LOL having been around Basenjis I definitely find them much more difficult than a sound Belgian of any variety.
I do think Belgians are quirky, weird and difficult dogs for many owners. I think GSDs are at least as difficult for many owners. And PyrSheps are definitely not a dog which would appeal to most people. But sometimes during these sorts of discussions, I think of a talk I had with a long time breeder of another "complicated" herding breed who now has a PyrShep. I asked her what she thought of the breed's reputation, how she found them to be, if they were really as difficult and unique as so many make them out to be. She said "well I know how to raise a herding breed puppy and he's not been any more difficult than my other puppies, easier than some actually". Then she said "sometimes I listen to the things people say about this breed and believe about them, how you can't do this or that with them and you have to do such or such with them and I thinkyou know...they're just dogs".
It's obvious breeds of dogs all have temperaments which make them suited or not to the jobs they were meant to perform. And some of those temperament characteristics can make it more or less difficult for certain types of owners. I don't find Belgians of any sort all that difficult but I don't relate well to many of the Nordic or primitive breeds. Not that I don't admire them or know ones I like, just they don't fit me. So for me a Malamute or Basenji or Samoyed would probably be way more difficult than any sort of Belgian or PyrShep or GSD or... Someone at the trial this weekend that I've known forever saw me with Savvy and said "you sure like your herding breeds don't you?".
In the end, if a dog works out or not largely depends on how dedicated the owner is to doing right by the dog. If you get a Mal and expect it to live in a crate or kennel run for hours upon hours upon hours than you aren't doing right by the dog and it's unlikely to work out. If you get a Mal and love an interactive, biddable, quirky, active dog that you want to teach to do all sorts of things, go everywhere with you, take on long hikes and have a really solid relationship with, chances are pretty good that you will do right by the dog and be pretty happy with it, providing the dog has a reasonably sound temperament. There are plenty of sport owners who take the former approach and plenty of pet owners who take the later, so you can't always judge how suited one would be by what activities they do with their dogs.