It’s #InternationalDogDay and to celebrate here are 5 German dog breeds that you probably didn’t know actually come from Germany! Thanks to dw.com, they break it down and show us where our fuzzy German friends came from!
Great Dane
These gentle giants are actually right from Germany. They are the result of German royals breeding ever-large hunting companions in the 17th century. Great Danes are the world’s largest dog breed.
Great Danes are 30-34 inches tall and weigh 120 to 200 pounds, now that’s QUITE the big dog! How big do you think a Great Danes dog house should be?
American Eskimo
This dog suddenly became “American” after World War I, when the US dropped all references to its German origin. A territorial yapper, it became famous as a comic sidekick in US circus acts.
Small and feisty, these dogs will make a great companion. Though the American Kennel Club calls this dog a unique breed, the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) in Belgium disagrees. They say it remains what it has always been: a German Spitz.
Boxer
In the 1800s, Germans bred a bulldog with a breed of unknown origin and continued that experiment for a few more generations. The result is a dog with one of the most instantly recognizable faces and large stature in the canine world. The origin of the name “boxer” remains a mystery, though. Regardless, Boxers make great companions for those who have a most active lifestyle.
Dachshund
image via goodgirlshea
image via “Dachs” means badger, and dachshund dogs were bred to hunt down those and other pests we still know of today. Even today, these canines, often called wiener dogs in English, still enjoy burrowing — but also biting.
A 2008 study showed 20 percent of domesticated dachshunds have bitten strangers. What a number! Maybe these guys are made for people who have time to lay down the house rules, or for those who just love that cute face of theirs! Some training and you should be good to go.
German Shepard
A dog named “Horand von Grafrath” is the pretentious first entry in the Breed Registry of the Club of German Shepherds in 1899. After World War I, the English rechristened them Alsatians, the US dropped the word German altogether, and for decades Australia banned them on fears they’d breed with dingoes.
Aside from this breeds past, German Shepards make great lifelong friends and great guard dogs. You can be sure your confident friend will always protect you, even from the “scary” knock on the front door that is your grandchild!
Any of these German dog breeds would make fiercely loyal pets to love.
Interested in learning more about Germany or how to say “Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei.” ?
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Ryan Beford
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