Which is better for protection and sport? - Page 1

 I am looking into buying a german shepherd (wl) or a belgian malinoi and can't decide which would be better. I would want it for protection and sport. 

Which do you think would be better if I wanted to do ring sport AND schutzhund? Could a dog do both? I already have a gsd but she doesn't have the character needed for schutzhund or ring sport. Any helpful comments would be appreciated. 

 Anyone?? 

 It really depends on the dog; a good dog is a good dog.  It might be easier to find a suitable mali to do either ring sport or SchH, but you can certainly find and excellent working line GSD that could do it as well.  If you decide on an adult dog expect too spend several thousand dollars for a good GSD or Mali.  If you are looking at a puppy do a lot of research and keep in mind puppies can be a crap shoot.  

I see lots of nice mali's and lots of nice GSD's that could do either well.  You need to decide which breed you want and then look for a suitable dog.

Jim

 I cannot speak to the protection issue.  My dogs are not for my protection.  I never forget they don't stand a chance against a bullet or a knife, no matter how brave or valiant they may be.  For that matter they might not even stand a chance against a fleeing burglar, if the bad guy has a good enough attorney, so I believe it is my job to protect my dogs, not the other way around. 

With regards to Mali or GSD:  You need to figure out which breed is more suited to YOU, rather than which breed is better for ring or schutzhund.  Your best bet would be to start going out to clubs where you can talk to different handlers and watch and learn about the different breeds  in order to start to figure out which breed is a good fit for your lifestyle. 

As far as could a dog do more than one  sport, yes some do compete in more than one grip sport.  French, Belgian and    Mondio ring sports are dominated by Malinois, though there are some who compete quite successfully with GSDs.

 Thank you for your replies. I don't think there are any mali clubs up here (alaska) but there may be a GSD club. I will start my research on the Mali and see if that is the breed I am looking for. I already love my GSD to death so it is hard to think of going to a diff dog breed. 

I already have enough for a well trained dog, as I am not looking to buy a poorly started dog. I am wary of puppies because of the all the unknowns.