Difference Between Alsatian and German shepherd

Alsatian vs German shepherd

When talking of dog breeds Alsatian and German shepherd, most of the people considered the two as different. It is one of the misconceptions that people have about dog breeds that Alsatian and German shepherd are different breeds.

No one has to think Alsatian and German shepherd as two breeds. There are lots of people who can talk broadly about the difference between the two breeds. These all talks are baseless and do not contain a pinch of truth. The real fact is that there is no difference between the two. The only difference is that they were called by different names in different countries.

An Alsatian breed was so called after the Alsace-Lorraine region bordering France and German. The German Shepard gets its name from Germany. The dog was initially called ‘Deustcher Schaferhund’, which meant “German Shepherd Dog”.

The German shepherd breed was noticed in Germany as far as 1899 and was bred as working dog. It was also bred for its protective instincts and high intelligence. It was during World War I and II that the German Shepard dogs were termed Alsatian Wolf dogs. The British did not want to have the stigma of word ‘German’ connected to the dog during the World Wars. Later the word Wolf was taken off and it just went by the name of Alsatian.

Apart from this simple difference of terming the dog in two ways, there is no difference. The Alsatian is German shepherd only.

Though many people are still confused with the two terms, there is no need for any confusion. Both the names Alsatian and German shepherd applies to the same breed.

Summary

1. Both the names Alsatian and German shepherd applies to the same canine breed.
2. There are lots of people who can talk broadly about the difference between the two breeds. These all talks are baseless and do not contain a pinch of truth.
3. The only difference between Alsatian and German Shepard is that they were called by different names in different countries.
4. An Alsatian breed was so called after the Alsace-Lorraine region bordering France and German. The German Shepard gets its name from Germany. The dog was initially called ‘Deustcher Schaferhund’, which meant “German Shepherd Dog”.
5. It was during World War I and II that the German Shepard dogs were termed Alsatian Wolf dogs. The British did not want to have the stigma of word ‘German’ connected to the dog during the World Wars.

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