page_title: German Shepherd
section_title: White Swiss Shepherd Dog
hierarchical_section_title: German Shepherd / Variants / White Swiss Shepherd Dog
caption_attribution_description: English: Berger Blanc Suisse Deutsch: Weißer Schweizer Schäferhund
context_page_description: The German Shepherd is a breed of medium to large-sized working dog that originated in Germany. In the English language, the breed's officially recognized name is German Shepherd Dog. The breed was officially known as the Alsatian in the UK from after the First World War until 1977 when its name was changed back to German Shepherd. Despite its primitive, wolf-like appearance, the German Shepherd is a relatively modern breed of dog, with their origin dating to 1899.
  As a herding dog, 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 acting. The German Shepherd is the second-most registered breed by the American Kennel Club and seventh-most registered breed by The Kennel Club in the United Kingdom.
context_section_description: The White Swiss Shepherd Dog (French: Berger Blanc Suisse, German: Weisser Schweizer Schäferhund, Italian: Pastore Svizzero Bianco) is a variety of the German Shepherd bred in Switzerland, it descends from the American White Shepherds, the first stud dog of what became the breed was an American dog born in 1966 that was imported to Switzerland. The variety was recognised by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale as a separate breed in 2003, and it is now recognised by a number of national kennel clubs.
caption: White Swiss Shepherd Dog
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