Belgian (malinois) Vs German Shepherds

[jacqui835]

One day I may get a second dog, the breeds I like that are available in Australia (no hovawarts ) are German Shepherds and Belgian Shepherds. In my mind now they seem fairly similar except that perhaps the Malinois (if I got a Belgian Shepherd it would be this variety) is a bit more energetic/athletic, but I would love to hear from people who have owned one or both on what they feel are the defining traits temperament wise of the breeds.

[Nekhbet]

what have you owned before? The two are very different in their temperaments. If you are only on your first working breed then I would go with the GSD, a little more laid back then the Malinois. Mals are very owner sensitive, cannot take harsh reprimands but are very pushy dogs comparably. My bitch is also not the dog park flirt, she is not keen on playing with other dogs and people who visit, well they're just toy throwers to her Mals can scale high fences and become nusience barkers very easily so watch this point. Oh and the puppies bite a lot and VERY hard (have one here at the moment I look like a pincusion) and if you catch one in fear period ... ugh ... they're terrible. But I wont go back to a german shepherd after owning a malinois. Incredibly loyal, great guarding breed but not a dog for the faint of heart I can tell you that, once you start something with them they want to do it ALL THE TIME ... or run around you like mum, mum, mum when are we going to training, come on now now now now now now play time now now now now now

my shepherds have been able to chill out. If you are going for a shep get a good one, dont get one from parents that whine like the proverbial or I find you end up with one that does too, its the most annoying breed trait too many people are accepting these days. Since you are in SA you can always pop down to Adelaide sportdog club to see what is there and meet some dogs or try http://www.brooksvalekennels.com

[Blakbelgian]

No idea. Perhaps ask in the All Things Belgian Thread you might get more answers.

I think less grooming for a Malinois would be a plus rather than a GSD.

BB

[Rozzie]

From the perspective of a pet dog / obedience person. I had a GSD and a Mal at the same time.

The Mal was quicker on the uptake at training, got bored easily and would happily accommodate being one of the 'posts' for figure eight heeling patterns. He was quick, smart, could climb like a cat, dog and people social, loyal.

The GSD was a 'plodder' in comparison. Lovely temperament, very laid back, also dog/people social, loyal.

Now I have a Terv and he's a whole new kettle of fish.

[jacqui835]

Thanks for the replies, that's quite helpful.

I currently have a male entire doberman, and prior to that we had a female desexed rottie and a terrier cross. My cousins have 2 male GSD's though my love for the breed started when I had to share a house with one back when I was 16. Chose a dobe because I fell in love with his parents. Dobe has been absolutely wonderful, and I want to keep this dog forever. The rottie was a very loving sook, but didn't seem quite as bright as the shep's or the dobe, and not as perfect personality fit. I can imagine rotties making very good family dogs. I will never own any kind of terrier again, it's just not the breed for me. How would you rate Mal sensitivity compared to Dobe? Because he seems pretty sensitive to me, he is incredibly responsive and sometimes it's like he can read my mind.

So I love dominant, naturally protective breeds, I love the partnerships you have with them and how hard they will work for you. I have a partner now though, and I guess it's getting pretty serious. He is already jealous of the bond between me and the dobe, so I guess that's a factor I also need to consider. That said, he just loves and plays with the dog, and wants something that will love and play with him, and fortunately, he's been very quick in learning how to be dominant and assertive himself, but it will be me doing all the training and most of the walks.

I am moving to SA at the end of this week, but that is definitely something I'm going to check out.

[Staranais]

what have you owned before? The two are very different in their temperaments. If you are only on your first working breed then I would go with the GSD, a little more laid back then the Malinois. Mals are very owner sensitive, cannot take harsh reprimands but are very pushy dogs comparably. My bitch is also not the dog park flirt, she is not keen on playing with other dogs and people who visit, well they're just toy throwers to her ;) Mals can scale high fences and become nusience barkers very easily so watch this point. Oh and the puppies bite a lot and VERY hard (have one here at the moment I look like a pincusion) and if you catch one in fear period ... ugh ... they're terrible.

Yes. Mallies bark (lord, how they bark - your neighbours will hate you if you don't keep your malinois very well occupied). They're very sensitive, some are very nervy. The working lines are extremely high prey drive - as a baby, my girl wanted to bite everything that moved (toys, cats, birds, running children, kids on bikes, people that were silly enough to move their arms quickly)... and she didn't just grow out of it, I had to train her specifically not to bite all of these things.

