I have 4 male Mal/Ds's living in the same home with no problems at all. I even play fetch with 2 at the same time, yeah I have to stop them from brawling a litle but its fun.Their ages are 8 years old (Dad) and 2.5 years old (brothers).
It is very scary and sad to hear people's misconceptions about these Mals and DS's. These two breeds are basically identical except for coloring especially when you get into the KNPV DS's. This is because many of them can trace a parent or grandparent to a Mal. At one time in their history a brindle Mal would pass for a DS and a fawn DS would pass for a Mal.
Facts for my Working Shepherds (mal, ds)
1: They all can swim
2:They can be around children , two acually love kids.
3:They can all walk fine on slippery surfaces.
4:I have 2 that are friendly but can light up and then recover fast, the other two are more reserved and not so friendly but well behaved and controlled.
5: Size wise smaller is better for agility, endurance, and speed for the most part. The father is 80lbs, one is 70lbs, the other 2 are 85 and 90lbs. The 90lbs is short and stocky and less agile like a GSD but still more agile than a GSD. The 85 is taller and can be 90lb but is very agile.
These mals are meant to be VERY versatile dogs with GREAT nerves. The problem with the Mals is that they can reflect the way they are trained and raised VERY EASILY, so when you see a shy crappy mal, think of the owners training ad not the dog itslf. PLEASE you GSD people don't take the Mal's(once the GSD's as well)naturally perceptive and protective instincts as a sign of nervousness, they are in some ways very to close being wolves as far as natural instincts.
Another point is if you guys think the mals are weak nerved buy Ed's Belgian Ring ad KNPV tapes and see how weak their nerves are and why most GSDs cant even get past the agility part of BR and FR nerverless the other parts of the programs, even in KNPV there are very few GSDs at the top levels!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

George
WorkingShepherds@yahoo.groups.com

Well, that ought to stir it up, lmao!
What do you mean they are similar to wolves? Did you mean that's the common perception?

I hope that post wasn't directed at the majority of the GSD people on this board who, I doubt, would argue with what you have just posted.

(The wolf thing is a little bit out there, but. . nobody is perfect. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> )

In the past few days there have been some dumb posts on the Malinois, that in no way reflect the experience and opinions of most of the board members.

I do take exception to the "you GSD people" part. That should have said, "you knuckleheads that don't know what the heck you're talking about." I think the working dog people on this board, including us "GSD people" definately admire the "other" working shepherd breed. I know I do.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Malinois swim, who said they can't. Is that some other piece of misinformation going around that I missed somewhere?

Well Cindy, you should definitely know with your experience. That's good enough for me. Very few have been around so many of all three.

Also I think people always tell others what they do about the Malinois because it's such a serious dog. That doesn't mean it's a bag of nerves. Alot of people think that. I don't. There's duds anytime.

They're different dogs from the GSD in temparment from what I understand. There's a superior quality in numbers with this breed because it hasn't had the show debutants really shake them up yet. I'd say they were the best dog out there on the market, statistically. When you see a litter there's many less duds than with other breeds, and this is because they're not main stream dogs to the public, yet. Time will tell.

Hi everyone, I just want to clear up two statements that I made;
When I said you GSD people , it was meant for the ones that were knocking the Malinois and saying ignorant things about the breed.
When I said they were close to being wolves I meant that some of their pronounced instincts and traits are pretty close to being wolf like.
Yes some poorly bred and trained Mals do have thin nerves. These are definitely perceptive dogs and need to be exposed to everything. They don't take abuse well and it will show up as hand shyness and skittishness. This is not to say that they can't take a good hard correction because they can, but they need to be corrected and shown the right way, not lectured and kicked and yelled at for 1/2 an hour.
If you look at the early GSD photos on my group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Workingshepherds in the photos section you will see a similiarity in type and probably temperament with the early GSD, Mal, and DS.In my estimation the CORRECT working GSD should be about as agile as a Mal. When I was a kid my GSDs were.
As far as nerve thinness or reactiveness Mals come in all flavors just like people. I have 4 and they each have a different threshold thank God!!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />Otherwise I'd be going CRAZY now.One hardly even barks and is laid back to the max, but works and bites hard when his is "on".With this same dog you can have strange kids walk right up to him and pet him with no problem.
On a serious note, the people who doubt the nerves of the Mal should look at NVBK Belgian Ring and/or KNPV and make an honest assessment about your GSDs and see if they can make the cut.I know there are some that can, but its not the norm.My 8 year old Mal still does the workouts of his 2.5 year sons and keeps up pretty well, he still clears a 4.5 foot high jump and scales a 7 foot fence no prob. I see 5 year old GSDs that are in a lot worse shape than my 8 year old Mal, (though my 8 yr old is still in great shape with no fat and all muscle).

George