here are the only 10 dog breeds that need to exist

Any dog under a foot should qualify as a rodent. German Sheps are the absolute best dog breed and it's not even close for second.

+1.

Our current pack of dogs are all rescues one kind or another.

txRUNNERgirl wrote:

This. I have a chihuahua-whippet mix who eats Taco Bell AND runs up to 12 miles (so far) with me.

Oh god, I don't even want to know about the night that thing was created!

not a good idea wrote:

whooty wrote:

You can't beat a well trained Pit Bull.

You really shouldn't beat any Pit Bull or any other animal for that matter.

LOOK at Millzzz wrote:

Any dog under a foot should qualify as a rodent. German Sheps are the absolute best dog breed and it's not even close for second.

There's a reason police and military do not use shepherds much any more. Unfortunately breeders have ruined them. I was planning (for years) on getting a GSD before I got my Malinois. Shepherds now have well known health issues: rampant hip and elbow displasia, cancer, digestive issues, blood disorders, epilepsy, skin problems. Hopefully your dog is one of the healthy ones because they are beautiful dogs.

Again, Malinois are the king of dogs. Hopefully they do not become too popular and become ruined due to over-breeding. They are a lot of work, but I love that aspect. Most people won't.

Fun post full of opinions from people that sound like they have no experience raising working dogs.

I'll take a bully breed over a Mal any day of the week!

When you actually do protection work...give me a call. Yes, Mals are used for police work but they are not the best for personal protection. We're talking about two different responsibilities. Police dogs are trained hold a perp, not kill the perp. They are considered sport dogs. Sport and personal protection are two completely different practices.

Mals do not have the same pain tolerance as a bull breed. You can stomp the toe of a Mal or a GSD and they'll quit on you. Bull breeds don't quit. Their pain tolerance is through the roof and can be stomped by bulls and keep working. Hogs cut them open with their tusks and they keep working. You won't find a mal on this planet that would go through that type of pain and keep working. Pain tolerance is not something you can train.

And controllable??? Please...I can get a bully breed dog to do the same thing you can get your Mal to do.

I speak from experience as a personal protection dog trainer, hog hunter and a little over three decades of dog training. I'm not an expert but if you've ever been in a life or death situation and the dog you choose is going to save your life, my guess is you're not going to pick a Mal if you've seen what I've seen.

You have experience. Bad experience. Idiot. Probably trained 3 dogs over 3 decades.

The not expert part was the only good part of your post.

I've been involved in IPO/Schutzhund for a long time so I know a thing or two. ZERO chance you "can get a bully breed to do the same thing you can get your Mal to do." I've never seen a pit at an IPO competition. Pits are about as intelligent as a box of rocks. AGAIN, there is a reason the military and law enforcement worldwide primarily use Mals: their intelligence, power, drive, and work ethic. They do not need savage, blood thirsty killers. They carry firearms for that purpose.

The only "work" pit bulls are good for are guarding crack houses and junkyards, dog fighting, and mauling children. There's a reason they're banned in a number of countries, including most of Europe. Can your pit kill someone quicker than a Malinois? Most likely. Hope you have good insurance.

If you're trolling, then well played, sir.

First...If you've been doing IPO/Schutzhund for a few years, I'm sure you know a thing or two about training a sport dog. Mals are great for sport. Sport is NOT personal protection which is what I interpreted the argument to be re:the Mal. The Mal is NOT a good personal protection dog.

Second...I said bully breed. I did not say "pit bull" specifically. And, I'll concede that "pit bull" is in the bully breed category and I'll agree that in certain situations, they certainly are dumb as a box of rocks. But, that's because when they get pissed off, they don't have a self preservation instinct like other dogs. That's why pits aren't used as catch dogs in hog hunting and if they are, they usually don't last very long. Once they get cut and feel the adrenaline, they go straight for the hogs throat and get shredded.

Since you're focusing on Sport application when I'm talking about personal protection, we're speaking two different languages with two different needs.

Now, put that same "pit bull" in a protection situation, that lack of self preservation becomes a virtue. They will fight until they die giving you time to either get away or get your gun. You're sacrificing your dog to save your life or someone in your family.

I personally don't like pit bulls for protection applications because they are more prey driven than they are defensive. I prefer the Presa Canario or an American Bulldog for protection work and hog work. When you have a prey driven dog, they are prone to chasing the bad guy. Seldom in a true personal protection situation do you need a dog to chase anything. They need to stay by you and protect you. That doesn't mean you don't ever need to send your dog in a personal protection situation, but it's usually not necessary unless the bad guy has a gun. If they have the gun, they probably won't be running away. Yes, they shoot your dog, but that's the purpose of the dog. To take the bullet for you so you can have a half second more to find safety.

When you start talking about military and police using the Mal, it's because they can't have a dog that's going to maul someone to death. It's a legal liability. All they need is a dog to detain the bad guy. Having a dog that's going to latch on to someone's arm (sport dog) is going to do f*$k all when the bad guy pulls out a knife and unzips your dog from its ass to its throat.

It sounds like your vision for practical application and logic is being skewed by the love for your wonderful dog. I think Mals are great for what the military and police use them for, but that's certainly not personal protection.

Google search Dianne Jessup. I'm not saying I believe in what she believes in, but if you think a bully breed can't do IPO you may not know as much as you think you do. lol

Malinois are absolutely the best protection dogs. IDK how many Mals you've worked with, but Mals have a extremely high pain tolerance and are the highly intelligent. You can't even compare a Mal and a "Bully" when it comes to obedience and intelligence. Bully probably have a higher pain tolerance but my Mals will give it a run for its money and they will disengage on command. Id love to see you call your Bully disengage when commanded. Comparing a Bull and a Mal is incredibly unrealistic because there is no comparison. For you to even try to compare is laughable. Sounds like your love of your breed is clouding your judgment.