Not to get cross with Rthur, but my experience has been slightly different.
My daughter (who lives with us currently) has a Mali, and while definitely high energy, dominance is not an issue with her at all (in fact, quite the opposite...she's a big whimp within the family). She will get aggressive with people "outside the pack", but generally only if they are displaying an aggressive behavior.
There used to be a couple breeders/importers on this board a few years back, and they both mentioned that with Mali's, it really depends on the dog's breeding as to whether it will be dominantly aggressive, or if it will be more of "the family pet, that think's they're a person" type of personality.
I will agree, they are some of the smartest friggin' dogs I've seen. Ours can now open the back door to let herself back in (we thought it would be impossible to train her, but she figured it out pretty quickly). Sasha (the dog) was house broken as a puppy in like 3-4 days. She catches on really quick, as long as the commands are short, consistent, and followed by positive reinforcement.
The other thing that surprised me about them, was that they do not bark excessively (rarely actually), unless they're in defense mode (someone on the front porch, approaching her safe space boundary, etc.). In fact, when she needs to go outside, she doesn't bark or whine. She just comes up to you and nuzzles your hand, and then either faces the door, or runs towards it and looks back.
Also surprising, was how sensitive she was to discipline. A gentle, but firm hand, is needed with her or she get's this brow beat face and attitude, and acts as if she's afraid of being disciplined again. They thrive on being given tasks and being kept occupied (whether it be playing, training or what not).
One thing is for sure, when you look into her eyes, you'd swear you could almost see the gears turning. She's a damned smart dog.
