Having been blessed with may fine dogs in my almost 70 years, I can say this. Breed is important, but more important is the breeder.
In the GSD line, most USA GSDs have been ruined by the AKC breeders who breed for looks alone. These poor dogs have been bred to have a sloping backline, and some of them are practically walking on their hocks, and aren’t suited for serious work. Police, etc. have been forced to go to Europe to get good GSDs suitably built for work.
Going to United Kennel Club shows is a better way to get well-bred dogs, because they have higher standards than the AKC, and the dogs are individually evaluated on areas beyond “beauty”, such as working ability specific to the breed, etc. Each dog is given a written evaluation, which a good breeder will show you. UKC shows are an excellent place to find good breeders.
Therefore, the BSD (Belgian Shepherd (Malinois) has been a very good choice. More smarts than the GSD, a much harder work drive, very easy to train, and a wonderful personality.
These two working dogs, if bred from good lines, can be trained for all kinds of work. The GSD is usually larger and heavier than the BSD, which is an advantage in some situations, and problematic in others.
GSDs, generally, will shut down/quit when they are fatigued and hot. BSDs will work until they drop dead. GSDs, generally, will tolerate endlessly boring training sessions with no reward, but BSDs figure you are just being anal, and will do the doggie equivalent of “flipping the bird” when subjected to overly long and boring training sessions. They won’t put up more than 5 minutes of training, once they know that you know that they know how to do it right.
I have been blessed to have been owned by both in my life, and I love both breeds. These are not aggressive dogs, and will not bite unless trained to do so. They are protective of farm and family, and both properly bred dogs will do a natural “bark and hold” against true threats.
A natural “bark and hold” means they will bark nastily at an intruder, making vicious growls, showing very sharp canine teeth. But, they will not actually bite unless provoked. What they will do is a very quick “air-snap” on either side of the intruder, in an effort to convince the same that they do mean business.
Usually the intruder, being canine, coyote, or two-legged, gets the message, and backs up, leaving with tail between legs.
Both the GSD and the BSD have to be carefully trained to be an aggressive biter. It really doesn’t come naturally to them. They have excellent noses, and can be trained for scent work, and I doubt that Labs have any advantage in that area of work.
Labs are wonderful gentle dogs, and very good for families in suburban neighborhoods. GSDs and BSDs, because of their strong instinct to protect the farm, it’s animals, and property lines, not really suited to the average ‘burban household, with all the comings and going of kids, other pets, and visiting church ladies.
But, if you want a good dog who will keep all varmints away from your kitchen garden, scare off the crows, protect your livestock from predators, and scare the pants off any local ne’er do wells, I would suggest a well-bred BSD, and not a Lab.
Just my opinion, based on my years of experience. Can you tell I love dogs?
You have to decide what you need your dog to do for you, and choose the breed very carefully. Then, you really have to do your homework on picking the right breeder.
One who is breeding for the traits you have selected, not just a backyard type (although some wonderful dogs have come from that situation, but it is a crap-shoot)
Then, you must be prepared to spend some quality time with your puppy, and that means “quantity” time. These dogs need socialization, and lots of hours spent with you. Once old enough, and past the “fear-stage”, they need some serious commitment from you in training.
I personally think a qualified trainer who will come to your property and train you to train your dog, is way better than the classes that everyone drags their dogs to, exposing them to whatever idiots show up, with whatever nutcases they drag in on the other end of the leash.
He or she is going to be your sidekick for many years, and you will never regret the time you put in to these early months and years of their lives. It takes real work and devotion to get a dog that is a joy to have by your side.
It doesn’t happen by wishing it so.
I agree with everything you say (listen to him!)
That's why I added the qualifier "(if well bred)" - GSDs like Labs have been overbred and not always well bred due to their popularity. And the AKC conformation folks have had their way with the GSDs just like they have with the Labs . . . with fairly predictable results. Labs don't have the "tricycle gait" problem, but they have others . . . legs too short, muzzle too short, too much bone, overweight, losing the desire to retrieve. The British Kennel Club has the requirement that a dog must have a performance title suitable to the breed in order to qualify as a conformation champion, which helps.
What the Labs have that the GSDs don't that makes them better in the IED detection business is the desire to retrieve. Until you've seen a really keen Lab coming up to the line with her hackles up and her tail fluffled out just because she knows she's about to be allowed to pick up a duck, it's hard to comprehend just how crazy they are about it. My middle dog, Ruby, is just about certifiably insane when it comes to ducks (she's from very high drive field lines, but she takes birdiness to a whole new level. At age almost 5, we are finally getting that drive under control so that she can actually work a hunt test.)
She's just sitting in the holding blind waiting to be called to the line, but the sound of duck calls and shotguns is driving her nuts. Look at the hair along her back, and at the root of her tail you can see her "fluffy donut" - a ring of hair she inflates at the word "duck".
"OMG it's a MALLARD!!!!!" (notice the hind legs are floating a couple inches above the ground)
"GANGWAY!"
My oldest Lab (the wise one) does a "bark and hold". She will also air snap.
All of mine are under quarantine right now for rabies because Animal Control found a sick raccoon in our yard and I couldn't honestly say my dogs were in sight every minute before I found it. But Shelley was doing a bark and hold on it at a discreet distance - about 10 feet - and the others keep behind the leader. She was doing a darned good imitation of a schutzen dog . . . the raccoon was too sick to care, thank goodness.