KC Change Name of GSD

[lankeela]

The Kennel Club have finally agreed to drop the word 'Alsatian' from the name of the German Shepherd Dog with immediate effect. About time too, we are the only country that ever used the word, and only because of the perceived prejudice to the word 'German' when the breed was first recognised in this country. Maybe now I will no longer have to explain to people that there has only ever been one breed - Alsatians do not exist - they are all German Shepherd Dogs whatever coat, colour or size they are!

http://www.thekennelc...g.uk/item/3368/23/5/3

[jake-the-peg]

Maybe the Royal familly will go back to calling themselves Saxe-Coburg too for the same reason.

Then again maybe not :c)

[paddywak]

About time too, many years ago I was walking Sheba my brother-in-laws GSD and a couple who stopped to admire her explained the Alsation/GSD thing to me and since then I've never refered to them as any but GSD's. I have however given up trying to explain to the know-alls that coat size etc has nothing to do with it and that they are all GSD's and therefore,in my opinion, members of the supreme breed of dog

[China Doll]

Oh... I like the word alsation though, it sounds nice... :-/

[zzxxee]

i must be daft but i thought they were different one long haired one short haired
well you learn somthing new every day !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lankeela]

I rest my case!

[lankeela]

An explanation of how the name came about:

http://www.gsdleague....ERMAN%20SHEPHERD.html

[RATTER15]

About time too!!

They arent all total *** then.

[jaydah]

Ridiculous ! Mine are more husky in habit than shepherding. Mine are Alsations of the Alaska/French origin; they're not german.

1 (that's a finger up to KC) !

[mike11111]

Maybe the Royal familly will go back to calling themselves Saxe-Coburg too for the same reason.

Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, if you please. Of course when the present Queen passes away, the proper royal family name will then be Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Gluckburg. Quite easy to say after a couple of drinks.

[jaydah]

gutteral - I am NOT

Sweinhund !

[lankeela]

Sigh..... there's always one.......

[jaydah]

baaa baaa

[seadogg]

That's excellent. "Alsations" had an image which quite belied the true nature of the breed. They just need more care in training than many dogs. My latest Border Terrier was "brought up" by a GSD so guess I am biased.

[Booldawg]

I always thought they were different breeds too - the length of the coat being the biggest physical difference.

[lankeela]

But you can get different coat lengths in the same litter! My present pup has three long coated brothers and sisters.

[welshlibranr]

So pleased to hear this lankeela, I have owned a few GSD's over the years, have always hated to hear them called Alsatians!...................

[RATTER15]

Going off subject a little, I know the German Shepherd was known for this long sloping back with its hind legs trailing out behind them, have the Kennel Club actually shown disapproval of this type of dog yet.

I saw a clip on youtube some time ago of a German Shepherd dog show, all the winners were parading around the ring and they all had this sloping back with the legs trailing behind, The most disturbing thing I noticed was the way the rear quarters swayed as though they were about to fall over because the legs were to far behind the body to have proper control.

Its not a dog I'm particularly fond of but I hate to see these deformities in any dog, there is a good reason why the dog has a leg in each corner, pointing two of them backwards can never have been right.

I hope that we are moving forward with these problems in dogs, I think the Kennel Club is beginning to wake up after getting its a$$ kicked.

[lankeela]

Now this is a can of worms! The video you saw was not of all winners, there were one or two dogs with very extreme angulation which is frowned upon in the breed. The Kennel Club have indeed taken action to ensure judges penalise any form of unsoundness, and I am pleased to say that the father of my dog who has been Best In Show at three major shows this year has been held up as an ideal specimen and my own boy received the critique in his first ever show 'excellent hindquarters'. The dogs you refer to are not typical of the breed although to fair neither are dogs who are the opposite - extreme in a different way, being too heavy and low to the ground (often referred to as 'Alsatians'!) but the people who promote that type think they are correct. Hopefully common sense will prevail and a 'middle of the road' type of dog without exaggeration will be recognised as the norm. This argument has been going on for many years in the breed and sadly it has been the dogs who have suffered.
This is one of the reasons for me getting another GSD after years of being without one, to get a dog that I consider correctly made and to show him so that others can see that there are good dogs out there. This is my last post on this subject as it has been done to death everywhere else.

[RATTER15]

Ty Lankeea, thats all I wanted to know :-)