German Shepherd Types

Author: Laura McKinney
Date Of Creation: 8 August 2021
Update Date: 1 November 2024
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German Shepherd Types - 5 Types of German Shepherds
Video: German Shepherd Types - 5 Types of German Shepherds

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The German Shepherd is a breed of dog very well known throughout the world, as these puppies are easily identifiable by their black coat with lighter areas. However, did you know that there are different types of german shepherd? So it is!

These various types have developed in different parts of the world, so each one has its characteristics and particularities. If you are interested in knowing which varieties this breed can present itself in, don't miss this PeritoAnimal article. Keep reading to find out What are thetypes of german shepherd!

German Shepherd Characteristics

The German Shepherd is a breed of sheep dog or shepherd from the Germany, as its name suggests. Its origins date back to 1899, when the breed was developed by Maximilian von Stephanitz to serve as a companion to field workers, especially in the task of protecting and guiding sheep herds.


It is a race characterized by its body flexible, muscular and strong, that's why the German Shepherd is considered an excellent guard dog, which is why he is also currently trained as a police dog.

The German Shepherd has a life expectancy of 15 years, and is often identified by its black coat with brown areas. However, did you know that there are several types of German Shepherd? The breed has been developed in different parts of the world over the years, and this has led to the emergence of varieties that are now recognized as types of German Shepherd.

Before you continue reading, also watch our video about the characteristics and care of the German Shepherd:

How many types of German shepherd are there?

In fact, the official organizations that set standards for dog breeds only recognize two types of german shepherd: the shorthaired german shepherd it's the longhaired german shepherd. So these are the only officially accepted German Shepherds. However, within these groups we find different types of german shepherd according to the color of your coat:


  • black german shepherd
  • sable german shepherd
  • panda german shepherd
  • white german shepherd

It should be noted that the white german shepherd variety is not accepted organizations such as the FCI. Likewise, although many include among the types of German shepherd the Belgian shepherd and the Czechoslovakian wolf dog, the truth is that they are independent breeds. Next, we'll talk about each of the varieties and highlight the most important characteristics of each of them.

1. Black German Shepherd

The Black German Shepherd is a variety characterized by a muscular and strong body, like the traditional German Shepherd, but with a completely black coat, short or long. The color is due to a recessive gene.

Due to its agility and intelligence, this variety is used as a working German shepherd, so it is commonly part of brigades to detect explosives. They are also good at sports as they love to run and chase objects.


2. German Shepherd sable

that kind of german shepherd is the best known, as their physical characteristics and the distribution of their coat colors are what generally distinguish the German Shepherd breed. Therefore, it has a black or gray coat with yellow or light brown spots and stripes.

He is a strong dog and an excellent guardian, but he also has a good temperament. friendly, familiar and affectionate.

3. panda german shepherd

The German shepherd panda has a curious and flashy appearance, which makes it difficult to identify as a variety of this breed. Due to a genetic mutation, this type of German Shepherd has a white robe on the abdomen and legs, while the back and muzzle are distributed black and brown areas, or yellow.

Like other German Shepherd varieties, it features a full body muscular and agile, ideal to be raised in families that enjoy outdoor activities and entertainment.

4. White German Shepherd

The variety of the white fur German Shepherd owes its origin to a dominant gene that appears in some litters, so fur color should not be confused with albinism. This type of German Shepherd is not accepted, and it is not very common to find one.

Like all dogs of this breed, it's a dog faithful and protective, who is often used as a support dog in therapies, because he loves to play and is usually very affectionate with people.

sometimes it can be confused with the white swiss shepherd breed, which was not recognized until 2002, due to the similarities between the two.

Dogs similar to the German Shepherd

As we've already said, the only recognized types of German Shepherds are those with long and short fur. However, we find different color patterns that can also be classified as German Shepherd varieties, regardless of their coat length.

It is common to mistakenly confuse the German Shepherd with other completely different and independently recognized breeds. The breeds most similar to the German Shepherd are as follows:

Belgian Shepherd

This breed originates from Belgium, where it made its first appearance several years before the German Shepherd breed was consolidated. It is considered an excellent herding dog, although he is also a good domestic dog, thanks to his playful and faithful personality.

It is characterized by having a yellow or light brown coat, whether its fur is short, long or almost curled. There is also a black coat subvariety. In addition, there are several types of Belgian shepherd: the malinois, the laekenois, the tervueren and the groenendael.

Czechoslovakian wolf dog

This dog comes from extinct Czechoslovakia, where it was used as working dog, especially as a border guard and police dog. the race derives from crossing a german shepherd with a kapatenwolf, which is the main reason why these breeds are so similar, and why these dogs are mistaken for a type of German Shepherd.

It is characterized by having a black coat on the back and dark brown on the legs and abdomen. Like the dogs mentioned above, dogs of this breed are agile, strong and muscular.

Dutch Shepherd

It is a dog that shares origins with different races, like the Belgian shepherd and the German shepherd, something that is noticeable in its physical characteristics, because it presents an equally muscular and big body, with the ears raised.

This breed is distinguished by its coat, since the most common coat it's brindle, with black and brown or yellow spots distributed all over the body.

working german shepherd

In addition to the length and color of the coat, the body of the German Shepherd can be more or less stylized, more or less muscular, which allows us to differentiate between the working German Shepherd and the Beauty German Shepherd. These can also be considered as other types of German Shepherds, as they are all part of the same breed, although they are slightly different.

Focusing on working dogs, they usually have a bigger musculature, a characteristic that favors their performance as police dogs, guard dogs, etc., although they are also good companion dogs, especially in families that like to play sports with their pets.

The working German Shepherd can be any of the shades described above, and it can be long or short fur, although usually the most common color pattern is sable.

Is there a dwarf German shepherd?

the dwarf german shepherd is not recognized as a small version of the breed, since it is a genetic mutation that causes several health problems, such as thyroid problems, so the crossing of dogs with these characteristics is discouraged.

Before you go, also have a look at the 10 facts about the german shepherd:

If you want to read more articles similar to German Shepherd Types, we recommend that you enter our Comparisons section.