German Shepherd Puppies Blog

This little German Shepherd pup is ready for a play. What a position to take!

A tiny German Shepherd puppy ready to jump! He will make a perfect watchdog when he grows up.

It is said that a cat may look at a king, but the dogs have one better. A German Shepherd named Major who belonged to Franklin D Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States famously ripped the pants of Ramsay MacDonald, the British Prime Minister!

It’s quite a joke actually, and the symbolism of this can’t be missed if one factors in the date of this occurrence. The incident took place at just the time when Britain was preparing to go to war with Germany. Being bitten by a German Originating Dog inside the White House wasn’t quite the way to inspire confidence in people!

Poor Major was banished to another residence of Roosevelt and the story ends there. But keep in mind henceforth that a dog may bite off the pants of a Prime Minister!

They say curiousity killed the cat, but these two aren’t that far from it either…..desperately trying to figure our what is cooking!

The German Shepherd Dog

The stately German Shepherd-
Protective, bold and smart,
Looked into my eyes one day
And quickly stole my heart.

Courageous and endearing,
A favorite of its breed,
So proud and yet so loving,
A steadfast friend indeed.

Caring disposition,
Faithful to the core-
If you have a Shepherd’s love,
You cannot want for more.

- Author Unknown

The German Shepherd comes in three varieties; namely: short haired, medium haired and long haired. Some groups or breeders have focused on variants of the breed that are not recognized by most kennel clubs as standard show German Shepherds. The long-haired, or “fuzzy” variation of the breed is similar in looks to the Belgian Teruvian Shepherd Dog. The gene for the long hair is a recessive gene, and so it is more common to have the shorter or medium-length variety.

Color-wise, there are many color variations found in the German Shepherd:

- Conformation-line dogs, are mostly black-and-tan and black-and-red. Combinations containing very light hues such as cream are typically considered as faults. All-black is usually, but not always, accepted. For conformation-line dogs, the “saddle” marking is probably the most well-known. This consists of a large black patch on the upper and mid back, extending partway down the dog’s sides. The “sable” marking, which consists of one color with randomly-sized and -shaped patches or swaths of different-colored hair mixed in, is typical for working-line dogs. Some sable-pattern dogs have three colors in their coat; this is called agouti. The other popular marking is called “bi-color”, and consists of a dog that is all one color (typically black) save for differently-colored paws and lower legs, and sometimes a swath on the belly.

- Working-line dogs are typically sable, black-and-tan or black-and-brown.

One can sometimes see White German Shepherds, but these are also called Berger Blanc Suisse, or the White Swiss Shepherd dog and they are actually recognized by the FCI as a separate breed!The recessive gene for white coat hair was fixed in the German Shepherd Dog breed DNA by the late 19th and early 20th century German breeding program that extensively used “color coated” dogs that carried a recessive gene for “white coats.” The American-, the German- and the Canadian German Shepherd Club all see the white coat as basis for disqualification.

You have probably heard the word Alsatian. What connection does it have to the German Shepherd? Well, the the proper English name for the breed is the German Shepherd Dog, which is a literal translation from the German: “Deutscher Sch?ferhund”. However, they are usually simply called “German Shepherds”. In countries , where the police force uses only German Shepherds, the breed is colloquially called dog the “Police Dog” as well. In 1919, the breed was given the name: Alsatian Wolf Dog, due to anti-German sentiments after World War I. The word Alsatian comes from the word Alsace which is a traditionally German-speaking French area on the west bank of the Rhine. With time, the ‘wolf dog’ part was dropped due to a fear that it would create a negative connotation. The name Alsatian is still used in the U.K, in Ireland and in France. Only in 1977, did the name: German Shepherd become recognised in the U.K. In the United States, the breed was originally known as the ‘German Sheep Dog’ by the AKC Germany. In 1917, the name was changed to ‘Shepherd Dog’ due to anti-German sentiments. Only in 1931 did the word ‘German’ was once again become associated with the breed in teh US. In Germany, Northern- and Eastern Europe the breed is still commonly known as Sch?ferhund.

…a warm welcome!!

The German Shepherd is a popular dog breed and one has heard so many success stories of German Shepherd heroes on film and in reality. To this wonderful breed…and to all its fans..this blog is dedicated!Enjoy…