Good Mali's, plus green handler = dominance and behavoural issues....not to mention all the damaged personal property.

Howard

 Quote: Andrew Macleod

These dobe's bond very well to the family but you will never have anyone else in the house when the dog is out. They have just too much civil aggression.

Huh?????

 Quote: Johan Engelen

 Quote: Michelle Berdusco

Johan- how did you get sent to the hospital?

Simply they were playing catch and i was hit from the left side at kneehight and i went down. Couldn't get up so i went to see a doctor nothing serious but still. With all my experience withe the breed they managed to get me

Are you talking about them just running into you? My bloodhound did that to me and I had a slight concussion.
I think we need to stick to the traits that are specific to the Malinois. Knocking us on our butts can be done by any hyper breed when we are not paying attention.

I'm curious what breed is good for "green handlers."

O.P,

I did a research on malinois and chose not to go with it due to many reasons. I chose to go with either doberman, german shepherd, or beauceron.

You definitely need to do your research before selecting ANY breed.

You need to first decide on goal and a purpose for your dog (ie. Companion/pet dog, competition...Schutzhund, Ringsports, personal protection, agility, flyball, etc). Based on what you decide, you need to make a prioritized list of qualities you want in a dog. Be thorough and be REALISTIC!!

Next if you choose the malinois as a breed, you need to research breeders and bloodlines. There are several good breeders out there; but as it seems for every breed, for every good breeder there is a handful of aweful ones.

I agree that most mals are not best suited for inexperienced handlers.

Finally, there is a national rescue organization for malinois as well, if you are interested in a companion or obedience dog.

The pros and cons of the breed can be the same trait, it just depends on who the owner is. High drive can be an asset in the right hands, a liability in other hands. Same for reactivity, athletic ability, etc.

Some pros are longevity, overall general health, working ability
Some cons are obsessive behaviors, nerve issues, sometimes size

If you are looking at getting a Malinois I recommend you attend some of the local Sch, French Ring, PSA, etc trials. Actually you can find them also at agility, obedience, herding, flyball, etc trials. You won't get an idea of how they do in bitework there, but you can still get an idea of how they do obedience, reactivity, speed, etc. Take a notebook and write down the dogs you see and your impression of them. Not just the ones you like, but the ones you dislike. And why. Then research the pedigrees/kennels behind the dogs. This should at least give you an idea of which lines you prefer, and why.

Is this dog intended for a pet/protector, Schutzhund, French Ring, ??? That will also have some impact on which lines you are looking at. You need to make a list of the traits that you must have, would like to have, and don't care if you have. That will help you narrow down not only lines, but if the breed is even the right breed for you.

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I recommend you attend some of the local Sch, French Ring, PSA, etc trials.

The thing I find when trying to explain a breed to someone based on their performance at a club or a trial, is that generally you dont get to see the "issues of living with" for the breed. You get to see the explosiveness in bitework, but you don't get to see handler aggression issues, the way a 10 week old puppy can charge around the house growling and snarling like he wants to kill you, the way a 12 month old will bite his handler in the butt when playing around, or the way a dog gets nasty when the handler tries to crate him after bitework (unless they didn't fix it with a dog thats at the club), or any of the fun parts.

As for Mal's being like Dobe's -- this is a dangerous thing to say, because if its true, and I don't doubt Cindy, then its likely to be "Dobe's unlike 99.9% of the US population has seen before."

Mike

Have you lived with my Mal too? You just described him to a "T", the handler aggression, biteing when being crated after bitework, snarling and growling. It is all there!!!

You are absolutely right! Many people do not see how challenging certain breeds are to live with. While my boy does great bitework, flashy OB, and good dope work, he is a huge liability to live with. If you are not used to it, that can be a complete pain to live with.

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Have you lived with my Mal too?

Just as bad, my Dutch Shepherd

But I've been around alot of Mal's, and my Dutchie has alot of Mal characteristics. She's 2 and still bites me in the ass before bed.