happened had there been 2 coyotes, or three? I wouldn't want to find out.

Those two Malinois did not need training or signals from me. I had never thought to train for a situation like this! Their instinct clicked in - knew exactly what to do to protect me and the property, because the genetics behind breeding of this particular breed. Leashes are good in some situation, and no so good in others. What was the right use in this situation is too complicated to call.