Definitely not a dog for the majority of people, although she can be a lot of fun. If you're looking for a protective pet or competition dog & want a mally, I'd definitely look at the show lines rather than the working lines, as the working lines are a lot of work.

;)

[abed]

It depends on the type of dog you want to choose between a GSD and Malinois as they are both capable of the same type of work and applications. As a pet, informal protector and amateur sporting dog, a Maliniois IMHO doesn't rate against a GSD and I personally wouldn't consider one. In laymens terms, the Malinois in comparison is silly, hyperactive, noisy, destructive and a general pain in the butt requiring a higher level of training to obtain the stable behaviours that come easier with the GSD.

As a sporting dog, it's much easier to find a Malinois bloodline to out perform a GSD. Although in ultimate performance, there is not much between a "good" GSD and a Malinois, but finding a GSD to match a Malinois from a sporting perspective are difficult to find and in that regard I would choose the Malinois.

[jacqui835]

what have you owned before? The two are very different in their temperaments. If you are only on your first working breed then I would go with the GSD, a little more laid back then the Malinois. Mals are very owner sensitive, cannot take harsh reprimands but are very pushy dogs comparably. My bitch is also not the dog park flirt, she is not keen on playing with other dogs and people who visit, well they're just toy throwers to her Mals can scale high fences and become nusience barkers very easily so watch this point. Oh and the puppies bite a lot and VERY hard (have one here at the moment I look like a pincusion) and if you catch one in fear period ... ugh ... they're terrible.

Yes. Mallies bark (lord, how they bark - your neighbours will hate you if you don't keep your malinois very well occupied). They're very sensitive, some are very nervy. The working lines are extremely high prey drive - as a baby, my girl wanted to bite everything that moved (toys, cats, birds, running children, kids on bikes, people that were silly enough to move their arms quickly)... and she didn't just grow out of it, I had to train her specifically not to bite all of these things.

Definitely not a dog for the majority of people, although she can be a lot of fun. If you're looking for a protective pet or competition dog & want a mally, I'd definitely look at the show lines rather than the working lines, as the working lines are a lot of work.

;)

Oh gosh I'm guessing Mal's are worse than dobes, but my boy went through a stage of wanting to bite everything that moved. Joggers, bike riders - all fair game. He will still try and kill small animals especially rabbits (lots of feral ones around us) and although now I can get him to sit and wait and not chase the rabbits, he still literally sits there shaking, pupils fully dilated etc and can't really focus or think about anything else whilst he can see and smell them. Everything he does he does in slow motion, ie sitting etc lol all the while trying to look and sniff for rabbits. He still wants to chase everything too though to be fair, I no longer have to worry about humans running around, he is just a guard dog in that respect now, in that he shows no interest unless they act strangely/threateningly and even then, if it's a child, he ignores them completely even if they run around screaming.

He's not a barker though. He will only bark if he senses someone or something venturing near our house and most of the time I'm really happy he does this. Hmm starting to think I might be better off with a GSD. Not because the Mal's don't sound awesome, but because they sound a bit like a full-time job hehe and I am looking for something that is around the same level of intensity as the dobe (which you can put a huge amount of time into but you don't pay a terrible price when you have to be away for a day etc). I was just drawn to the athleticism and good looks of the Mal's. But I am still looking forward to going and watching them in action.

You know what really scares me about all this, a guy down at the park bought a Mal pup from good ol' Pets Paradise because it was 'cute'. That was actually a couple of months ago, and I probably saw him twice and not since

[Rozzie]

As a pet, informal protector and amateur sporting dog, a Maliniois IMHO doesn't rate against a GSD and I personally wouldn't consider one. In laymens terms, the Malinois in comparison is silly, hyperactive, noisy, destructive and a general pain in the butt requiring a higher level of training to obtain the stable behaviours that come easier with the GSD.

And mine were the total opposite of what you've described.

Edited January 11, 2011 by Rozzie

[Staranais]

Hmm starting to think I might be better off with a GSD. Not because the Mal's don't sound awesome, but because they sound a bit like a full-time job hehe and I am looking for something that is around the same level of intensity as the dobe (which you can put a huge amount of time into but you don't pay a terrible price when you have to be away for a day etc). I was just drawn to the athleticism and good looks of the Mal's. But I am still looking forward to going and watching them in action.

