German Shepherd Dog vs Belgian Malinois
The check that settles it
Malinois are square in outline rather than rectangular, lighter-boned, fawn with a black mask, and shorter-coated.
Confirming a german shepherd dog
- Large erect ears set high, with a long wedge-shaped muzzle.
- Longer than tall — the outline is rectangular rather than square.
- A bushy tail set low and carried in a gentle sabre curve, never over the back.
- A dense double coat that sheds heavily twice a year and steadily in between.
Confirming a belgian malinois
- Square outline — height at the withers roughly equals body length.
- Short coat, fawn to mahogany, with a black mask and black ear tips.
- Erect triangular ears in proportion to the head, smaller than a Shepherd's.
- Level topline with no slope.