A game...Which would you choose? - Page 1

Just starting a little game for fun! I will start by listing two dogs. You say which one of the two that you would rather have, and why. Then list two for the next person to pick from. And on and on....




Would you rather have...


 Bomber vom Wolfsheim

or

Max van Tiekerhook



And why?

Man, thats a mean game. Can I have 2 turns in a row?

JoAnn Letcher

A Malinois.  Reasons?  Too many to list but I'll start the discussion (argument?) with heart, desire, a never quit, I can still do more attitude.  Athleticism, coordination, quick twitch muscle movement as well as quick twitch mind movement.  Explaining the heart and desire can be exemplified by a video history of the long bite (formerly known as the "Courage Test").  Probably one of the best indicators is the willingness to increase speed and carry through the confrontation and not "gather" or break down.  You know that cliche, "The eyes are the window to the soul", well the long bite can be defined this way as well. 

PS  It's the General Topic All Breed Forum so don't let your undies creep up so tight.

Out of the 300 possible points, your only concern is the CT? Why wouldn't a Malinois, as a whole, be better at the CT? To put it simply for you, it isn't a CT for most Mals. You may as well put a frisbee in the helper's hand. Mostly prey=0 pressure. Mostly Defense(dobermann)=a shitty looking CT. The GSD is all over the place, but is supposed to be a somewhat "balanced" dog, for a lack of a better term.-------- Not saying malinois aren't good, or any breed is better than the other. Just think it would be hilarious if all organizations cut out every exercise besides the CT.------ Oh, and I'd chose the live one...Snoopy or Goofy

Of course I don't consider that to be the only criteria as I don't consider SchH to be the "end all, be all" testing forum either.  It is one forum and a forum that was developed to test the German Shepherd not necessarily the Malinois.  However, the Malinois being a highly adaptable breed, it has been proven to excel in the premier biting sports ie SchH, IPO, VPG, FR, NVBK and KNPV and even police and military.  Of course the "long bite" is not the "only" test of a dog's balance but it sure is a strong indicator of the shear soul of the animal.  Show me a dog with a weak long bite and I'll show you a quitter.

Show me a dog with high prey and I'll show you a nice CT.

Ahh, but it's all about balance. 

Years ago I knew of a Shepherd bitch that came on the long bite like her tail was on fire, super long bite yet cowered through pretty much the whole obedience routine and when she saw the dumbbell, would run under the fence and off the field.

Ok, so you're telling me about a bitch that probably had too much pressure put on it in Obedience by it's handler? What's your point? And you never picked, Snoopy or Goofy.

Point being, it's about balance in the force Luke.  The Yin and the Yang, the hard and the soft, the black and white, the Question of Balance.  A poor long bite is part of the "evaluation process" and can sway the scales out of balance.  Too me (as evidenced by the Performance Test ratings given out the past few years) the term "Pronounced" is thrown around far too easily and in essence has become more like a nickel than a manhole cover.

And, to pick out an individual, and stay somewhat current, I would probably choose Knut Fuchs' dog Klemm vom Roten Falken  http://www.working-dog.eu/dogs-details/303/Klemm-vom-Roten-Falken   If you check out what he accomplished from 1999-2004 at championship events and then look at what his offspring also accomplished at championship events, you will see that he not only was a World Champion but also produced himself many times over.  In fact, if memory serves me correct, he sired like 7 or 8 of the top 15 dogs at the DMC (Deutscher Malinois Club) Championship one year.  Great worker, great producer.