Belgian Malanois v German Shepard

[Vakhar Hussain]

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I’m stuck between deciding which breed I should get German Shepard or malanois. I’m looking for a good guard dog and Also great with kids anyone have experience with both breeds?

 

[JoanneF]

A great guard dog probably won't be good with kids. And, getting a dog to guard your property brings all sorts of problems when the dog can't distinguish between the burglar who is coming to rob you, and the paramedic who is coming to save your life.

Is it really a guard dog that you need?

Have you had dogs before? If so, what breeds? Neither of the two you mention is particularly good for an inexperienced owner - I consider myself quite knowledgeable and just yesterday I said I'd love a Malinois but I know I'd be over-dogged. With some breeds, you can make a mistake in training and they shrug it off. With others, make a mistake and they will never forget.

 

[Vakhar Hussain]

I’d say I have a little experience but by no means an expert. What breed do you recommend that would be suited ? Possibly a Doberman?

 

[JoanneF]

As a guard dog? Honestly, I'd recommend you get a good security system instead, the Jack Russell you mentioned will alert bark, but a proper guard dog is not a pet. And, a properly trained guard dog will cost you about the same as a small car.

This is what the law says - ”A person shall not use or permit the use of a guard dog at any premises unless a person (“the handler”) who is capable of controlling the dog is present on the premises and the dog is under the control of the handler at all times while it is being so used except while it is secured so that it is not at liberty to go freely about the premises.”

So you can't be in bed for example, and allow the dog to attack an intruder, you have to be with the dog and have control over it. That means you will need another handler while you sleep, which kind of defeats the point of buying a dog to protect your house

Or the dog has to be secured where it cannot reach the intruder unless they approach the dog, which again, defeats the object.

And a determined intruder won't find a dog much of an obstacle, they will just throw it poisoned meat or shoot it. Seriously, get a good intruder system instead.

 

[JudyN]

What do you want the dog to do? If you want it to protect you from undesirables entering your house, how will you train it to repel them but be fine with any visitors, the meter reader, the postman? If to protect you when out and about, will it be reliably able to tell the difference between people wanting to mug you and people who rush up to let you know you've dropped your wallet and want to hand it back?

Then there are all the legal considerations if the dog should attack someone even if it was defending you or your property.

Getting a dog to guard yourself or your property is a minefield - you'd be much better off protecting yourself in other ways, such as getting a burgler alarm.

 

[JoanneF]

I think we cross posted again @JudyN !

 

[Vakhar Hussain]

Really just guard the house and maybe a dog that would protect me also if someone ever attacked me. It’s nice to know your dog has your back should anything bad ever happen

 

[JoanneF]

For the reasons above, a protection dog would not be a good idea - I really suggest you look at intruder alarm systems instead.

 

[RGC]

Perhaps not go out?

 

[arealhuman]

Are we assuming this person is in the UK? I can't view the profile to check, but perhaps laws will be different where they are. I agree with the posts, however a dog that alert barks can be a reassuring thing to have - Rusty will bark once or twice when the doorbell goes which is good for us if we don't hear it!

 

[JudyN]

Are we assuming this person is in the UK?

According to the IP address they are in the UK, but this can be manipulated using a VPN (virtual private network).

 

[arealhuman]

Use one every time I'm online myself

 

[JudyN]

Use one every time I'm online myself

Now I'm wondering where you really live

 

[arealhuman]

Ah, it's all legit, just like to keep as much privacy online as I can, although the government is determined to thwart that.

 

[JoanneF]

Bizarrely (and I only just discovered this) my IP address numbers show me bouncing around the UK, and not a single one that I have checked so far shows where I actually am (at home, using home wifi).

Is that common?

 

[JudyN]

Bizarrely (and I only just discovered this) my IP address numbers show me bouncing around the UK, and not a single one that I have checked so far shows where I actually am (at home, using home wifi).

Is that common?

Yes, it is. That's because as whatever you post travels from your device to the forum, it can also bounce around the UK (and other countries) via different nodes, and it's not necessarily the one closest to you that gets logged. At least, that's my (rather shaky) understanding.

It might also be that some of the IP addresses are dynamic, so the same IP address can be allocated to somewhere in York one day and Ballymena the next.

 

[arealhuman]

Your IP is unlikely to show you at home, the nearest you'll get is what your ISP assigns. Mine, without a VPN, is about 40 miles from home.

 

[SirBruce]

A great guard dog probably won't be good with kids. And, getting a dog to guard your property brings all sorts of problems when the dog can't distinguish between the burglar who is coming to rob you, and the paramedic who is coming to save your life.

Is it really a guard dog that you need?

Have you had dogs before? If so, what breeds? Neither of the two you mention is particularly good for an inexperienced owner - I consider myself quite knowledgeable and just yesterday I said I'd love a Malinois but I know I'd be over-dogged. With some breeds, you can make a mistake in training and they shrug it off. With others, make a mistake and they will never forget.

 

[SirBruce]

I think that it would depend on what you really want or need from a “guard dog”.Our Dobermann is as soft as anything with children and people that he knows. But beware anybody else while at home.
He is the family pet and my best,( read only ) real mate. We have only ever had Dobies. Our current lad Bruce, is the first male, but while quite different, the other four females were similar.