The short answer is "Yes, of course".
There are are exceptions, but generally a breed's name has 2 elements - the country or shire of origin, and the purpose for which it was bred; some add a third element, detailing the overall size and/or coat of that variety.
The German Shepherd Dog was developed to herd sheep the German boundary patrolling way.
The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever was developed in Nova Scotia to perform a peculiar way of bringing ducks within reach of the human hunter.
All Terriers were developed to dig out rodents that live underground.
The Bulldog was developed to bait a bull - the folks in those days thought that the flesh of a terrified or angry bull tasted better than a bull killed without any preliminary fuss.
The Dachshund Miniature Wire Haired is a miniature version of the German dog (=hund") developed to hunt the badger (=dachs), and has a wiry coat.
And so on.
The fuller answer is:
Once upon a time, when transport was by foot or horse, there were sheepdogs. Each valley had its own "type", as a result of farmers using whatever did the job they wanted done with THEIR sheep in THEIR climate & terrain, and it being rare for a stud to arrive from a valley on the other side of that mountain ridge to give some variety to the local strain.
The main types developed into (a) the various smallish lightweight Collies (and the misnamed "Australian Shepherd is actually an Iberian Collie), (b) the big light-coloured woolly-coated guard dogs that look like the sheep they lived with and guarded, and (c) the in-between sized dogs developed to do both jobs. The Belgian Shepherds and the German Shepherds are almost identical in size and shape because their job REQUIRES that size & shape - bigger and they are too clumsy to out-manoeuvre a ram determined to get into the unfenced crops plus they need too much food; smaller and they're not strong enough to drag that ram out of the crop and to protect against 2-legged and 4-legged predators. It is the show-is-all people and the sport-is-all people and the pet-is-all people who have exaggerated various points in each breed.
Okay, here is the origin of die deutsche Schäferhund (which translates exactly as "the German Shepherd Dog) breed:
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● 1899 The Verein für deutsche Schäferhund (SV) is formed on 22 April with Max von Stephanitz as president and Artur Meyer as secretary, attracting 60 members that year (reaching 50,000 in 1923, around 100,000 in 1999); it takes responsibility for breed registration and breed direction. Basically, the breed is developed from working stock of 3 "types" found then in the regions of Thuringia, Frankonia and Württemberg. On September 20th the club approves bylaws, opens its Registry and, at the suggestion of A. Meyer and M. von Stephanitz, composes the breed-standard to be passed to the VDH (German Kennel Club).
The first GSD registered (SZ 1) is Horand von Grafrath, a Thuringian dog originally named Hektor Linksrhein; his parents later receive registrations SZ 153 & 156.
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By the way, the German wolf was effectively extinct before 1899, the breed surviving in zoos; at least one such had been crossed with a German sheep dog before the SV was formed.
A few GSDs found their way to Western Australia (1904), NAmerica (1906) and Britain before World War 1. In Britain they had no Breed Register, and were usually known as "French Police Dogs"; those that were shown went into the "Other Breeds" classes where they could win prizes but could not become champions.
Some other notes from history, and the origins of the "Alsatian" name (which I spell as "AlsatiOn" when I want to sneer at that deviation from the breed):
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● 1913 Formation of The German Shepherd Dog Club of America, organised by Benjamin Throop and Anne Tracy
● 1917 Anti-German feeling in the USA sees the breed renamed and its club becomes The Shepherd Dog Club of America until 1931
● 1918 The breed's first British club is formed. In an attempt to hide the German origin, they name the breed Alsatian Wolf Dog, and so the club is The Alsatian Wolf Dog Club. Alsatian derives from the province of Alsace-Lorraine which was sometimes German, sometimes French. The "Wolf" was probably a combination of implying that the dog had to protect the sheep from wolves, and because Germans use "wolf" to describe the grey-sable colouring common in early GSDs, but it backfires with rumours of wolf-crosses. As a consequence there has been a series of name-changes in Britain, and their KC STILL hasn't got around to registering the dog in its proper 3-word name!
