15 Amazing Dogs That Look like German Shepherds

German shepherds get a lot of attention and these big, strong dogs can reach 100 pounds. A versatile breed, they were bred to herd and protect, without being overly aggressive. Their proud demeanor and gentle, protective natures make them wonderful dogs for the right family. 

They are active, smart dogs with lots of energy. Yet, they’re not the only herding breeds with their roots in Europe! If you like German shepherds but want something a little different, we have 15 dog breeds with enough similarities in either looks or behavior that might be the dog for you!

1. Belgian Malinois

The memes abound: It’s not a German shepherd! But if you’re not familiar with the breeds, Belgian Malinois and German shepherds look similar, which isn’t surprising. After all, both breeds came from similar stock in western Europe, bred for similar purposes. 

The Belgian Malinois is a smart (perhaps too smart) medium-sized dog that thrives on work, training, exercise, and more work. They don’t have an off-switch and require a lot of training to stave off insanity. These dogs have dark faces with a short, solid color coat that varies from light fawn to almost black. 

2. Belgian Tervuren

The Malinois’ long-haired cousin looks a lot like a German shepherd. Until 1905, they crossbred with Groenendaels, Lakenois, and Malinois when breed clubs decided to standardize them separately. However, World War I and II interrupted everything, so crossbreeding continued for a while to keep these Belgian shepherd breeds alive. 

Turverens are medium-sized, high-energy dogs with loads of intelligence. A single walk a day won’t do it and all the Belgian shepherds are what trainers call lifestyle dogs and you either live it or don’t.

3. Belgian Groenendael

The third of four Belgian shepherds, Groenendaels look like a Turveren with a long, solid, dark coat that varies from dark brown to black. They’re medium-sized and very active dogs that love training and working. However, even the longest fetch game won’t tire them out, or even satisfy their mental needs. Groenendaels need intense mental stimulation and hours of exercise to feel satisfied.

4. Belgian Laekenois

Although their body type is the same as their cousins, you can’t see it through the wiry fur. A Laekenois is wire-haired with two to three-inch-long dense, coarse, curly fur.

They’re the rarest Belgian shepherd breed and extremely rare in the U.S. Yet, the Laekenois is just as active and smart — if a little more unique in appearance.

5. Dutch Shepherd

Another dog breed with northern European origins, Dutch shepherds were the all-around farm dogs of the Netherlands. They are smart, active, loyal dogs that live for work. Unlike the Belgian breeds, Dutchies are all brindle these days.

Lack of breeding, bad breeding, and the wholesale damage World War I and II left in their wake nearly caused Dutch shepherds’ extinction. However, a few dedicated fanciers saved them by using their close cousins, the Belgian shepherds, to inject some genetic variety.

The still rare Dutch shepherds have three coat types: short, long, and wire-haired. The short-coated variety is the most common, while the wire-haired is the rarest.

6. Carpathian Shepherd Dog

This gentle giant regularly weighs over 100 pounds. Carpathian shepherds originated in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, where they are more livestock protection dogs than herding dogs. However, herding isn’t outside their capabilities! 

To some, Carpathian shepherd dogs look like a huge German shepherd mix with floppy ears, except this breed is ancient — possibly over 9,000 years. Their huge, thunderous bark is enough to frighten even the most dangerous predator, but Carpathian shepherds are terrific dogs for families that understand them.

7. Tamaskan

The tamaskan is one of several breeds that the Northern Inuit dog project produced. Breeders crossed dogs including huskies, malamutes, and German shepherds to produce a highly intelligent, trainable, active working dog that looks like a wolf. They were so successful that a tamaskan dog played a convincing wolf in a Broadway rendition of the Crucible. 

8. Berger Blanc Suisse

This Swiss shepherd dog looks like a big, fluffy, white German shepherd. In fact, they share ancestors. In the early 1900s, a few breeding programs focused on white-coated German shepherds. Breeders loved the solid white color, so they expanded it into the Berger Blanc Suisse.

9. Bohemian Shepherd

Another ancient breed, Bohemian shepherds may go back nearly 800 years to the Chodové, who were recruited during King Ottaker II of Bavaria’s reign for border patrol duty. No one is certain if the dogs they used were the Bohemian shepherd, but drawings from the period show a smallish, black and tan dog that looks suspiciously like them. 

10. King Shepherd

Breeders wanted to create a healthier German shepherd, so they combined them with shiloh shepherds. King shepherds are massive, and males can reach 150 pounds. However, their lifespan is usually shorter at 10-11 years on average.

11. East European Shepherd

This breed originated in Ukraine with imported German shepherds. They wanted to adapt the German shepherds to brutal eastern European winters, and that’s what they got. Eventually, the breeding spread to Russia, where it continued.

East European shepherds are big and mentally tough, which makes them terrific working dogs, but perhaps not the best dog for a couch potato human.

12. Caucasian Shepherd

This eastern European breed is large and might look like a giant German shepherd mix, but it is not. Caucasian shepherds are big, dominant dogs that require extremely experienced owners. This livestock guard dog breed is loving and gentle with its family, but without proper socialization and training can become aggressive in all the wrong ways. 

13. Northern Inuit

An attempt at breeding wolfish dogs without wolfish tendencies, the Northern Inuit dog project started during the 1980s. Breeders combined huskies, malamutes, and German shepherds to produce a highly intelligent and trainable dog with a great working drive — a few a few Northern Inuit dogs played dire wolves in Game of Thrones.

These dogs can weigh up to 110 pounds and live about 11-13 years.

14. American Alsatian

The wolf-dog craze of the 1980s gave the dog world several great breeds that came out of crossbreeding German shepherds and others. In the American Alsatian’s case, that was the Alaskan malamute. 

Decades of selective breeding and a few outcrosses later, and you have the American Alsatian. This breed is large and some weigh over 100 pounds. They have a gentle temperament, with little prey drive; their favorite pastime is hanging out with their family.

15. Shiloh Shepherd

When Tina Barber wanted a dog similar to the German shepherd that was calmer, gentler, and bigger, she bred it, crossing German shepherds with malamutes. The Shiloh shepherd is recognized by the American Herding Breed Association. They are service dogs, search and rescue dogs, and family companions. 

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Eudyptula/iStock via Getty Images