Live Life Team
The Old German Shepherd Dog once went by a different name. Originally, any working sheep-herding dog breed in Germany was always referred to as a German Shepherd Dog, they were not necessarily of the same breed, though they looked similar and were used for similar purposes on the farm.
In the 1890s, breeders decided to create an official breed named German Shepherd Dogs as well. Instead of just being a group of working dogs of varying breeds, the new German Shepherd Dog would now have a specific lineage and ancestry. Since the definition of the breed name had changed, the working farm dogs of Germany had their name changed from German Shepherd Dogs to Old German Shepherd Dogs to avoid confusion.
Although there was a split between the two groups of dogs, the Old German Shepherd Dogs have continued their population over the decades. Rather than consisting of one breed, they are still an amalgamation of several breeds of dogs that happen to all look similarly and all work in the farms of Germany.
Because they don’t have breed standards, Old German Shepherd Dogs are not an accepted breed by kennel clubs. Still, there are some traits that are uniform throughout the breed. For instance, the size of the dogs stays very similar. For instance, their height averages between 55 and 65 centimetres. The Old German Shepherd Dog also has an average weight of between 22 and 40 kilograms. They have pointed ears and a long coat.
