Stephanitz standardized the German farm dog breed, emphasizing intellect,
speed, and power, after seeing the breed's usefulness and intelligence.
The goal was to breed a multipurpose working dog, and the German Shepherd has more than
delivered in a variety of fields, including herding, police work, and military service.
The breed was renamed to "Alsatian Wolf Dog" in the United Kingdom during World War
I as a response to anti-German feeling, while its original German name was the "Deutscher Schäferhund," which means "German Shepherd Dog" in English.
Although the name Alsatian is still used today by some, it was formerly used for a long time before the German Shepherd became the preferred moniker.