50 free German Shepherd trivia questions with answers — nature quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This German Shepherd trivia quiz covers the world's best-known working dog from the Phylax Society to the Führerbunker and Hollywood. History questions follow Max von Stephanitz's purchase of Hektor Linksrhein in 1899, the renaming to Horand von Grafrath, the inbreeding that fixed the type, the breed's post-war rebranding as the 'Alsatian Wolf Dog', Australia's 1929 import ban and the AKC popularity swings. The breed section covers height, speed, the 10-to-8.5 proportion, coat variants and colours (and which ones get a dog thrown out of the ring), the East-European, King, Shiloh and White Swiss variants, hip dysplasia and degenerative myelopathy figures, pituitary dwarfism, life expectancy studies, bite force and the 'half dog, half frog' controversy raised by Pedigree Dogs Exposed. Working roles get their due, from Dorothy Eustis's first guide dogs to Zuyaqui the narco-museum sniffer dog, and famous GSDs range from Strongheart and Rin Tin Tin to Blondi, FDR's biting Major, Kántor of Budapest and Inspector Rex. Questions run from easy to expert with a difficulty score on each, so it suits a family quiz or a serious breed enthusiast. Every answer was checked against Wikipedia and breed references and each question carries its citation. Also try our Dogs and Police quizzes.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01By what name is the German Shepherd also known in Britain?
Alsatian
The Kennel Club renamed the breed after the First World War, fearing the word 'German' would hurt its popularity.
Q 02Who developed the German Shepherd breed from 1899?
Max von Stephanitz
An ex-cavalry captain and former Berlin Veterinary College student, he believed dogs should be bred strictly for work.
Q 03The breed was originally created to do what job?
Herd sheep
Industrialisation cut Germany's predator numbers and made sheepdogs less necessary, just as their versatility was being noticed.
Q 04Which society, formed in 1891 to standardise German dog breeds, collapsed after three years?
Phylax
Members split over whether dogs should be bred purely for work or also for looks; the breed's future founder was an ex-member.
Q 05What was the original name of the dog bought at an 1899 show and declared the first German Shepherd?
Hektor Linksrhein
He renamed the dog Horand von Grafrath and made him the first entry in the new society's breed register.
Q 06What was the name of the breed society founded in 1899 along with the purchase of Horand?
Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde
By 1923 it claimed 50,000 dues-paying members in more than 500 branches in Germany alone.
Q 07Which dog, bred from Hektor von Schwaben alongside Heinz von Starkenburg and Pilot, links all German Shepherds?
Beowulf
Pilot alone sired 84 pups; the inbreeding was considered necessary to fix the desired traits.
Q 08Which German regions supplied dogs bred to Horand in the early programme?
Thuringia, Franconia and Württemberg
Horand was bred to society members' dogs that showed desirable traits as well as regional stock.
Q 09Which country briefly banned the import of German Shepherds in 1929 over fears they were dangerous?
Australia
South Australia even considered legislation to sterilise every German Shepherd in the state.
Q 10After the First World War, the UK Kennel Club renamed the breed after which French region?
Alsace
The full new name was 'Alsatian Wolf Dog', and 'wolf dog' was later dropped after breeders' campaigns.
Q 11In which year did British kennel clubs allow the breed to be registered as German Shepherds again?
1977
'Alsatian' lingered in parentheses in the Kennel Club's formal breed name until 2010.
Q 12How many German Shepherds did the UK Kennel Club register in 1919, its first year of accepting them?
54
By 1926 the number had grown to over 8,000, helped by returning soldiers and film stars Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart.
Q 13What was the name of the first German Shepherd registered in the United States?
Queen of Switzerland
Her offspring had defects from poor breeding, which helped send the breed's popularity down in the late 1920s.
Q 21Which German Shepherd variety was bred in the Soviet Union to be larger and more cold-resistant?
East-European
It is more moderate in structure and has become one of Russia's most popular dog types.
Q 22The White Swiss Shepherd Dog was recognised as a separate breed by the FCI in which year?
2003
It descends from American White Shepherds; the first stud dog was an American-born dog imported to Switzerland.
Q 23The Shiloh Shepherd was developed in the US in which decades?
1970s and 1980s
It was bred for size, back length, temperament and hip structure and has been recognised by the American Rare Breed Association since 1990.
Q 14Which dog's wins as AKC Grand Victor in 1937 and 1938 revived American interest in the breed?
Sieger Pfeffer von Bern
Popularity dipped again after World War II because of anti-German sentiment.
Q 15Where did the German Shepherd rank among AKC-registered breeds in 2020?
Third
It was seventh at the UK Kennel Club in 2016 and, per the FCI, is among the most registered breeds worldwide.
Q 16How tall should a male German Shepherd stand at the withers under the breed standard?
60–65 cm
Females are 55–60 cm, and the AKC standard sets no official weight range.
Q 17German Shepherds can sprint at speeds of up to roughly what?
30 mph
The breed is longer than it is tall, with an ideal proportion of 10 to 8.5.
Q 18Which German Shepherd coat colour means instant disqualification from conformation showing?
All-white
Blue and liver are serious faults; sable and all-black are acceptable under most standards.
Q 19The gene for the long-haired German Shepherd coat is what?
Recessive
That is why long-hairs are rarer; the FCI accepted them as 'variety b' in 2010, while the AKC still calls the coat a fault.
Q 20Black body markings on a German Shepherd range from a classic 'saddle' to what larger pattern?
Blanket
Most colour varieties also carry a black mask; black and tan and black and red are commonest.
Q 24Where did Stanley Coren rank the German Shepherd on his list of breeds most likely to bark as watchdogs?
Second
Coupled with its strength, that makes the breed a natural for police, guard and search-and-rescue work.
Q 25Per National Geographic's Dangerous Encounters, a German Shepherd's bite exerts over how many newtons?
1,060
That is about 238 lbf, compared with 1,000 newtons for a Labrador and roughly 380 for a human.
Q 26The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals found what share of German Shepherds are affected by hip dysplasia?
19.1%
A Zurich study found 45% of police working dogs had degenerative spinal stenosis, though the sample was small.
Q 27Degenerative myelopathy, common in German Shepherds, is caused by a mutation in which gene?
SOD1
A small UK study found 16% of young symptom-free German Shepherds homozygous for the mutation and another 38% carriers.
Q 28Pituitary dwarfism in German Shepherds is caused by a mutation in which gene?
LHX3
Untreated dogs live only 3–5 years; the University of Utrecht offers a genetic test.
Q 29A 2005 Swedish insurance study found what share of German Shepherds had died by age 10?
51%
That is well above the 35% rate for all dogs; overall lifespan is put at roughly 10 years.
Q 30Roughly what percentage of UK German Shepherds are estimated to have exocrine pancreatic insufficiency?
1%
The breed is also routinely tested for von Willebrand disease, an inherited bleeding disorder.