If you're just after a protective pet, I'd definitely choose GSD over mally.

It might be worth investigating some showline belgians too, but I think a WL mally (i.e. bred for bitesports & service work) might be more of a PITA than you want. Just watch the nerves - I've seen some very shy, nervous belgians out there lately.

[Kavik]

Certainly depends on what you want.

From my experience and what I've seen, Malinois are more active, higher drive, sensitive and can be highly strung. They are on my list of potential next dogs GSD seem to be more laid back and calmer as well as being more heavily built. Having become used to Kelpies, I love craziness and I find my GSD sooo different to the active Kelpie mind I am used to dealing with. Plus the agility of the Malinois suits the sports I compete in.

[corvus]

You're all mad. I can't handle a dog that actually cares how I feel. It is weird and unnatural and it makes me anxious! Give me the casual disregard of a spitz any day. ;) That I understand.

[Nekhbet]

the Malinois in comparison is silly, hyperactive, noisy, destructive and a general pain in the butt requiring a higher level of training to obtain the stable behaviours that come easier with the GSD.

what a load. Spoken like a person who has treated them like a GSD and wondered why they failed - too many people in this country think they are just a thin version of a GSD with more drive when in fact they are a totally different dog. I find more sheps harder to keep stable then Mals and mals much faster on the uptake. I also have 2 pure woking line Mal pups here who are absolute angels. Yes they want to play but they both sleep in a crate, hold on through the night, have learned to sit, drop, out, grab their toys etc and walk nicely on led at 11 weeks of age. They sit here staring at me like 'what do you want me to do next'. I also find Malinois pups are not screamers if you raise them properly and can be happily independant if from a good breeder. Some people stupidly breed for 'more prey drive' here in australia which simply gives you a pain in the butt useless dog. Hence pick a good breeder. Never owned one before go straight to www.malinois.net.au

Oh gosh I'm guessing Mal's are worse than dobes, but my boy went through a stage of wanting to bite everything that moved. Joggers, bike riders - all fair game. He will still try and kill small animals especially rabbits (lots of feral ones around us) and although now I can get him to sit and wait and not chase the rabbits, he still literally sits there shaking, pupils fully dilated etc and can't really focus or think about anything else whilst he can see and smell them. Everything he does he does in slow motion, ie sitting etc lol all the while trying to look and sniff for rabbits. He still wants to chase everything too though to be fair, I no longer have to worry about humans running around, he is just a guard dog in that respect now, in that he shows no interest unless they act strangely/threateningly and even then, if it's a child, he ignores them completely even if they run around screaming.

He's not a barker though. He will only bark if he senses someone or something venturing near our house and most of the time I'm really happy he does this. Hmm starting to think I might be better off with a GSD. Not because the Mal's don't sound awesome, but because they sound a bit like a full-time job hehe and I am looking for something that is around the same level of intensity as the dobe (which you can put a huge amount of time into but you don't pay a terrible price when you have to be away for a day etc). I was just drawn to the athleticism and good looks of the Mal's. But I am still looking forward to going and watching them in action.

German shepherd or Malinois you seem like you need more experience with prey driven dogs and controlling it. I have a working line bitch who will be 7 in a couple of weeks, she loves cats, lives with rabbits, ferrets, if I say leave it she doesnt bother (just wants their food) doesnt chase like a feral etc if your dog is sitting there shaking at a prey animal you need to teach it to settle down and how to control its drive before investing in another guarding breed. Like I said you're moving to SA, start visiting Adelaide Sportdog Club to teach you to handle pry drive and you will have the added bonus of meeting the two breeds in the flesh in order to help you decide.

You're all mad. I can't handle a dog that actually cares how I feel. It is weird and unnatural and it makes me anxious! Give me the casual disregard of a spitz any day. That I understand.

