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Breeds That Closely Resemble The German Shepherd
German Shepherds are a beautiful and versatile caliber of dog. There are many different "flavors" within the breed from different colors, body types, hair lengths, purposes . . . But there's also breeds that that look very similar and may even be confused for German Shepherds. Here we will go over breeds that are completely unrelated but look similar to the GSD. As well as breeds that are hybrids in which GSD's are the main contributor of genetics. Let's get started.
This post at a glance . . .
German Shepherd
Belgian Sheepdog
-Belgian Malinois
-Belgian Tervuren
-Belgian Groenendael
-Belgian Laekenois
Dutch Shepherd
Bohemian Shepherd
German Shepherd Hybrids
Blue Bay Shepherds
Lycan Shepherd
Northern Inuit+
Lupo Italiano
Eastern European Shepherd
White Swiss Shepherd/ Berger Blanc Suisse
Shiloh Shepherd
American Alsatian "Dire Wolf"
King Shepherd
Conclusion
German Shepherd
To get a base comparison we'll start out with the German Shepherd. Arguably the best breed in the world. The German Shepherd was created in 1899 by Max von Stephanitz in Western Germany. So, we've had these wonderful dogs around for about 125 years. Originally bred as sheep herders, they've been the dog that can do just about anything from Herding, Police Work, Military Work, Service Dog, Search & Rescue, Guardian, Protection Sports, Personal Protection, Family . . . They are loyal, protective, brave, highly trainable, confident, intelligent dogs. Because of all of these great qualities, the German Shepherd has been the base breed for several hybrids to create new amazing dogs.
Created With: Various German Herding Dogs
Recognized By AKC: YES
Size: M: 65 - 90 lbs
F: 50 - 70 lbs
Lifespan: 12-14 yrs
Bred For: Herding, Police Work, Military Work, Service Dog, Search & Rescue, Guardian, Protection Sports, Personal Protection, Family . . .
Belgian Sheepdogs
All of these Belgian Shepherds below were once considered the same breed until they came to America and were registered under different breeds. The main difference between these breeds is coat type (short, long, wire, black vs sable). All have a strong need to work and be active. So, they are not well suited as lazy family dogs.
Why are Malinois the most popular over the other types? I struggled to find the answer to this. But my logical assumption is that the Malinois has the easiest coat to manage. Longer or wiry coats require more grooming and (in my opinion) could potentially interfere with different environments in police or military work. Therefore, the Malinois became the focus for breeding programs to refine their working ability.
(hover or click on image for name)
Belgian Malinois
Created With: Tervuren, Groenendael & Laekenois. Now days some are mixed with other herders like the German Shepherd and Dutch Shepherd Recognized By AKC: YES
Size: M: 60 - 80 lbs
F: 40 - 60 lbs
Lifespan: 14-16 yrs
Bred For: Herding, Police Work, Military Work, Service Dog, Search & Rescue, Guardian, Protection Sports, Personal Protection . . .
Belgian Tervuren
Created With: Malinois, Groenendael, Laekenois
Recognized By AKC: YES
Size: M: 55 - 75 lbs
F: 45 - 60 lbs...........
Lifespan: 12-14 yrs
Bred For: Herding, Guardian, Police Work, Search & Rescue, Service Dog Work, Agility, Obedience
Belgian Groenendael
Created With: Malinois, Tervuren, Laekenois
Recognized By AKC: YES
Size: M: 55 - 75 lbs
F: 45 - 60 lbs............
Lifespan: 12-14 yrs
Bred For: Herding, Guardian, Police Work, Search & Rescue, Service Dog Work, Agility, Obedience
Belgian Laekenois
Created With: Malinois, Tervuren, Groenendael
Recognized By AKC: YES
Size: M: 55 - 65 lbs
F: 55 - 65 lbs........... Lifespan: 10-12 yrs
Bred For: Herding, Guardian, Police Work, Search & Rescue, Service Dog Work, Agility, Obedience
Dutch Shepherd
It's hard to imagine a dog that's more intense than the Belgian Malinois. These guys are it. They are NOT a family pet or for most people. Even professional dog handlers can struggle with these guys. Dutchies originally were used on farms for various tasks before growing into other useful roles. They're incredibly intense and must have a job and fantastic training to reach their full potential.
