GSD vs. Malinois - this is an interesting article... - Page 1

I'm sure I am not the only who has noticed that the Malinois is currently the "sexy" breed right now in trials.  That said, I came across this article from what looks to be a reputable source, ranking the Malinois quite a bit lower in intelligence than the GSD.  IF this is true, it very may well be that in sport, the Mali's drive serves it well, but when your *@@ is on the line (or some cop's), would you not want the more intelligent animal?

According to S. Coren, author of "The Intelligence of Dogs", there are three types of dog intelligence:

• Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability). This is specific to the individual animal and is measured by canine IQ tests.
• Instinctive Intelligence. This is specific to the individual animal and is measured by canine IQ tests.
• Working/Obedience Intelligence. This is breed dependent.

The Intelligence Ranking

Stanley Coren is a neuropsychologist and professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Coren has published articles in medical journals including The New England Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Public Health and Sleep. He has appeared on numerous television programs including Good Morning America, CNN, The Osgood Files and The Today Show. Dr. Coren is a fellow of the American Psychology Association, American Psychology Society and Canadian Psychology Association. He was recently awarded the Killam Memorial Fellowship.

Its the Mali's drives that interests people and is awesome to watch in trial.....but if that all they can do is the trial stradegy, which is learned by repetition for a year or so before you go to trial, maybe thats why so many depts are going back to the shepherd.,,,,just be more careful where they obtain one.......

if the GSd is winning back interest for their versitility and intellagence. I would hope people would sit up and take notice and breed for the betterment of the breed in structure, temperment., health (not in any order). It really is an awesome dog, we just have to quit messing with it, and I agree with all of the posts we breed to close/to much.

A well-bred Malinois is indeed a terrific dog for protection work-there is no doubt about that. Mindset, temperament, civil drive tendencies-the dogs tend to have that more naturally than many other breeds. Coupled with an agile and light frame, they are indeed fast movers. It has always been a joy to watch a Malinois team work as the dogs are so blindingly fast and have a very different attack pattern compared to the GSD. Would I own one? Perhaps I would. Would I prefer it to the GSD? Not at this point in my life.

But what is it we repeat about our GSD? Not the best in anything, but second best in everything. A well-bred GSD has all of the qualities we seek in man's best friend unless some things are out of balance, as happens when the dog is bred solely for work or show. But those are specialized animals so I do not intend for that last sentence to sound disrespectful. I love them all.

Regards,

Bob-O

Bob-O

I loved your post! Could not have expressed it any better on all fronts!

 And can I quote Bob-O why we love the GSD breed...

"Not the best in anything, but second best in everything. A well-bred GSD has all of the qualities we seek in man's best friend..."

Have a nice week ahead guys...   Marci

Not for nuthin, but what I read there was pretty much crap. I mean the whole thing. Did you see what his results were based on???? Some dog trainer. Not a specific trainer, just "A" dog trainer. So really it just doesn't count.

And for the record I have a Mal and I love him, and I have a GSD and I love her. No reason to compare. After all the horrible breeding I have been seeing, I am sure that the Mal will become more and more like the GSD anyway. : )

hey i heard about this. I heard this guy might be a jackass.

there are also some interesting articles that have supporting evidence that the germans didn't try to kill off the jews during ww2. maybe you should put those articles up as well and lable them as truth. don't believe everything you read.

i own both a mal and a gsd. the gsd has many qualities i like, but as far as training in generally, ablity to retain info, and problem solving the mals i have owned blow, any of the gsds i have owned, out of the water.

According to that article, the Belgian Malinois is ranked as an "Excellent Working Dog".  Hmmm.  Hardly something to be ashamed of.

Food for thought:  the Poodle is ranked #2 and the Pappilion as #8... if these dogs are such truly gifted working dogs, or should I say obedience dogs at least, why don't we see the OB trials flooded with these breeds?  All the other "Top 10" breeds are common at working trials, whether AKC OB, SchH, Agility, Herding, etc.  So where are all the Poodles and Pappilions???

This summer we bought a new puppy to train in SchH and join our happy home, and it's a Mali, not a GSD.  I have been a Shepherd Woman all my days, but this puppy is forcing me to rethink my breed preference.  She is an Ot Vitosha Mali, a Turcos daughter, and she is showing more potential for workability than I've ever seen in an 8 week puppy.  Unbelieveable strike and grip for such a baby puppy.  Bombproof nerves.  She's a joy to work with like no other puppy I've had before.

Ouch.

Another advantage of the breed is that it is still not popular enough to badly over-inflate the price.  I can't believe the prices of GSD puppies that people are asking, and getting.  I've only been involved in the sport since 2000 but I remember then when one of my club mates got an outstanding GSD from Karthago bloodlines for $500.  It was an awesome dog.  You can't get crap for $500 anymore.

"Ripley" came with a $1300 price tag, but I considered this an excellent price considering Ivan's reputation and the strength of his breeding program.  A casual perusal of the GSD ads show Joe Q. Nobody selling GSD puppies for $1300, out of titled parents of no consequence. 

I'm still going to work with my big boned black sable GSD, but I'm watching Ripley's development with envy.  One distinct advantage she will have from her lighter frame and shorter coat is better performance in the summer heat.  I hate training with Chaco in the summer time.  His thick black sable coat wears him down no matter how hard I brush him to thin the hair out.

I'll keep you posted on Ripley's progress.  I'm keeping a keen and curious eye on this one...

Yvette

I remember the first time I saw a mali pup work, and had to rethink my every definition when it cam e to drive and trainability ect, ect.