At the kennels my dept uses, the mals used to be about $1500 cheaper than the GSDs. However, that has changed. They are both the same price now, with the owner picking up more and more mals.

This is for the other Daniel that posted....my mal once alerted in a house, and I was about to hammer him thinking he was either "false" alerting or it was a premature alert. However, after careful scrutiny of the area, I found one marijuana seed. ONE tiny stinking seed--where he told me it was. But, I couldn't correct him for that--he found something. It could be the caliber of dogs that company uses, or there was odor there--just not substance.

Well, this is just my personal oppinion but... I've only seen I didn't even know about Mals until I got into GSD's, and personally I believe the GSD is the most well round dog there is. Are they both closely related? The look a lot the same to me except for the tail and fur

Here is something else you might consider, Mal don't eat their own poop <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> yerk, and they don't sheds everyday like GS so you don't have to vacumm as much, and they eat less because they are smaller and so you don't have to spend as much money in food and also less poop to clean up, and in general I think they are more healthy than GS.

LMAO @ Carol!

Yes I've noticed the look of "What can I do next"... a look that constantly lives with my GSD while I learn how to handle/raise him <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />.

The unfortunate thing is that I'll do this GSD (my first) a disservice as I'm learning on him but hopefully he'll understand <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Just remember, the only disservice you can do to your dog is to not put forth your best effort and give 110%
I am sure you will do great and your dog will be grateful and well adjusted for it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

 Quote:

and they are uglier than the ugliest GSD...Even the thin , gangly am. GSD.

Hey now, my Mal is quite a handsome boy and has a gorgeous fiery red fawn coat (it's a thing of beauty and a joy forever in the sunset). That being said, yes, I have been asked if he's a female GSD/greyhound cross and my parents perpetually ask me if I'm trying to starve him (though their Vizsla needs to lose about 10 lbs, so whatever...). <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I prefer the more red fawn ones with less blackening, though it would be nice to see more all black Mals (like a cross between a Groenendael and a Malinois). I do like their square proportions more. They are average shedders, but don't shed quite as much as GSDs. In fact, my ideal working utility dog would be 1/4 Malinois, 1/4 GSD, and 1/2 Alaskan Malamute. Could do obedience, Schutzhund, sledding, and dog scootering and have a lovely wolfy look. If anyone has one, let me know. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Mals are a little snarkier and they do this funny "clomp clomp" thing with their mouths sometimes. Another thing, as I know you're going to college soon and will probably need an apartment in a few years, they are smaller than GSDs and most landlords have never heard of them, so they don't fit under the "we don't rent to people with pit bulls, Rottweilers, or German shepherds" like many landlords won't. You'll hear a lot of "Belgian Malin wha...?" and you say, yeah, exactly! A 60 lbs dog is also going to eat less than a 90 lbs dog, so when you purchase high quality dog food or a raw diet, think accordingly. On the flipside, potentially dangerous folks might not take a Mal as seriously as it looks like an immature GSD as it is not as big. I believe it was in Cohen's "The Intelligence of Dogs" book that he made mention that a standard poodle could be an excellent candidate for protection training as they are smart, willing, and obedient, but lookwise, the mildest American GSD would look more intimidating to most bad guys than any protection trained poodle, so eh...

Well, I already have a GSD, Her name is Abi (look at signature). I love so much so all the flaws that come in her genetically like shedding, I don't really mind, since I still live with my parents and they gave me her as a birthday present, I pretty much have to clean up my room and her kennel 10x's more often then I did before I had her. I'm just asking these questions to see If I would be willing to get a mal because they do look cool to me, ofcourse not as nice as a Shepherd <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> but I would love to get abi some company sometime in the near future, like once she is a year old. A bunch of people tell me to get another GSD. since I know where to get one of good quality. Also, since I don't have a working dog, I have a showline, and to what I've heard about Mals that they are more working line, I will probably stick to GSD's.
Sorry to all mal owners but I may consider one when I'm older have more time to work with a working line animal.

Have been playing around with the idea of getting a Mal, but with my situation right now, probably not a good idea for a while. From what I gather they take a while to 'settle down'. If you're looking for a working dog they're a very good choice, cheap, healthier, easy to maintain, high-drive. I don't know per se if this should apply to all dogs, but from what I gather GSDs are a bit more 'soldier-like', i.e. "You want me to do that? Okay.", and my working line boy can live nicely in the house without driving me crazy (of course, I tolerate dog hair in my food and can watch tv with dogs running around the living room). He has good drive but you need to 'heat him up' first before he gets really going, and once you stop, he won't jump around asking for more and can settle down nicely. He is stable with his commands, but it takes a while to teach them to him (from what I heard Mals learn quickly, but you spend more time trying to bring down the level of drive they do...i.e. 'drives faster than brain')...so I guess why Shepherds are often recommended to newbies, because you will make more mistakes at the rate a Mal learns. You would need to be more aware of your handling abilities and such--couple with the high drive of a Mal, might get really nasty if you don't know what the hell you're doing.

Also, when I talk to purely Mal people, they generally say that if your dog isn't showing promise at a young age drive-wise, get a new dog, while if I talk to GSD people, they say "wait and see"...so this sort of gives you an idea of the characteristics of their preferred breeds, maturity and such.

I don't think one is necessarily better than the other--it depends on what you want from a dog.

Here's my take on the two breeds....I have both.

My GSD is a lot calmer, but in certain situations more spastic. She is more intelligent, but the Mal obeys better. The Mal is enthusiastic, eager, much more agile, and actually more affectionate. He wants to please me, as if it's his goal in life. Be advised that Mals are slightly crazy, mine ate the back seat of my car. But, they are not malicious, just enthusiastic.

All in all I think I will get another Mal. His enthusiasm is contagious, and his physical prowess is impressive.