Created With: Rural Shepherd Type Dogs In The Netherlands
Recognized By AKC: YES
Size: M: 60 - 75 lbs
F: 40 - 60 lbs..........
Lifespan: 11-14 yrs
Bred For: Herding, Police Work, Military Work, Search & Rescue, Tracking
Bohemian Shepherd
This ancient versatile breed is intelligent, athletic, energetic, and enthusiastic breed was created in the Czech Republic about 1325 (about 700 years!). Originally bred to patrol borders but can excel in many other roles like watch dogs and herding. In addition to their working ability, they're also known to be great active family dogs.
Created With: Various Herding Dogs In The Czech Republic
Recognized By AKC: YES
Size: M: 40 - 60 lbs
F: 30 - 55 lbs..........
Lifespan: 12-15 yrs
Bred For: Originally patrol borders. Commonly watch dogs, herding dogs, family pets
German Shepherd Hybrids
As I dived into some of these additional breeds of shepherd-like dogs. It really comes down to these other breeds are just mutts or "German Shepherd Hybrids". Dedicated people coming up with their own flavor or shepherd.
Blue Bay Shepherd
I'll admit. I loved these dogs at first sight. These beautiful dogs are a relatively new breed still in the making and are gorgeous! They are a mix between blue German Shepherds and blue wolf hybrids. Created by Vicki Spencer in Florida. Special care has been taken to selectively breed good natured, healthy, blue, family type dogs.
Created With: Blue European German Shepherds & Blue Eastern Timberwolf Wolf Hybrids
Recognized By AKC: Not at this time
Size: M: 85 - 105 lbs
F: 70 - 85 lbs
Lifespan: 12-14 yrs
Bred For: Attractive, friendly, temperamentally sound, healthy, active family dogs
Lycan Shepherd
Another relatively new breed. Cadde JoliCoeur wanted to take the Blue Bay Shepherd a step further and created the "Lycan Shepherd". Lycan Shepherds are a new breed being developed mainly from the Blue Bay Shepherds. With the addition of the Malinois and more working line German Shepherd you get less of a family dog and more of a working dog. So, the goal with the Lycan Shepherd was for a wolf like dog that is smart with reliable temperament and has more of a working like mentality.
Created With: Blue Bay Shepherds, Working Line German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois
Recognized By AKC: Not at this time
Size: M: 70 - 80 lbs
F: 55 - 65 lbs
Lifespan: 12-14 yrs
Bred For: Wolf like appearance, intelligence, and obedience for agility, herding, sport obedience, and active family dog
Northern Inuit Dog+
This breed was mainly created by combining the German Shepherd with Malamutes, Huskies, and some lines contain Samoyed. Because they have no recent wolf content, this makes them trainable, confident, gentle, and playful dogs. They're commonly used for wolf roles in movies like Game Of Thrones. There not as common in the US but there are some breeders available. A couple similar breeds include the Tamaskan Wolfdog, Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, and the Timber Dog. The overall favorite being the Timber Dog for wolf-like looks and overall temperament. I'd recommend "Animal Watch" on YouTube if you want to learn more about these breeds.
Created With: German Shepherds, Alaskan Malamute, Husky, Some Have Samoyed
Recognized By AKC: Not at this time
Size: M: 80 - 130 lbs
F: 75 - 90 lbs
Lifespan: 12-14 yrs
Bred For: People who want a wolf-like dog without the wild wolf content
Lupo Italiano
This breed comes from questionable origin and has questionable sustainability with lack of funding for the breeding program. Genetics testing brings doubt that this breed actually has wolf in it. But the genetics for the Italian Wolf and Lupo Italiano are very similar. These dogs are rarely seen outside of Italy.
Created With: German Shepherds, Italian Wolf?
Recognized By AKC: Not at this time
Size: M: 70 - 85 lbs
F: 55 - 65 lbs
Lifespan: 12-14 yrs
Bred For: Reliable working dog. They have been used for search and rescue, patrol work, and as hunting dogs, and other working dog roles
Eastern European Shepherd
Also called Byelorussian Ovcharka, Russian Shepherd, Vostochono-Evropeishkaya Ovcharka, Byelorussian Shepherd. This breed is a Ukrainian and Russian breed of shepherd dog. They are not very common in North America, so they are not recognized by US kennel clubs. The soviet military needed a working dog that could withstand the extreme cold of their climate. So they mixed German Shepherds with breeds like the Eastern Siberian Laikas (very cold tolerant), Ovcharkas, and then some Mastiff type breeds for size.
