# why the D in GSD



## x11 (Jan 1, 2012)

there is no Dutch Shepherd Dog or Belgium Shepherd Dog.....?


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## GsdLoverr729 (Jun 20, 2010)

G- German
S- Shepherd
D- Dog

There are Dutch shepherd dogs, as well as Belgian/Belgium shepherds (malinois, groenendael, etc). But those are seperate breeds.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Probably carried over from the actual German word, which includes "dog".


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## x11 (Jan 1, 2012)

eh, almost everyone refers to their german shepherd as a gsd, dutchie owners write ds belgian shepherds i guess don't write i own a "BS" dog for good reason. but still are gsd owners confusing their gs with something other than a dog and have to make that clear to everyone?


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## Ken Clean-Air System (Feb 27, 2012)

The literal English translation of the German name for the breed is 'German Shepherd Dog'.


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## x11 (Jan 1, 2012)

my eh was meant to go before Liesje's post.


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## x11 (Jan 1, 2012)

fair enough - still seems weird or at lest redundant information.


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## GsdLoverr729 (Jun 20, 2010)

I don't like the look of "GS" personally, either. In my eyes, "GSD" looks more correct simply because it's the full/correct translation. I've never thought it redundant.


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## x11 (Jan 1, 2012)

well i will bet you never say it that way.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Why so argumentative? lol

It's Deutsche Schaeferhund, so the translation to GSD is accurate. Who knows why it caught on? But that's what it's always been called.


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## GsdLoverr729 (Jun 20, 2010)

Actually, I usually do say German shepherd dog  

Maybe I'm weird for it. I don't really care  That's just how I say it and type it, because that's what the translation is.


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## Ken Clean-Air System (Feb 27, 2012)

Liesje said:


> It's Deutsche Schaeferhund, so the translation to GSD is accurate. Who knows why it caught on? But that's what it's always been called.


Well, except for that period of time after World War 2 when the breed was rechristened 'Alsatian' by the AKC. 

At any rate, German Shepherd Dog is the official name of the breed as used by the AKC, and every other English speaking dog registry that I am aware of.


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Take it from a German. 

*D*eutscher *S*chaefer*h*und = DSH (yes, that is the actual abbreviation) 
*G*erman *S*hepherd *D*og = GSD


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

German shepherd - human
German Shepherd Dog - canine


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Whiteshepherds said:


> German shepherd - human
> German Shepherd Dog - canine


:rofl::thumbup:


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Whiteshepherds said:


> German shepherd - human
> German Shepherd Dog - canine


Basically, that is it! Not very likely to run into ranchers who raise large flocks of sheep, and who are of German nationality here in North America, so it does seem redundant, but in Germany, around the time of WWI, there were probably a lot of people making their living as shepherds. So a distinction needed to be made. (or so, I assume  ).


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## Mikelia (Aug 29, 2012)

As stated - it is the official name for the breed. You don't call English bulldogs English bulls do you? Karelian bear dog, old English sheepdog, canaan dog, canadian or american eskimo dog. Just so happens that the word 'dog' is part of their official breed name.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

I read that the dog was bred to be capable of handling the herd by himself, without needing a human.

So rather than a sheep dog, they named the breed a shepherd dog.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

OT, but this thread got me thinking that it's curious that Americans/Brits didn't translate "Dachshund" to rename that breed "Badger Dogs."


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## x11 (Jan 1, 2012)

what Magwart said


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

So are you suggesting we call them Schafferhunds?


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

selzer said:


> So are you suggesting we call them Schafferhunds?


heck no. If you want to translate the working dog, call them "Gebrauchshund" because that is what a working dog is.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Mrs.K said:


> heck no. If you want to translate the working dog, call them "Gebrauchshund" because that is what a working dog is.


Uhm, I wasn't talking about working dogs in particular, I was talking about shepherd dogs, kind of in response to the badger dog. 

Look, we have enough trouble getting people to spell shepherd properly. No way are they going to spell it in German properly.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Especially when it uses a letter that's not in our alphabet!


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

Liesje said:


> Especially when it uses a letter that's not in our alphabet!


Is that the combined ae thing?