● 1923 The first official & pedigreed imports into Australia are recorded between 1923 and 1929.
● 1924 The British Alsatian League is formed.
● 1924 The breed's first British CCs are awarded by G.Horowitz at Holland Park on 24 March. 10 pairs are on offer during the year, with brother & sister Southwold Wisdom and Fearless of Mattesdon becoming the breed's first English Chs on 23 June
● 1924 Vimy of Forres is shown in Wellington - maybe the first Alsatian shown in NZ (see the 1980 Wgtn GSD Book pg.125 for early NZ champions)
● 1925 First Alsatian litter registered in NZ, born July in W.Aird's Wolfvalley Kennels, but parents Eric of Rylems and Maid of Daktar were mated in the UK before importation.
● 1926 In January the 2 British clubs merge as the Alsatian League & Club of Great Britain. Although in Queen Elizabeth II's decades Britain's royal family are better known for Corgis, in the period 1924-1934 at least the 3 princes Edward Prince of Wales (later briefly King Edward VIII), Henry, and George (later King George VI) were involved in Alsatians, most prominent being the Prince of Wales who was a successful competitor in both breed & obedience classes and became an Honorary Member of the Alsatian League & Club
● 1926 First NZ-bred Alsatian registered with NZKC is Sapriste of Edenholme, bred by Major P.Browne
● 1927 The 40th Convention of the Graziers' Federal Council of Australia, held June 20-22 in Adelaide, unanimously passes “That the Commonwealth Authorities be requested to prohibit the importation or breeding of Alsatian Dogs.”
● 1929 NZKC changes the breed name to Alsatian Dog
● 1929 Australia bans Alsatian imports. Some states require native-born Alsatians to be de-sexed
● 1931 In January Britain renames the breed "Alsatian"
● 1936 In September Britain renames the breed "Alsatian (German Shepherd Dog)"
● 1962 The new "Alsatian Dog Act" comes into force in Western Australia. All GSDs have to be desexed – but desexing is illegal in WA! Initially, the GSDA of WA. imported sterilized German Shepherd puppies from other states, with the pedigree papers in the name of the GSD Association. The buyers of the pups could then apply to have their pup transferred into their name, and club officials checked that the property of the prospective new owner was adequately fenced. The GSDA could approve or disapprove applications! The GSDA sent letters to owners of GSDs that had been found out in the street unaccompanied.
● 1968 On May 16 & 17, representatives of 11 nations’ GSD clubs meet to discuss forming a European Union of German Shepherd Dogs (EUSV). Following a busy weekend, Austria, Belgium, Britain (the BAGSD), Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the then Czechoslovakia set up the EUSV.
● 1972 Australia suspends its ban on importing GSDs. First legal import is NZ.Ch.Casar von Konig who goes to Adelaide's Gil Sharman. It took until December 24th, 1976 for Western Australia to end the ban.
● 1974 The WUSV (World Union of GSD Clubs) is created on 9 September at an EUSV meeting in Mannheim, with 23 countries interested at that time. Being the only club to have used SV judges, the Wellington DGSDC is offered, and accepts, NZ's WUSV membership. By 2003 the WUSV has 75 member clubs from 68 countries
● 1977 In July Britain renames the breed "German Shepherd Dog (Alsatian)"
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Around the world there are many divergences from the genuine GSD, groups in various countries having decided to exaggerate various aspects, so that a knowledgeable GSD fan can often tell where a GSD was born - or at least where its parents were - just by looking at it. Click http://www.leabashiba.com/fashion.vs.GSD.htm for an article (with photos) about some of the divergences plus the genuine type. To help people know which divergence we are talking about, we use the terms AlsatiOn, Alsatian Police Dog, Banana Back, Coyote Dogs, Czech/DDR, German Croucher, German Noble Line, Hinge Back, Hyaena Dog, NAmerican Ski-Slope Dog - there may be other terms (in addition to the all-encompassing "crap!"), but those are enough to give you the situation.
Les P, owner of GSD_Friendly: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD_Friendly
"In GSDs" as of 1967