# Has anyone ever mistaken your GSD for anything other than a GSD?



## Findlay (Jan 8, 2015)

I popped by the bank with Finn on Friday and a guy said to me “King Shepherd, right?”


I said nope, he’s just a regular shepherd. Then the guy tells me, his friend had a male King Shepherd, and Finn looks just like that dog, same size and same quiet temperament and that Finn’s head is the same too.


Then my husband shows up and gets in on the conversation and becomes convinced that our dog is a King Shepherd. I said but his litter mates were all German Shepherds and plus I think King shepherds are a mix of GSDs and something like… Bernese Mountain Dogs???


Then the vice president of the bank drags all of us, including Finn into his office and does a Wikipedia search of King Shepherds.
We found out that, King Shepherds are a cross of GSD with Newfoundland and Shiloh Shepherds. 

I think my husband was a bit disappointed that Finn's not a King. lol


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

TILDEN: tervuren, collie, aussie, border collie, shiloh, golden retriever...

KEYSTONE: malinois, malinois, malinois, cattle dog, dutchie, malinois...

or of course they both get "belgian", whatever breed that is, lol
here's a fun thread from way back when, http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/take-poll/88200-whats-your-purebred-gsd-mixed.html


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## yuriy (Dec 23, 2012)

Mistaken - no, but I did recently have the owner of a Great Dane puppy ask me what breed my dog was - that was surprising. I think the GSD is one of the most (if not _the_ most) recognizable breeds.


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## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

Considering I own a long coat GSD and a solid black GSD most of my time out in public with them is explaining that they are in fact purebred GSD's LOL. With my long coat I mostly get Belgian shepherd though he's gotten husky a few times as well and my black I get Akita all the time.


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## Kahrg4 (Dec 19, 2012)

Cafall, my sable GSD, has been a 'Coyote' and a 'Malinois' multiple times.
Efa, my solid black GSD, has been a 'Lab mix,' 'Cattle Dog Mix,' Schnauzer Mix,' etc.

People are a creative lot.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

^ lol, the one color Akitas don't come in!!


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Kahrg4 said:


> Cafall, my sable GSD, has been a 'Coyote' and a 'Malinois' multiple times.
> Efa, my solid black GSD, has been a 'Lab mix,' 'Cattle Dog Mix,' Schnauzer Mix,' etc.
> 
> People are a creative lot.


Schnauzer?!lol!Samson has been a Malemute mix and a wolf


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## MythicMut (May 22, 2015)

Wolf (because he has amber eyes), Lab (LOL), Pony (this from a 4 year old) and apparently "Police Dog" is now a breed!!!


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

^ along with "K9"


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

I've gotten Wolf, and King Shepherd, and Alsatian, as if that was a different breed.


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

I've had people question what my long hair WGSDs were.


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## yuriy (Dec 23, 2012)

MythicMut said:


> apparently "Police Dog" is now a breed!!!


Oh yeah, I've gotten that. "Is that a police dog?" "Are you a cop?"


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

I work with labs and goldens so that's what people see me around town with.... when I've had my personal dogs out with me, not once but twice people have stopped me and said "that's not..... a labrador..... is it??"

both times I didn't even know what to say, just stood there for several moments.. stunned, waiting for "just kidding", never came.


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

My solid black boy was often mistaken for a lab mix. 

Nix just makes people stop and stare. They rarely ask about him. Except one woman at PetSmart who nearly dropped her items and came charging up to me. In a very thick German Accent, dropped to the ground and just called him over. He though she was the bombdiggity. 

My long coat girl got called a Malinois at Petsmart by an employee. She really did not believe me that my coated show line female looked nothing like a Malinois. Nothing. I had to find a book to prove it. Had she said Tervuren, I would have been less rude.


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## Cobe914 (Sep 29, 2014)

Okay, my dog isn't a GSD but I wanted to play too.

I could count all of the people that have recognized my Dutch Shepherd since the day I got him on one hand.

I get... Weimaraner, greyhound, husky, malamute, wolf, coyote, cattle dog, lab, GSD, belgian shepherd (though never malinois, which would actually be close), pitbull, doberman, and/or a mix of any of the above. 

I had one woman who was ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that he was a blue heeler (where he gets the blue from), husky, and doberman.. because he had doberman paws, a trait found ONLY in that breed, apparently. No shepherd in him at all, she said.


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## Dunkirk (May 7, 2015)

I was told once "He's not pure shepherd, he has some alsation in him".


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## yuriy (Dec 23, 2012)

Dunkirk said:


> I was told once "He's not pure shepherd, he has some alsation in him".


You should have nodded and asked if they had seen the news about the deadly, odourless chemical dihydrogen monoxide being used in their food.


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

My long coat, Max, was accused of being a mutt.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

I always get "what is he?". I think I've had only one or two people in 2 years to actually guess GSD. Yes, I know he's solid black. Yes, it's unheard of in this area. There are very few sables as well. Most are traditional b&ts around here...mostly pet lines.

