gwenneth1 Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 So the way I've interpreted the post is (and again, bear with my ignorance... with all things Belgian) that regardless of whether it is show or working some show lines still could be over sharp (and somewhat nervy and I assume (?) that some working lines could also be prone to being nervy? I'm guessing (and again everybody feel free to comment because I am trying to learn...slow witted as I am ) from what is written, the Belgian needs more careful selection than the average GSD would? It would boil down to the potential Belgian owner being realistic and honest about themselves and (for me the tricky part) would be finding an experienced knowledgeable breeder who would do their best to match suitable candidates. Not from what I've seen. The GSD is a far more popular dog in terms of numbers whelped but I'd only recommend the same careful vetting be applied to either dog in terms of finding sound dogs of good temperament. There are nervy GSDs too. Breeder selection is crucial (but you can argue that for any breed I suppose) Yes, I agree, I think breeder selection is crucial for any breed for sure. I was wondering (and hope I'm not opening a can of worms..) because it appears there are less breeders of Belgians is there less choice for selection . Eg, as yet are the some breeders who have not yet established or had access to the more desirable types of Belgians and therefore statiscally less 'well bred' Belgians getting around than the "average" GSD's? (Oh hell, I know what I'm trying to say, but can't word it properly ) I'm only making less than well educated assumptions here, I should add. There just seems to be a common theme from Belgian owners (Briefly talked to two in person who both said the same thing) to go to the right breeder. Maybe I've grabbed the wrong end of the stick in my interpretation... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Yes, I agree, I think breeder selection is crucial for any breed for sure. I was wondering (and hope I'm not opening a can of worms..) because it appears there are less breeders of Belgians is there less choice for selection . Eg, as yet are the some breeders who have not yet established or had access to the more desirable types of Belgians and therefore statiscally less 'well bred' Belgians getting around than the "average" GSD's? (Oh hell, I know what I'm trying to say, but can't word it properly ) I'm only making less than well educated assumptions here, I should add. There just seems to be a common theme from Belgian owners (Briefly talked to two in person who both said the same thing) to go to the right breeder. Maybe I've grabbed the wrong end of the stick in my interpretation... I don't know a whole lot about GSD, but from talking to working dog people (including the GSD SAR handlers I know), it seems to me that the issue with german shepherds is often finding one with enough drive and energy to be a good working dog. That's an issue for working dog people, but for pet owners, a low to medium drive dog like this is not usually a huge problem. This is different to the WL mally, where the problems often start with a dog with so much drive and energy that the typical pet owner can't keep it busy enough. Both breeds can be nervy and both can be unstable. Both can also have health issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I think that because of the huge numbers of GSD breeders that it would be harder to find a good GSD. Partly due to the reasons Staranais said (hard to find one with enough drive) and one with good temperament etc as there is so much choice! As there is isn't so much choice with Malinois it is easier to get recommendations from people as to the right kennel for your purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwenneth1 Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I think that because of the huge numbers of GSD breeders that it would be harder to find a good GSD. Partly due to the reasons Staranais said (hard to find one with enough drive) and one with good temperament etc as there is so much choice! As there is isn't so much choice with Malinois it is easier to get recommendations from people as to the right kennel for your purpose. Geez, I never thought of that point of view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abed Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I think that because of the huge numbers of GSD breeders that it would be harder to find a good GSD. Partly due to the reasons Staranais said (hard to find one with enough drive) and one with good temperament etc as there is so much choice! As there is isn't so much choice with Malinois it is easier to get recommendations from people as to the right kennel for your purpose. Geez, I never thought of that point of view. The Malinois generally leans towards high level working dogs more so than pet quality where GSD's are plentiful. Ultimately, good research in both breeds is essential finding the right breeder and the most suitable dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tay. Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Thanks to all who replied to my question :D My 'my next dog will be...' list seems to be growing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Nekhbet, you know as well as I do that the Malinois lines vary somewhat and you get a male out of Zico or Kasper with an inexperienced owner for example you are in Dutch Shepherd country, far too much dog for the average dog owner and the Malinois needs to be met with caution somewhat as to where they come from and the lines that produce them. There are many nervy showline Mals with over sharpness that are worse than a weaker GSD in defence reactivity. Across the board, a working line GSD is far more handler compliant with a wider window for error correction than a Mal and quite frankly, if someone hasn't owned a working line GSD or Rottweiler with competent handling skills, a Mal would be last breed I would recommend unless the pup and lines are chosen with experience and diligence to match the owners experience level. Ahh Zico .. gimme gimme gimme! OK I'll tell everyone a story. In early 2004 I went looking for a dog. It would have been my first dog raised by me and not a family dog. I first looked at a von forell Dobermann because I had always wanted one and I was desperate to do Schutzhund. I had also enquired about a litter of Malinois but was keener on a big dobermann. I got a phonecall, I have 4 Malinois bitches to choose from come pick one, no one wants them. Dam was Mechelse Astrid (Dano x Kyra daughter) and dad was a big mal called Jack (Ike son) So here's me, 21 years old, no car of my own on a train to pick up my puppy after pulling a sicky from work. I walked into the breeders garage and was instantly mauled by 10 malinois puppies, the breeder pulled one thrasher off me and said, here this bitch is medium she's all yours. I tried to attend the Schutzhund club but my ex refused to drive me to that 'shit' and so after reading everything on working dogs, fear periods, socialisation, flooding, behaviour etc I socialised he hell out of this unsocialised pup, attached myself to any training session I could and attended PP training when it was closer to home. Should I have been a candidate for a mal of her lines? Probably not. I wasnt stupid but at least I learned fast. It was hard, at times it was really horrible owning her particularly when she decided that palings had to come off fences because the neighbours 20 something sons climbed over the fence for their footy. Oh the screaming in the car, the shredding of the interior, the barking barking barking. But I trained her, she was my patrol dog when I worked for DDA. She taught me a lot about dogs and was the biggest reason I became a trainer and behaviourist. If I could turn back the clock I wouldnt have changed a thing. Are Mals hard? Hell yes. I'm happy to help anyone who wants or gets one. I welcome people to come experience my girl. She will be seven years old in a few weeks and has a lot of life and workability left in her. They're a hell ofa lot of fun though, I wont look back to GSDs, like one trainer said when she was a pup 'you now have the keys to a ferrari'. I've been lucky enough to socialise her (second) neices too for the past couple of weeks, god I miss them they are addictive (despite the carnage and scars) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAX Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 (edited) Link not working Edited January 13, 2011 by PAX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAX Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 (edited) Link not working, sorry:(( Edited January 13, 2011 by PAX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 cant see it Pax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAX Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Buggar, was hoping to show off my boy...lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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