Q 01/05

By what name is the German Shepherd also known in Britain?

A) Alsatian

B) Rhinelander

C) Bavarian

D) Prussian

Answer · why

A) Alsatian

The Kennel Club renamed the breed after the First World War, fearing the word 'German' would hurt its popularity.

Q 02/05

Who developed the German Shepherd breed from 1899?

A) Karl Friedrich Louis

B) Max von Stephanitz

C) Louis Dobermann

D) Otto von Bismarck

Answer · why

B) Max von Stephanitz

An ex-cavalry captain and former Berlin Veterinary College student, he believed dogs should be bred strictly for work.

Q 03/05

The breed was originally created to do what job?

A) Guard castles

B) Pull carts

C) Hunt boar

D) Herd sheep

Answer · why

D) Herd sheep

Industrialisation cut Germany's predator numbers and made sheepdogs less necessary, just as their versatility was being noticed.

Q 04/05

Which society, formed in 1891 to standardise German dog breeds, collapsed after three years?

A) Berlin Kennel Union

B) Deutscher Hundeverband

C) Phylax

D) Verein für Schäferhunde

Answer · why

C) 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 05/05

What was the original name of the dog bought at an 1899 show and declared the first German Shepherd?

A) Horand von Grafrath

B) Hektor Linksrhein

C) Pilot

D) Beowulf

Answer · why

B) Hektor Linksrhein

He renamed the dog Horand von Grafrath and made him the first entry in the new society's breed register.