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Dharkwolf · 14-12-2005, 20:53

I know where this confusion comes from:

CeskoSlovensky Vlcak (CSV). As you can see the combination of letters is not random.

Now the confusion comes from the fact that in the Czech Republic German Shepherds are commonly known as Vlcak – wolfdog.

This is because the original name of the German Shepherd is NOT German Shepherd, but Alsatian Wolfdog so in the Czech Republic a reference to the original name – wolfdog – remained. (yes – they are also originally a dog-wolf mix, between Alsatian shepherds and European wolves)

Anyhow – since most people (in the West) no longer refer to German Shepherds as wolfdogs, some have started to think that vlcak, which is used for “German Shepherd” in Czech means “Shepherd” or “Shepherd-dog”.

Blatantly incorrect… but there you have it. I’m still waiting for the day when someone will point out to DEFRA that by their rules they are effectively banning all German Shepherds from the UK, I’m sure that would have interesting consequences.

As for the FCI names – I believe that the French, English, German and Spanish names of breeds are all official according to the FCI. This is not uncommon amongst international organizations – for instance in the EU a law is a law … official in all its 25 languages even though the translations sometimes say subtly different things!

14-12-2005, 20:53	#4
Dharkwolf Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Brussels Posts: 201	I know where this confusion comes from: CeskoSlovensky Vlcak (CSV). As you can see the combination of letters is not random. Now the confusion comes from the fact that in the Czech Republic German Shepherds are commonly known as Vlcak – wolfdog. This is because the original name of the German Shepherd is NOT German Shepherd, but Alsatian Wolfdog so in the Czech Republic a reference to the original name – wolfdog – remained. (yes – they are also originally a dog-wolf mix, between Alsatian shepherds and European wolves) Anyhow – since most people (in the West) no longer refer to German Shepherds as wolfdogs, some have started to think that vlcak, which is used for “German Shepherd” in Czech means “Shepherd” or “Shepherd-dog”. Blatantly incorrect… but there you have it. I’m still waiting for the day when someone will point out to DEFRA that by their rules they are effectively banning all German Shepherds from the UK, I’m sure that would have interesting consequences. As for the FCI names – I believe that the French, English, German and Spanish names of breeds are all official according to the FCI. This is not uncommon amongst international organizations – for instance in the EU a law is a law … official in all its 25 languages even though the translations sometimes say subtly different things!