Your thoughts on malinois vs german schepherd - Page 1

Need any comments Thank You

It depends on what you mean.. for the looks.. German shepherds looks better.. if you want a dog to work for police,etc.. go get yourself a Mal :)

I am very courious about the difference in the mal and the shepherd when it conme to work in police and protection. Aren't the mal and shep from similar back grounds? i actually think the mal looks more like the original shep. like i see in pics of dogs of the 40s. any thoughts/opinions

Well, since I own both, I would have to agree with Brittany. It depends on what you want it for. My Mal. is off the chart with energy and drive. I'm sure you could find that type of drive/energy in GSD's as well, but in almost 20 years, I've never seen it... Not even in my time in Germany. Yes, BB., the mals "look" (body type) more like the very old GSD's that I've seen in many books. But the many police officers I've talked to, say they are totally different when it comes to their working. All they can say is, the Mal is much "harder" then the GSD.

apples and oranges ... they are to dioffernet breeds and for reason ... if you understand canines .. then you will understand the statement.. " they are similar yet entirely different" . as for hardness .. i have seen and worked GSDs with extreme high agbgression and harndess , like some mals .. and i have worked mals that are lower in drive and agression like some GSDs . there is a range within the two breds and a spectrum . As far as law.. both are great working dogs .. i can tell you that .. many officers i know afre reverting back to the GSD .. one reason ... many people/ esp criminals and convicted inmates, are not familiar with the Mal , they tend to be smaller [ which as we know in the dog world should be no matter] therefore they do not tend to have the poutlook/respect in this region as they do the GSD . when they see an officer with a GSD /or Rottie ... thney know the dog/officer means business ! secondly ..in al that I have trained , not empirically .. but as anexperience to share .. I have noted the GSD is far more forgiving than a mal if you make a mistake or an error .. the mals i have seen tend to get more imprinted with a mistake and are quite more unforgiving .. tend to be more sentimental . Also the mal is like a race car with the gas pedal down .. impulsive and reactive faster than you van blink .. their structure ..diff than a GSD tends to facilitate that. the GSD seems to be more level headed /pensive and cognitive. both are extremely high in intelligence and problem solving but ther cognitive expressions sem to be different. the mal seems bore like it is programmed and again very reactive to stimuli ..i have both .. they are both great dogs .. ther should have been more GSDs in the German working trials and I think in the futre there will be !

GSD's are very good working dogs, but like others have said the BM is a whole other ball game. BM to me is not for the first time k9 handler wheter it be for sport, PPD, or police. The GSD is more forgiving like alphapup said where the BM is wide open. At the same time they both make excellent working dogs. Just make sure the BM is a dog that is for you.

I have worked with both gsd and mals for almost twenty years. As you might expect anytime you hear a "blanket' statement about a breed you need to be careful what you believe. I agree that an excellent mal is very nice but in my experience while different not better than a really good gsd. Mals have their own breed problems from being shy/timid to even being oversized. As for looks many of them have less than desirable ears as one or both will not be pricked. I have worked with superb mals and the good ones are lighter than gsd's and much quicker than most of the oversized gsd's you see today. Take a good middle sized athletic gsd and not a great difference in quickness. Myself i still prefer gsd but without a doubt a good mal is awesome, just don't think you can just buy one sight unseen and be assured you have a great one. i fostered one mal for a time and she was extremenly shy. So take your pick!

I am a Malinios guy through and through. However, I just bought a GSD. I never thought there would come a day. I spent over a year looking for a new Mal. I have very high standards and was looking for a particular line and type of dog that is very hard to come by anymore. I finally found it at the same time I moved in with my girlfriend. She does daycare and this dog would not have been safe in that situation. I believe the Mal is going downhill. They have gotten very popular and are now suffering from what every breed suffers from when they get popular. Additionally, I think Mal breeders in France and Belgium are very bad about selling Americans their shit. I have to say bravo to the GSD breeders who have made a concerted effort to bring back there breed as a working dog. I see alot of very impressive GSD's comming over from Europe, so bravo to the European GSD breeders for sending good dogs over here. In a nutshell only a handful of GSD's can physically do what malinios can. Mals are faster and more agile. Period. Generally they have much higher prey drive and GSD's carry more prey aggression. I find the Mals to be much more trainable if you know how to handle them. GSD's are more knuckleheads, but far more forgiving. If you make a mistake with a Mal you can very easily ruin the dog or get hurt really bad. In the sport world, GSD's just can't beat Mals. GSD's do not win the Belgian Ring Nationals (although Flip in 1992 was half GSD) GSD do not win French Ring Selectifs or the Cup of France, and GSD's do not win the FCI IPO

...OOPS GSD's do not win the FCI Worlds. Minus Orry and that female I can't remember her name. For police work, I actually recommend GSD's for the most part. Most K9 handlers are not really experienced and quality of training is often an issue. I have seen MANY K9 handlers get bit by Mals. There is also something to be said about a larger dog for police service. I really like my little GSD puppy. She is not going to be very big, is drivey, and carries aggression. I am going to try and break the mold a little with her. All things being equal, I will pick a Mal every time but that's just my preference.

One more thing.... If GSD people did something other than Sch. This might change. Cross train, cross train, cross train. Breeds can't progress and improve if they only do one thing.