Claim: German Shepherds were bred to perform jobs.

The German Shepherd -LRB- Deutscher Schäferhund , -LSB- ˈʃɛːfɐˌhʊnt -RSB- -RRB- is a breed of medium to large-sized working dog that originated in Germany . The breed 's officially recognized name is German Shepherd Dog in the English language -LRB- sometimes abbreviated as GSD -RRB- . The breed is also known as the Alsatian in Britain and Ireland . The German Shepherd is a relatively new breed of dog , with their origin dating to 1899 . As part of the Herding Group , German Shepherds are working dogs developed originally for herding sheep . Since that time however , because of their strength , intelligence , trainability , and obedience , German Shepherds around the world are often the preferred breed for many types of work , including disability assistance , search-and-rescue , police and military roles , and even acting . The German Shepherd is the second-most registered breed by the American Kennel Club and fourth-most registered breed by The Kennel Club in the United Kingdom .