A fabulous breed by any other name is still a fabulous breed. What started out as a post to share the amazing mechanics of how dogs drink water is turning into a brief explanation about the difference between German Shepherd Dogs and Alsatians (the name given to the breed in this video).

There isn’t any difference. The breed was used by both sides during the wars, but (as the story goes), the British didn’t want to call their dogs “German,” so they renamed it “Alsatian” after the German French border area of Alsace-Lorraine.
At this point, we defer to the breed experts, but our reading suggests that around 1917, the AKC also changed the breed name from German Shepherd Dog to “Shepherd Dog,” and that members of the German Shepherd Dog Club of America also changed their name to the “Shepherd Dog Club of America.”

The name, “Alsatian” stuck in many European countries, and old German Shepherds (and old timers) are still known by the name even today. The original name for this dog breed in Germany is Deustcher Schaferhund which literally means “German Shepherd Dog.”

And finally, a public service to keep some of you from being corrected as we once were. The word “Dog” is part of the name of the breed. Technically, a German Shepherd would be a person holding a shepherd’s crook and tending sheep. When referring to the canine, remember to include the all important three letter word: German Shepherd DOG.

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxQR0zyldYc&feature=youtu.be

German Shepherd Dog by Judith Stein
www.judithstein.com
https://www.etsy.com/shop/k9stein