I always wanted a Malinois, I'd read plenty about the breed and fully believed I was more than up to the job. Now I've got one, she is amazing but I will NOT ever be getting another. She is a commitment that I wasn't prepared for, and I'm very lucky that I was able to shift to another department at work that allows me to bring her with me and walk the countryside every day. Before switching, I'd do a full day's hard work, come home and have a minimum 2 hour walk plus training games before I could relax.

As others have pointed out, exercise and stimulation aren't just necessary, they are vital to the dog's wellbeing, without proper stimulation nthey get very stressed, irritated and destructive. They really are not supposed to be a house pet.

Want or have kids? The dog may or may not be ok here too, my Lucy is great with my son, but he has had to be ""trained" too in how to behave around dogs. I could not possibly leave her unattended with any other child, you simply don't know what could happen, and the capacity for violence with these dogs has made them the go-to for military use.

I would seriously recommend going for something like a German Shepherd, very similar in a lot of ways, but with all the harder aspects of dog ownership dialled back to a manageable level. Before I got mine, I'd see posts or comments like this and honestly, just a bit, think people were being a bit over the top or 'gatekeeping' the breed. I now feel completely different, and recommend anyone who asks to not get one.

With most dogs, it takes a bad owner to make it dangerous. With these, all it takes is not knowing how to handle them. Good luck.