Several of my friends have been life long BC owners. They use them for herding and agility. These dogs are with them 24/7, the dogs are actually the one's working all day, they are workaholics! Being involved with rescues I can say that BC's top the list of dogs entering shelters or breed rescue, sadly, because they were placed in homes where they were out of their element. I know you plan on keeping the dog active with sports, but what is your work schedule like? The BC's I know do not spend any time in a crate, and still seem like energy machines!
What are they like with use of a crate?

If an awesome Mal is your dream dog, I say "get one" life is short, one never knows what's around the bend.
For protectiveness and over all ferocity to strangers the toughest dog I ever saw was my husband's Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Maple. That dog bore absolutely NO resemblance in temperament to a lab. I wonder if anyone uses those dogs for protective sports described on this forum? She was biddable,loyal, had a reasonable energy level, and she was a BEAST if you were not her friend.

What are the suitable breeds to compete in Schutzhund?


The only requirement for a dog to compete in the sport of Schutzhund is that the dog can do the work. In other words, the dog will be able to track, do obedience and is large enough to successfully jump a 40 inch jump and climb a 6 foot wall, while retrieving a 650 gram dumbbell. The dog must be able to successfully bite and hold the man in the protection work. Typically, the most predominant breed in the sport is the Germany Shepherd, followed in recent years by the Belgian Malinois. Additionally, we see Dobermans, Rottweilers, Giant Schnauzers, and Bouviers. Other breeds that are less prevalent are Belgian Sheep Dogs, Turverens, Boxers, Pit Bulls and American Staffordshire Terriers, Airedale Terriers, Beaucerons, Dutch Shepherds, Australian Shepherds ("Aussies), an occasional Great Dane and Mastiff. Dogs do not have to be registered and a number of mixed breeds have successfully earned titles over the years and are fully accepted in the sport. So, there are many breeds besides the commonly accepted "working dog" breeds that participae in the sport of Schutzhund. The main thing is that the dog is a willing worker and is capable of doing the work required to achieve the titles

Putting protection training aside, very few fools would be willing to approach a woman with a well trained Mali.