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German Shepherd Dog
Other names Deutscher Schäferhund


Schäferhund
Alsatian
Country of origin Germany
Traits

The German Shepherd Dog (also known as the Alsatian, and by the acronym GSD or simply German Shepherd) is a breed of dog originally bred for herding sheep.

Based on 2006 American Kennel Club statistics, German Shepherd Dogs are the third most popular breed in the United States with 43,575 registrations

Name

The proper English name for the breed is German Shepherd Dog (a literal translation from the German Deutscher Schäferhund) but they are usually informally referred to as GSDs or as "German Shepherds". In addition, the sobriquet police dog is used in many countries where the GSD is the predominant or exclusive breed used by the police force.

In the United Kingdom, The Republic of Ireland and the Commonwealth the German Shepherd Dog is commonly called the Alsatian. Anti-German sentiment was still high in the wake of World War I and changes of German-oriented names in the UK - including that of the Royal Family - were common at the time. When a few dogs were taken to Britain and the United States, the English Kennel Club gave the breed a separate register. Since it was feared that the name German Shepherd Dog could be an impediment, the name Alsatian was introduced, from Alsace, a traditionally German-speaking French area on the west bank of the Rhine where many of the dogs had been found. Only in 1977 did the British Kennel Club authorize the breed to be known again as the German Shepherd Dog.


  1. ^ akc.org
  2. ^ http://www.germanshepherds.com/thegsd/history/
  3. ^ http://www.justshepherds.com/colors.htm
  4. ^ http://www.brightstargsd.org/mainpages/coatandcolors.html
  5. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7jhrxy0HKs
  6. ^ Langhaar-Schaeferhunde-Verband
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ http://www.rintintin.com/story.htm