The German Shepherd has been known by some different names, and most of us know already that one of them was “Alsatian.” For those just learning about this, the backstory is that after World War I, Britain didn’t care to call this marvelous breed a “German Shepherd Dog” because Germany was one of their enemies, and Brits didn’t want to use a working dog with a name associated with German forces.

Their solution was to call the breed Alsatian (or Alsatian Wolf Dog) after the French region of Alsace bordering Germany. The breed name that was officially renamed by the UK Kennel Club was also adopted by many other international kennel clubs, and it might amaze some readers to learn that the name didn’t revert back to German Shepherd Dog on a global scale until as recently as 1977, and this only after campaigns were made by German Shepherd Dog breeders.

In France, the breed had long been called Alsatian, as well as Berger Allemand or Chien de berger. In fact, one source writes that the French initially considered the breed to be French which was “stolen” by the Germans in 1870. Not until 1922 did they officially concede that the breed was German in origin, and until then, the Alsace Shepherd Dog Society was known as the Société du Chien de Berger Allemand. 

Image: German Shepherd Dog Watercolor by José Elias Sofia Pereira/StockPhotosArt Com is available for purchase here