Created With: German Shepherds, Eastern Siberian Laikas, Ovcharkas, Mastiff Type Breeds
Recognized By AKC: Not At This Time
Size: M: 85 - 105 lbs
F: 75 - 95 lbs
Lifespan: 10 -14 yrs
Bred For: Primarily used for military, police, and guarding
White Swiss Shepherd/Berger Blanc Suisse
Okay so these guys would technically be purebred German Shepherds just selectively bred for the white coloring. White German Shepherds were an unacceptable color in Germany but was loved in Canada and the North America. Though they were still never recognized by the kennel clubs. Several white German Shepherds were imported to Switzerland where they refined the dogs into a new breed. The standards created for the Swiss shepherd dog was a dog with a family friendly temperament and straight backs as compared to the show line shepherds. Bred to be friendlier and more easy going than the German Shepherd. They don't make good protection dogs, but still have the ability to make good watch dogs and let you know if there's an intruder. Very beautiful dogs!
Created With: Selective White German Shepherds From North America & Canada
Recognized By AKC: Not At This Time
Size: M: 75 - 95 lbs
F: 60 - 75 lbs
Lifespan: 10 -14 yrs
Bred For: Friendly family dogs, also make good watchdogs
Shiloh Shepherd
Developed in the 1970's by Tina Barber who had been breeding purebred German Shepherds for years. She began to notice the decline in temperament and health of the German Shepherd. Therefore, she decided to create a new breed to create a beautiful German Shepherd hybrid with less health problems and more of a family friendly temperament. They generally have long coats but can have shorter coats. And can come in a few different color varieties, though the most notable with the wolf like sable color.
Created With: German Shepherd, Malamute, Czechoslovakian Vlcak
Recognized By AKC: Not At This Time
Size: M: 100 - 140 lbs
F: 80 - 120 lbs
Lifespan: 10 -12 yrs
Bred For: Family friendly German Shepherd like dogs with a calmer temperament and less health issues than the German Shepherd. Has been used for therapy, service dog, and search and rescue work.
American Alsatian "Dire Wolf"
Developed in 1988, this breed is relatively new and still being developed. They were created specifically to be large companion animals with the looks and build similar to that of the extinct "Dire Wolf". They're big lovable family dogs with mellow and loyal temperaments.
Created With: German Shepherd, Malamute, Pyrenees, Anatolian Shepherd, English Mastiff
Recognized By AKC: Not At This Time
Size: M: 90 - 120 lbs
F: 85 - 110 lbs
Lifespan: 12 -14 yrs
Bred For: Larger companion animal with looks similar to that of the "Dire Wolf"
King Shepherd
These dogs are basically large German Shepherd mixes. Some larger breed dogs like the Pyrenees, Malamute, and Akita were added to increase the size and create the King Shepherd. Having started in the 1900's, this breed is still very new and is still being developed. The goal with the King Shepherd is a German Shepherd like dog in looks, temperament and trainability but larger in size, long coats, and with less health problems than the German Shepherd (however, the few dogs I have seen have had health problems). In my opinion, the bigger the dog, the more health issues you're going to get from bloat, joint issues, and shorter lifespan. But if big dogs are your thing, this could be a good breed for you. The key is always finding a responsible breeder. And not a backyard breeder that's jumping on the newest fad.
Created With: German Shepherds mix with Akita, Pyrenees, Malamute, Shiloh Shepherd
Recognized By AKC: Not At This Time
Size: M: 90 - 150 lbs
F: 75 - 110 lbs
Lifespan: 10 -11 yrs
Bred For: Goal was a larger German Shepherd like dog with fewer health problems
Conclusion
And there you have it! If you're a fan of German Shepherds, there are some of the other breeds that also share some of the same characteristics. Did I miss any? Which are your favorites? Me personally, I've always loved the Belgian Groenendael, Blue Bays, and Swiss Shepherds.
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Photos Credits:
Blue Bay Shepherd image from bluebayshepherds .com
Lycan Shepherd image from instagram .com/1st508th_airborne/
Eastern European Shepherd image from easteuropeanshepherds .ca
Northern Inuit Dog image from dogtime .com
Shiloh Shepherd image from newmoonshilohs .com
*All other photos are from Canva or Pixabay
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