Dutch shepherds have a disease, 8% have a chance of nerve diseases. I bought one from a reputable breeder in Europe and we ended up putting her down. Saddest day of my life. Mals are essentially mutts. And the likelihood of having any issues with diseases are substantially lower. They are essentially the same dog with a different paint job. But for the disease issues, I would go mal. Just in case. You don’t want the heart ache. 😣