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Yes, the a-umlaut which you can write using ae. It makes a short A sound, although a vowel followed by two consonants shortens the vowel sound as well. Lisa has the same letter in her kennel name (zu treuen Haenden).


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

selzer said:


> Uhm, I wasn't talking about working dogs in particular, I was talking about shepherd dogs, kind of in response to the badger dog.
> 
> Look, we have enough trouble getting people to spell shepherd properly. No way are they going to spell it in German properly.


Sorry. Schaffe is slang for arbeiten (Arbeitshund), which is basically a Synonym for Gebrauchshund. :wild:


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

Magwart said:


> OT, but this thread got me thinking that it's curious that Americans/Brits didn't translate "Dachshund" to rename that breed "Badger Dogs."


OT... huge pet peeve when people pronounce it "dash hound".


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

Was watching a best in show once and one of the comments was that German Shepherds were the ONLY breed that are ref'd to as dog...as an official breed name....they are not just german shepherds, but German Shepherd Dog


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## x11 (Jan 1, 2012)

good point


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

"
Was watching a best in show once and one of the comments was that German Shepherds were the ONLY breed that are ref'd to as dog...as an official breed name....they are not just german shepherds, but German Shepherd Dog "
as someone else already pointed out this is not so , and I would add Australian Cattle Dog , American Eskimo Dog, Anatolian Shepherd Dog, even Swiss Mountain Dog, the White House dog Portuguese Water Dog.
No wonder they did the comedy movie "Best In Show"


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

Yeah also Bernese Mountain Dog-- well really all the mountain dogs, bulldogs, sheepdogs, etc have "dog" in the name. 
Many other breeds have 'dog' but in another language like Cane Corso, Shiba Inu, those with "hund" in the name, and so on...
Other breeds that don't have the word 'dog' in the name often have words for a type of dog in their name instead which is almost the same thing-- like Dogo Argentino, Dogue de Boredeaux, Mastiff breeds, Terriers, Hounds, etc...



x11 said:


> there is no Dutch Shepherd Dog or Belgium Shepherd Dog.....?


Actually I thought in at least some of the kennel clubs they are called Belgian Shepherd Dogs or Belgian Sheepdogs so it is part of the breed name?


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

In the UKC breed standards there are 29 breeds that end in the word "dog". I did not even count ones that ended in the word "dog" in another language. So no, the German Shepherd Dog is not the only breed that ends in "dog".


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

selzer said:


> Look, we have enough trouble getting people to spell shepherd properly. No way are they going to spell it in German properly.


No kidding! For that matter, you should see and hear the way people butcher Lhasa Apso and Shih Tzu... it's downright comical at times, when I get phone calls asking if I can make an appointment for their "Jipsu" or "Lapso apsu". I asked one client if she could repeat, because I wasn't sure if I heard her right. She snottily repeated the name, carefully sounding out the syllables, "LAHP - so - AHP - zoo" as though I was the ignorant one.


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## FlyAway (Jul 17, 2012)

The German Shepherd is a man, the German Shepherd Dog is a dog.  

Though, in the US most people know that when you are talking about a German Shepherd, you are talking about a dog, but in Germany they add the "dog" so people know you are not talking about a shepherd. LOL!


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## RowdyDogs (Nov 12, 2012)

I'm laughing about removing the "redundant" word from other breeds. Australian Cattle has a whole different connotation than Australian Cattle Dog (much like German shepherd vs. German Shepherd Dog). Or if we switch species, should we start calling American Quarter Horses "Quarters"?


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## EJQ (May 13, 2003)

I've been involved with GSDs for just over 60 years. They have always been referred to as German Shepherd DOGS - not German Shepherds. I honestly don't know the facts about the origin but I believe that is the way Max von Stephanitz named them. To him they were a German Shepherd - DOG. That's the best I can do!!


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

GatorBytes said:


> Was watching a best in show once and one of the comments was that German Shepherds were the ONLY breed that are ref'd to as dog...as an official breed name....they are not just german shepherds, but German Shepherd Dog


I think this was a history thing prior to breeds such as the PWD being added in the 80's, and the American Eskimo (70's) was called just that - no "dog" but now includes "dog"...the Anatolian Shepherd...and so on...as far as I know the Dutch do not want Dutch Shepherds recognized to avert popularizing the breed and avoid having it altered like so many other breeds have been....not verbatim, just some misc. info blip in the back of my nugget, LOL:laugh:

The name of the German Shepherd Dog was changed to Alsatian and Wolf Dog and then back to German.