I think some think he might be a GSD but are afraid to actually voice the guess out loud because of his color. A lot say "German Shepherd and .... ? ".

Yeah.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Most people get it. Sometimes i hear a Belgian malinois which i can see if when he goes through his light phases, a belgian tervuran - i am impressed they are familiar with the name. One person said a malamute or husky still cant figure that one out.


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## HOBY (Aug 12, 2013)

*That Bear Thing....*

Women standing in line can't recognize Hoby as a GSD and comments, "He looks like a Bear".

When Hoby was little my cousin stopped by to see my new pup. "Wow he looks like a little Bear".

Two guys come into my place from the town DPW and one says to the other, "hey Wally that lady out at the state line who called about a Bear sighting, must have seen this guy", as we all had a good laugh.

And the Police Dog comment.

I also had a Salt and Pepper Red Sable back in the 70's -80's. Not so common in those days I guess. People could not believe he was a GSD.


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## amburger16 (May 22, 2015)

"Police dog" .. I expect it from kids, but some adults are apparently convinced if its a gsd its a police dog. A few people have also tried to convince me he is a king shepherd because "he is so big!" , they are usually the ones that interrupt my training in public by telling me they know a lot about dogs and behavior because they watch the dog whisperer.


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

Over the years, I haven't received too many strange comments w/my black and red girl (besides the police dog stuff), but apparently sables are NOT a common sight around here.

In the last two months, Ayla's been called a "Mal-ee-wah, like the movie?!?!" countless times, and a coyote at least a dozen times. And the good old... "Are you SURE she's not a mix?" 

The best one was a few weeks ago, a woman at a state park walked up behind me while I was tying my shoe, and started screaming at me about how irresponsible it is to own a wolf hybrid..... while the vicious 15 week old puppy in question sat and chewed a stick. I tried to interrupt her rant because other people were staring, but eventually I gave up and walked away. People are weird.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

"Some sort of German Shepherd mix"
Lol


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

WIBackpacker said:


> The best one was a few weeks ago, a woman at a state park walked up behind me while I was tying my shoe, and started screaming at me about how irresponsible it is to own a wolf hybrid..... while the vicious 15 week old puppy in question sat and chewed a stick. I tried to interrupt her rant because other people were staring, but eventually I gave up and walked away. People are weird.


I have no poker face. I'd have been unable to keep from laughing.

During her puppyhood, my dog was mistaken for a GSD mix more times than I can count. I think people don't realize they're fuzzy, often more black than tan, and the ears aren't always up right away. As she got older, more people figured it out. I have had a couple of people ask if she's a King puppy because she's been 24" tall since she was 11 months old, and she's going to likely top out at the high end of standard for height and weight. (She isn't.)

The cutest question ever, though, was this adorable little boy, maybe 4, who stared reverently at my dog and asked in an awestruck voice, "Is she a police dog?"


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## FearlessFreya (Sep 6, 2015)

When Freya was little, she was mistaken for a Leonberger a lot for some reason... I also heard tell of wolf and bear (usually little kids). She still gets mistaken for a shiloh shepherd and no one seems to believe that she is not a mixed breed. She just happens to be a fluffy gsd


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## Palydyn (Aug 28, 2014)

My last shepherd Denali (RIP), was 33 inches high at the shoulder and weighed 140 lbs so people thought he was a Great Dane. Most of my other shepherds were white, so people thought they were albino of some sort. Rommel has been called a white wolf, probably because he is tall and lanky and at only 9 months doesn't quite have the shepherd build yet. 

The other thing is that around here at least white shepherds are not that common so people refuse to believe he is a shepherd. Doesn't have the build (yet) and doesn't look like Rin-Tin-Tin.


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## Lobo dog (Sep 19, 2014)

I have had people ask if Lobo is a police dog...I have even been stopped by 3 police officers who all said he looked and acted like he should be on the force lol

When Lobo was a 45lb 4 month old this older gentleman asked "is that a shepherd?" I said yes and he said (completely serious) "he is a very small German Shepherd". It was strange because it took me a few sentences to convince him Lobo was a puppy and when I asked if he wanted to pet him he just turned and said no, and with that dismissed us as if we weren't still standing there. 

When Lobo was 3 or 4 months a lady on her bicycle stopped us looked at me accusingly and said "Did you crop that puppy's ears?!?" I was dumbstruck....I just assumed it was common knowledge that GSD ears stand naturally. (And yes she knew he was a German Shepherd).


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

I think my all time favorite question was by a 13 year old he asked if Rocky (BLK OS WL GSD) was a wolf??

I said "No" he's a dog. He looked again thought and then asked "Is he a Werewolf???" I was stunned??? And impressed, I said no, I watch him at night and as far as I can tell ...he's just a dog.


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## Findlay (Jan 8, 2015)

Chip18;7274
I watch him at night and as far as I can tell ...he's just a dog. :)[/QUOTE said:


> Good answer Chip!
> 
> So.
> When my elderly aunt (Irish, from Ireland) met Finn, she said to me "he's an old soul, isn't he?"
> ...


