Belgian Malinois vs German Shepherd

Photo: Svenska Mässan from Sweden

Photo: Erick Drumss Hernández

Side by side

Belgian Malinois

German Shepherd

Adult weight

Males 25–30 kg (55–66 lb); females 20–25 kg (44–55 lb)1

Males 36–45.5 kg (79–100 lb); females 30.6–39.5 kg (67–87 lb) (measured in UK vet records, n = 12,146, middle 50%)2

Height

Males 60–66 cm; females 56–62 cm1

No sourced figure

Lifespan

Median 12 years3

Median 11.3 years3

Fully grown

11 months, both sexes4

13 months, both sexes4

Group

Sheepdogs & cattledogs1

Sheepdogs & cattledogs5

Coat

Short coat1

Double coat or long coat5

Shedding

Moults most as the seasons change

Grooming

A brush once a week

No sourced figure

Exercise

Plenty

Health

No sourced figure

Blood-vessel cancer (much more likely); Elbow joint disease (much more likely)6,7

Class

Working

Watchdog

Which suits you

Size

The German Shepherd is larger: about 38 kg (84 lb) as an adult, against 25 kg (55 lb) for the Belgian Malinois.

Temperament

They differ most on affection (Belgian Malinois: likes its own space; German Shepherd: affectionate on its own terms) and on prey drive (Belgian Malinois: likely to chase small pets; German Shepherd: chases; needs managing).

Alike

Both are rated the same on independence: keen to work with you.

Neither is the better dog in general. Which suits you depends on your home, your days and the care you can give.

Take the breed matcher

What they're like

Belgian Malinois

Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Medium

In temperament it is intense, quick and highly responsive, devoted to its handler and often reserved with strangers.

German Shepherd

Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Large

The breed is alert, watchful and self-assured, devoted to its own people and reserved with strangers.

The Belgian Malinois page →The German Shepherd page →

Breed traits

Day to day

Belgian Malinois

German Shepherd

Activity

Needs lots of exercise

Intelligence

Needs daily brain work

Handler demand

Needs an experienced owner

With people

Belgian Malinois

German Shepherd

Affection

Differs

Likes its own space

Affectionate on its own terms

Loyalty

Sticks close to its people

Independence

Keen to work with you

Around the home

Belgian Malinois

German Shepherd

Sensitivity

Needs a calm, predictable home

Voice

Barks to alert, then settles

Prey drive

Differs

Likely to chase small pets

Chases; needs managing

Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour8. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home9,10.

Puppy growth

Reference curves · both sexes

Summary

Detail

The German Shepherd grows to the heavier adult, about 38 kg against the Belgian Malinois's 25 kg.

Belgian Malinois

German Shepherd

More comparisons

Compare the Belgian Malinois with

Doberman Pinscher vs German Shepherd German Shepherd vs Rottweiler American Pit Bull Terrier vs German Shepherd Belgian Malinois vs Doberman Pinscher Bohemian Shepherd vs German Shepherd German Shepherd vs Siberian Husky All breed comparisons →

Sources

1
FCI. Breed standard no. 15. Fédération Cynologique Internationale. © FCI. ↑
www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/015g01-en.pdf
2
VetCompass UK. Primary-care veterinary records. ↑
3
McMillan et al., 2024. Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531 (VetCompass). CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50458-w
4
Hawthorne et al., 2004. Body-weight changes during growth in puppies of different breeds. Journal of Nutrition 134(8 Suppl): 2027S–2030S (WALTHAM). ↑
doi.org/10.1093/jn/134.8.2027S
5
FCI. Breed standard no. 166. Fédération Cynologique Internationale. © FCI. ↑
www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/166g01-en.pdf
6
Barry et al., 2025. Epidemiology of haemangiosarcoma diagnosed in dogs under primary veterinary care in the United Kingdom: Frequency and risk factors. CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1186/s44356-025-00041-4
7
O'Neill et al., 2020. Epidemiology and clinical management of elbow joint disease in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK. CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1186/s40575-020-0080-5
8
Morrill et al., 2022. Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes. Science 376: eabk0639 (Darwin's Ark). ↑
doi.org/10.1126/science.abk0639
9
Dogs Trust. Finding a good, responsible breeder. ↑
www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-advice/getting-dog/choosing-dog/finding-a-breeder
10
American Kennel Club. Screening puppy buyers: how top breeders find the best homes. ↑
www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeding/screening-puppy-buyers-how-top-breeders-find-the-best-homes/
11
Salt et al., 2017. Growth standard charts for monitoring bodyweight in dogs of different sizes. PLoS ONE 12(9): e0182064 (WALTHAM). CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182064

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