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## Peter. (Aug 22, 2012)

What if you're talking about a puppy? GSD puppy.. now that "sounds" redundant.. 

German Shepherd Dog ... Puppy.. 

I always wonder if I should be typing GSP...


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

GSP = German Shorthair Pointer


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## Peter. (Aug 22, 2012)

Liesje said:


> GSP = German Shorthair Pointer


Yeah, so apparently that wouldn't be accurate.. haha


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## x11 (Jan 1, 2012)

i was aware that bulldogs etc end in "dog" i was confining my question to the herders, dutch and belgian... 

i know the DS owners use dutchy but germy and belgy would not work as well? but then you get the mally. ok should replace the "y" with "ie" but germie looks and sounds more ridiculous than germy and the "g" goes from a "geee" sound to a "guh" sound which "sounds" just wrong.

as for the german shepherd = human, german shepherd dog = breed of dog then when refering to the breed of german shepherds shouldn't you being saying my breed of dog is a german shepherd dog dog?? 

what about a female german shepherd dog.....?????

as for the gsd pups german shepherd dog pup or german shepherd dog dog puppy, and the female pups?

GSP = should be GSPD so as not to confuse it with a german guy with a mullet hair-do that just points at things.

some may have to google the mullet hair style - you may become scarred tho


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Its a German Shepherd Dog Puppy GSDP. It should be a dog-pup or a bitch-pup if you must differentiate, but for both dogs and bitches, German Shepherd Dog is correct for the breed name. If you want to discuss a female, it would be a German Shepherd Dog bitch. Or just a female German Shepherd Dog.


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## x11 (Jan 1, 2012)

gotcha


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

X11: in german we call them Schaefie. 
As for english, generally people say Shepherd. I don't really use the full name when I talk to other shepherd people. In German I generally talk about schaefies (plural) or Schaeferhunde.

As for the general public, everyone knows what a German Shepherd is and I have yet to meet someone that would think about a human instead of the dog. Usually you get "I love German Shepherds."


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## breyer08 (Jul 4, 2012)

Magwart said:


> OT, but this thread got me thinking that it's curious that Americans/Brits didn't translate "Dachshund" to rename that breed "Badger Dogs."


I am going to call them that from now on! hahaha!


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

selzer said:


> Uhm, I wasn't talking about working dogs in particular, I was talking about shepherd dogs, kind of in response to the badger dog.
> 
> Look, we have enough trouble getting people to spell shepherd properly. No way are they going to spell it in German properly.


Dear God. If I had a dime for every time I saw Dachshund misspelled I'd be a billionaire!!!! 

One of the best was Douchehound...


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

> GSP = should be GSPD so as not to confuse it with a german guy with a mullet hair-do that just points at things


"GSP" is "German Shorthaired Pointer", btw...not even the same breed.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

x11 said:


> i know the DS owners use dutchy but germy and belgy would not work as well? but then you get the mally.


I've also heard American owners of a Malinois call it a "mal."

Given the_ French_ implications of _mal_, something about that one always makes me smile (= trouble, difficulty, pain or even evil).


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Mal, Malinette, Maligator, Malinator...


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## breyer08 (Jul 4, 2012)

msvette2u said:


> Dear God. If I had a dime for every time I saw Dachshund misspelled I'd be a billionaire!!!!
> 
> One of the best was Douchehound...


:laugh: And it's not just the spelling, but the pronunciation, too! Someone I know says "dotson". Whaaaa??


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

That's better than pronouncing it "DASH-HOUND"! Argh! I want to scream when people do that, especially when they _own_ the breed!


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

breyer08 said:


> :laugh: And it's not just the spelling, but the pronunciation, too! Someone I know says "dotson". Whaaaa??


Like this? Silver Dapple Datson


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Chicagocanine said:


> Like this? Silver Dapple Datson


Aww go get that little dog and send it to me! :wub:


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