I have both Shelties and a Belgian.. If I had a young child, there's not a chance in hell I'd get a Belgian. I wouldn't hesitate to get a Sheltie though. The reason I say this is because Belgians are very, very energetic dogs. They're very needy and require a handler who is *always* on top of things. A Belgian will take full advantage of you without hesitation. Aside from the energy level, temperament is also hit and miss. I got lucky with Keeva. She's a sweet dog but still is very flighty, which makes it hard for her to trust people. There are some awful temperaments out there. There's so much work to be done to the breed.
Shelties, on the other hand, are smaller in size, so there would be less worry about the dog knocking the child down. They're easily content being your average family dog, but are also happy to participate in ANY activity you have in store for them. They're sweet natured and I've seen far fewer Shelties with poor temperaments than I have Belgians. The only thing that would worry me is the herding instinct. But the drive in my Shelties is almost non-existant, while the drive in my Belgian is unreal!
As for my future breeds, I see more Belgians for me.I've really fallen in love with Malinois but would equally love to get one of the other varieties too.. perhaps a Visa puppy
My next dog will probably be a Papillon though. I'd like a dog suitable for agility, while taking a bit of a breather from another large breed puppy.
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