There has been a lot of controversial talk about the German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois. Most dog handlers are slowly beginning to prefer the Malinois breed to the German Shepherd. Because of this, many believe the Belgian Malinois is a better breed than the German Shepherd. That’s crazy; German Shepherd Lovers and owners will argue.
And though that is a very interesting topic to tackle, it is not the focus of this blog post. We are here to share our research on another very controversial topic. Many lovers of the Belgian Malinois breed claim it is because the breed is smarter than the German Shepherd. Is this true? Between the Belgian Malinois and German Malinois, which is smarter?
Well, the simple answer is no. The Belgian Malinois is not smarter than the German Shepherd breed. The German Shepherd is known to be one of the most intelligent dog breeds of all time and can be taught to do anything. The only two dogs that seem to be smarter than the German Shepherd are the Border Collie and Poodle.
But the thought remains, why do people prefer the Belgian Malinois to German shepherds? What makes the Border Collie and Poodle smarter than the German Shepherd? Which should you get, a German Shepherd or v Belgian Malinois? We will find the answer to all these questions in this Blog post.
WHY DO PEOPLE PREFER THE BELGIAN MALINOIS TO GERMAN SHEPHERDS?
Like the German Shepherd, the popularity of the Belgian Shepherd or Malinois grew after the first and second world Wars.
As the Malinois was known then, the Belgian Sheepdog was instrumental in various aspects of the war. After the awesome performance of the breed after world war two, the demand for the Belgian Malinois grew rapidly.
In the modern day, the increase in demand for this dog breed in the Military is overwhelming. The demand for this dog breed is so high that the US military started a special in-house breeding program to ensure the demand for this dog breed by the Military is met. But why all this stress? Well, it is because of three major reasons.
- The Malinois has few health issues.
- The Belgian Malinois is a better skydiving companion.
- The Malinois is easy to train and has a great work ethic.
The first two reasons listed above are why Military and other Malinois lovers prefer the breed to GSDs. The Belgian Malinois can live its entire life with no health issues.
This makes them an ideal companion on the war front, where there might be no access to vaccination for a long period.
The Malinois is also very light on their feet, making them a better option for the military air force, which engages in many activities.
These two reasons, coupled with the fact that the Malinois is also very easy to train, you can begin to see why they are picked six times out of ten German Shepherds.
But though the Belgian Malinois has all these great attributes, it still does not make it smarter than the German Shepherd. This may leave you wondering what makes the Border Collie and Poodle smarter than the German Shepherd. Let’s find out.
WHY ARE THE BORDER COLLIE AND POODLE SMARTER THAN THE GERMAN SHEPHERD?
The Border Collie and Poodle are very intelligent dogs. Like German Shepherds, they are easy to train and can be trained to carry out different types of tasks.
They are also very loving and nice home breeds that can be trained to live comfortably in the home. You can also train dogs like German Shepherds to do fun tricks.
The smartest Border Collie Chaser was taught and able to respond to over a thousand commands! Mind-blowing, right? But what exactly gives both Border Collies and Poodles an edge over the German Shepherd?
This is because both Border Collies and Poodles were bred to be intelligent. That’s right, while the German Shepherd’s breeding has been altered to make them more effective at shepherding and protection work, the Border Collie and Poodle have been altered over the years to be smarter.
As a result, they greatly surpass the German Shepherd in the area of intelligence. Now you might be looking to get a puppy but have trouble deciding whether to get a German Shepherd or a Belgian Malinois; you will need to pay attention to the next section.
GERMAN SHEPHERD V BELGIAN MALINOIS, WHICH SHOULD YOU GET?
Well, if you live with a family in an urban area with minimum space or you live in an apartment, the German Shepherd will be ideal. It is important to note that different types of German Shepherds are ideal for this situation. To get more insight into German shepherd breed differences, check out one of our recent posts here!
But as for the Belgian Shepherd, owning one will require a lot of space in your yard for the dog to run and burn off all the excess energy. Overall, owning a puppy, whether a Belgian Malinois or a German Shepherd, will require much work and planning. And to help you with that, check out our Blog post, which touches more than a little on that. And incase you were wondering if it would be okay to mix your German Shepherd with a Belgian Malinois, and what behaviors and health complications doing that would cause, click here to read a recently published post covering that topic.
