Malinois vs GSD
As you know, there is a never-ending Belgian Malinois vs. GSD discussion. I am a GSD man but have trained many breeds, including Malinois, and I have never met a dog I did not like. I am saying this because I would like you to trust me when I say I am trying hard not to be biased about this issue. We can make fun of the "other" breed, and I have been guilty of that famously. But let's be honest. Where is the popularity of one breed over the other coming from? Why are the Malis in an uptrend? What qualities of the breeds are in the picture, leading to their popularity. I am talking about normal dogs and not about the faults within the breeds. In other words, what is the upside of the breed over the other in quality individuals?
Here is my take on this....and I have spent a lot of time thinking about this.
The military and law enforcement are using Mals not because they are a better breed than GSDs but because they have other qualities that make them more desirable economically and are ergonomically more suitable for the TRAINING environment, which will develop them into not better but into an "adequate" working dogs. The military and LE are not necessarily concerned with the highest quality of dogs or training or of anything they are using as their tools ( no, I do not think that K9s are mere tools, so for purpose of this post - please do not go there.) but they are concerned with accomplishing the mission with the least effort and for the least amount of money. It is a balancing act between economy and proficiency/effectiveness.
That ( economy and proficiency/effectiveness) is why the most popular military gun in history is AK 47. Is it the best gun as far as quality goes? Far cried from it. But it is simple and cheap to make and use, and it does the job under different conditions. I mean, AK 47 can be handled by a chimp. Now, there are much better guns that can do the same work as AK 47 and better. But while not accurate, there are the reasons why AK 47 is the most popular, and that is because you can put it in the hands of any able or not so able body on this earth, and after the 2-minute lesson, they can use it well and maintain it well enough. Yes, there are much better guns like HK 416, but their problem is that they are "more" than adequate overkill for mass use and much more expensive, and they are harder to be maintained and mastered. I mean, HK 416 may be used for elite specially trained units, but it is not the best gun for general infantry.
Personally, I think in quality, the Malinois is a breed akin to AK 47. The excessive drive of the dog is forgiving to the handler's and trainer's shortcomings. While there are excellent handlers of Malis, many of them can get away with being mere "dog releasers". The AK 47 was also developed and mostly used for one purpose. That is to be a weapon of tank supporting infantry where the shots were no more than 100 - 200 yards long. The soldiers were usually running and shooting; thus, pinpoint accuracy at the cost of high expense was not necessary. Same way Malinois it a narrow field use dog. They are great at being pointed and released to acquire a bite but are lacking elsewhere, where they are used when we compare them with other breeds. I mean, any decent spaniel or lab or even GSD is better for detection or S&R, and any Bloodhound and GSD is better for long-distance tracking.