They're incrdibly intuitive even as puppies I have never seen it with another breed. They attach themselves to their owner and it makes it incredibly easy to train them. Its not like a separation anxety thing they have a job to do and they do it religiously

Edited January 11, 2011 by Nekhbet

[Rozzie]

what a load. Spoken like a person who has treated them like a GSD and wondered why they failed - too many people in this country think they are just a thin version of a GSD with more drive when in fact they are a totally different dog. I find more sheps harder to keep stable then Mals and mals much faster on the uptake. I also have 2 pure woking line Mal pups here who are absolute angels. Yes they want to play but they both sleep in a crate, hold on through the night, have learned to sit, drop, out, grab their toys etc and walk nicely on led at 11 weeks of age. They sit here staring at me like 'what do you want me to do next'. I also find Malinois pups are not screamers if you raise them properly and can be happily independant if from a good breeder. Some people stupidly breed for 'more prey drive' here in australia which simply gives you a pain in the butt useless dog. Hence pick a good breeder. Never owned one before go straight to www.malinois.net.au

They're incrdibly intuitive even as puppies I have never seen it with another breed. They attach themselves to their owner and it makes it incredibly easy to train them. Its not like a separation anxety thing they have a job to do and they do it religiously

Thankyou. I was beginning to think I was mad!

[PAX]

My WL Malinois, entire male, never barks, is gentle with cats and small children, would never chase anything apart from tugs, balls and frisbee. He is amazingly calm in the house, he lives in the house.

I have no doubt he would be a nightmare if thrown in a backyard and ignored.

He is the most amazing dog I have ever owned, but he gets a good amount of exercise and stimulation, training and playing are one and the same thing to him.

I have never owned a German Shepherd so can't comment.

[gwenneth1]

This post has been very interesting to read. I was tossing up in the future to get a Belgian (I've read different articles stating that the four 'types' within this group are wired internally very different to each other ?? True or misinformation) or a GSD. (Had two GSD's before)

Personally, I like a dog that is in tune with me (or cares how I feel), it's not ego based, but I've found (in my limited experiences) that they are seem to pick up on things (training and otherwise) so much easier. I've had an independent dog and we adored each other, but he wasn't 'intuitive' .

Withe the Malinois (and I know this is a generic question) are they happy to chill out at your feet for an hour or always looking for a job to do? (Pardon my ignorance.... )

At this stage I am leaning towards the GSD I think because I have some familiarity,but also from what I've read the Belgian might be a bit wired for my situation. I will say time and time again I've read that there is great emphasis on finding a good breeder, more so for the Belgian than GSD. Mind you, for me I've spent literally months sourcing a breeder with the type of GSD I would like.

There is some amazing footage of a a Belgian (?think it was a Malinois) that a friend showed doing obedience and this dog was SHARP. I was mightily impressed.

[Rozzie]

This post has been very interesting to read. I was tossing up in the future to get a Belgian (I've read different articles stating that the four 'types' within this group are wired internally very different to each other ?? True or misinformation) or a GSD. (Had two GSD's before)

My Terv is a totally different kettle of fish to the Mal. If he was anymore laid back, he'd be in a coma. He is still incredibly easy to train. He is more sensitive than the Mal. He is also terrified of the chooks! He is friendly towards anyone that gives him even a sideways glance and craves attention.

Personally, I like a dog that is in tune with me (or cares how I feel), it's not ego based, but I've found (in my limited experiences) that they are seem to pick up on things (training and otherwise) so much easier. I've had an independent dog and we adored each other, but he wasn't 'intuitive' .

Withe the Malinois (and I know this is a generic question) are they happy to chill out at your feet for an hour or always looking for a job to do? (Pardon my ignorance.... )

Mine was happy to chill, he was more relaxed than the GSD.

At this stage I am leaning towards the GSD I think because I have some familiarity,but also from what I've read the Belgian might be a bit wired for my situation. I will say time and time again I've read that there is great emphasis on finding a good breeder, more so for the Belgian than GSD. Mind you, for me I've spent literally months sourcing a breeder with the type of GSD I would like.

Yes

There is some amazing footage of a a Belgian (?think it was a Malinois) that a friend showed doing obedience and this dog was SHARP. I was mightily impressed.

[Nekhbet]

my bitch will chill out but only if I am. If i'm doing something she has to be involved. Well usually, now we're getting older we're getting crotchety and happy to lay back and chill out, terrorise puppies, guard the front etc. You do need to train and keep their minds active but then in the off times they will chill (for a bit lol)

[Jeff Jones]

Never owned one before go straight to www.malinois.net.au

I agree with people interested in the Malinois to contact Amanda from Vanrusselhof. She is a great person to deal with and will give you accurate information about the breed.

[Tay.]

Malinois people I have a question! Is there a huge difference between working and show line? Would you suggest someone who is looking for a obedience/agility dog (*cough.me.cough*) to lean towards WL or SL?