will the german shepherd ever get back on top as a police/military dog? - Page 2

To answer the OP, not while the showline crowd is taking the breed down the path they are.  Since that is where the bulk of the money is, I doubt the much smaller population of WL dogs are enough to get the GSD back on top.

More and more uneducated people are asking where they can find a nice calm Mali for a pet......unfortunately this breed is becoming the breed of the day.

When they are bred for companion/pets and not strictly for sport/work...........which breed will be next?

I for one am always thankful that the German Shepherd ISN'T the most popular Dog or Working Dog...This gives it a good chance of sustaining their working ability...I think too many "Not Knowledgeable" people/breeders breed and have no idea of what they're doing...therefore many unwanted dogs...

I've talked to many people who say they want to breed German Shepherds...My first question to them is "What's Your Goal"...and then I either get a Blank Stare or a Moment of Silence...With a "Dah"...They don't seem to have any idea of what I'm talking about...
Then I say...Sport Dogs...Police Dogs...Pets...or what? Then they'll say something like...Yeah...All of those...

I just really get this sick feeling in my stomach when someone says that they're breeding for Pets...I mean what the hell is that...

There will always be room for good...working German Shepherds...I'm never afraid that the breed will die out or will stop having a roll in the Working Dog World...I prefer that other breeds take the leading roll...except then another breed is being set-up for failure...

~Bob~

I don't think this has anything to do with the showlines of the GSD.  We all know there are many bloodlines of serious working line GSDs...if the military wanted them, they'll have them.  
This has to do in part because of whats popular to the trainers and their circles and the difference in the working styles between the GSD and the Mals....the typical Mal is simply more willing to put itself in danger moreso than the typical GSD.   The extreme conditions seen in warfare often requires men and animals who are absolutely willing to follow a command without hesitation even if it means certain injury or death.  
The GSD was created as an independent thinker, able to work on it's own without direct supervision in the pastures...this trait was useful for certain military and police jobs, but not all of them.  

Warfare evolves, the jobs of military canines have faced changes and I'm sure they will still continue to change.  Who knows if the GSD will ever be top military dog again?  perhaps next it will be labs or terriers for whatever new tactic the military comes up with.  

My personal, general opinion is that the Mal is better suited for the majority of current military applications...but, local police of smaller communities are better served by GSDs as multi-purpose K9s.  

No

I sat in on some interviews Fred Lanting did with LE trainers and handlers at a police trial last year. Most of the dogs were Mals. a couple of GSD and one DS. I asked one head trainer about having no GSD in his department. He said it was not by choice and he had no preference one way or another. Mals were what was most available from his suppliers.

The trend towards the less versatile dog, the Malinois, is driven by a confusion between WORK and SPORT. Mali's are adept at flashy sport.

The problem with law enforcement agencies and I would imagine military dog units, is that very often, the biggest mouth makes the decisions, frequently based on a lack of knowledge, but dresses is up in flashy language that senior administrators are too afraid to question , for fear of appearing stupid. Voila, the Mali is promoted.

The same process is followed when developing human defensive tactics. The trend of the day! Google Tony Blauer to see how things can go wrong.....

Those of you that think a Malinois is not an excellent Police or Military working dog need to get out see them work.  A Malinois is very adept at flashy sport as well as top work for the Military and LE.  If our special forces teams go to Europe and select, test and hand pick dogs and price is not an factor why are they no longer selecting GSD's?  Because their trainers can't train GSD's or do not know how to train dogs...........LMAO!

The GSD is still used by the military for general MWD duties.  It has not been phased out completely, it is just not used by the Tier one groups that I know.  The last 3 dog we purchased for our K-9 unit have been 2 malinois and 1 Dutch Shepherd.  Other PD's will not look at GSD's when they are brought out for testing any longer.  I am a GSD guy at heart and will always own one, but when I test and select dogs for Police work the Malinois have been the best choice over the past couple of years.  I simply look at the dogs in front of me and pick the best overall dog for the job, it has not been GSD's lately.  That is just my experience and I love GSD's.  

Hired dog,
Well said.

I stand corrected based on the experience you describe.  My own experience with Malinois is limited to what I have seen. I have not owned one. All those. Have seen, bar one, were highly prey driven, edgy animals. To good one was a superb protector.  Maybe I need to see more, or maybe my take on good is different to yours.