The breed was named Deutscher Schäferhund, by von Stephanitz, literally translating to ″German Shepherd Dog″.[19] At the time, all other herding dogs in Germany were referred to by this name; they thus became known as Altdeutsche Schäferhunde, or Old German herding dogs.The direct translation of the name was adopted for use in the stud-book; however, at the end of the First World War, it was believed that the inclusion of the word ″German″ would harm the breed′s popularity,[20] due to the anti-German sentiment of the era.[21] The breed was officially renamed by the UK Kennel Club to ″Alsatian Wolf Dog″,[20] after the French region of Alsace bordering Germany.[4]Eventually,[when?] the appendage ″wolf dog″ was dropped,[20] after numerous campaigns by breeders who were worried that becoming known as a wolf-dog hybrid would affect the breed′s popularity and legality.[4] The name Alsatian remained for five decades,[20] until 1977, when successful campaigns by dog enthusiasts pressured t