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

I had someone ask me if my little female was a malinois. I was mostly stunned that Joe Schmoe knew what a malinois was... never mind the fact that she doesn't look anything like one.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

I've gotten the malinois thing about Sage before, when she was out of coat and naked. But since she was a very classic black and tan GSD, it was sort of a leap.


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## Chasegsdlove (Sep 16, 2015)

When I got my gsd Chase at 8 weeks someone ask is that a chow? And I said no he is a German Shepherd and now he is 5 months old people are convinced that Chase is a mix when he is not he is a plush fur Shepherd people have asked is he long haired? No he is a plush fur here is a pic of Chase at 8 weeks and now at 5 months and a pic of his dad who is a plush


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## brandydan (May 7, 2015)

Chasegsdlove said:


> When I got my gsd Chase at 8 weeks someone ask is that a chow? And I said no he is a German Shepherd and now he is 5 months old people are convinced that Chase is a mix when he is not he is a plush fur Shepherd people have asked is he long haired? No he is a plush fur here is a pic of Chase at 8 weeks and now at 5 months and a pic of his dad who is a plush


I think that a big part of the confusion the average person has regarding GSDs is that 1) there IS a difference between GSDs and Mals and Dutch, etc., 2) there IS a difference between GSDs, and 3) people really aren't familiar with Standard, Plush and Long Coated GSDs. 

I have a Shiloh (so, technically 'a shepherd', just not a German Shepherd Dog), who is mistaken for a Leonberger since at 3 months his ears are taking their sweet time going up. They're at the 'thinking about it' phase. I know that once those ears go up, I'll get the 'shepherd mix with a chow' because he's a plush, then later on the 'shepherd mix with a golden' since he's the calmest puppy in the group. But I still get people insisting he's a GSD, though when I compare him to real GSDs, I can see a lot of differences.

I take him to a Puppy Play time at the local Petco which one of the trainers offers for large breed dogs once a week. There are two GSDs the same age as Tal (3 months), and they couldn't be more different other than their coat color (B&T. My guy is dark sable, though wavering to a Bi sable (?) terms are still odd). 

One comes from a 'hobby breeder' and while the owners know that, they love him, though they wish he had more than a Sleep Mode and a Run EVERYWHERE!!! Mode. The other comes from a breeder that I considered for a total of three seconds since the breeder touts WLs that go into protection, so I know we were so not ready for a dog this intelligent. Size, weight, energy levels, they are all over the place. 

Yet they're still GSDs (the two in the class). But no one could imagine that they're the same age, gender.


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## Kirkiko (Jan 17, 2015)

I get asked constantly if my girl is a samoyed or a wolf (the thing is we don't have wolves in new Zealand). Most don't even know white shepherds exist haha


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

I have a neighbor man (in his 90's). That gets poodles mixed up with GSD's. He's so coherent sometimes but other times..... not so much.

I have told him 5 times that my old dog Smoky passed on a year and a half ago. He stops every day to say hi to my new pup Summer which is now a year old. Still calls her Smoky. Oh well - he's happy.


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## Findlay (Jan 8, 2015)

Stonevintage said:


> I have a neighbor man (in his 90's). That gets poodles mixed up with GSD's. He's so coherent sometimes but other times..... not so much.
> 
> I have told him 5 times that my old dog Smoky passed on a year and a half ago. He stops every day to say hi to my new pup Summer which is now a year old. Still calls her Smoky. Oh well - he's happy.


Stone- my husband and I aren't even close to 90 but we both keep calling Finn, "Jake."

Our GSD Jake passed away May, 2014. 
Finn seems to answer to both names...lol
It's one way to keep Smokey's and Jake's memory alive.


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## GSDream (Jun 25, 2015)

Chasegsdlove said:


> When I got my gsd Chase at 8 weeks someone ask is that a chow?


I had the same thing at the vet the other day with Meadow. It took me several seconds to think of a reply... of all the breeds the guy could have guessed, I never expected Chow. She looks nothing like a chow!


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## fortam (Aug 20, 2015)

My boy is a sable, and a guy who owned a black and tan gsd asked me what he was mixed with!
I've also been asked if he's a husky


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## Apexk9 (Sep 13, 2015)

I was asked if he was an Australian Shepherd like really?


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## jschrest (Jun 16, 2015)

I get coyote A LOT. Aside from her basic B&T coloring, I can see why they would think that. She's definitely not a standard GSD. Poor breeding, raised essentially feral, and given a poor diet her whole life had left her with some very "wild" characteristics, mannerisms, and size/build of a coyote.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

yuriy said:


> I think the GSD is one of the most (if not _the_ most) recognizable breeds.


I think so too! But I am proven wrong a lot. Many people in my town always ask what kind Titan is.. it initially took me aback but I got used to it.. now I just say German Shepherd.. Sometimes I actually confuse them by saying "GSD" then correct myself, LOL. 

I do get the "Is he a Belgian.... you know what I mean?" from time to time too.. and IMO Titan looks NOTHING like a mal.


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