German Dog Breeds
Did you know that the word ‘hound’ actually came from the German word ‘hund’, which means ‘dog’? Germany has given birth to some of the most famous dog breeds that appear at the top of popular pet lists in the US.
The country has been domesticating and breeding intelligent, affectionate, and hard-working dogs for centuries. Fossil findings from the Gnirshöhle cave in southwestern Germany have shown evidence of the domestication of wolves, ancestors of many modern hounds. It may be the earliest evidence of wolf domestication, as the fossils are over 16,000 years old.
According to AKC official Jerry Klein, DVM, German dogs were bred with their function in mind, as they were to be used as guard and hunting dogs.
Some of the largest dog breeds in the world, including the Great Dane and Leonberger, originated in this country. On the other hand, it is also home to smaller breeds known and loved all over the globe, like the Miniature Pinscher and Affenpinscher.

List of Dog Breeds from Germany
Large Dogs
- German Shepherd
- Boxer
- Poodle
- Dobermann Pinscher
- Great Dane
- Rottweiler
- German Shorthaired Pointer
- Schnauzer
- American Eskimo Dog
- Bavarian Mountain Hound
- Eurasier
- Pudelpointer
- German Hound
- German Longhaired Pointer
- German Wirehaired Pointer
- Hanover Hound
- Hovawart
- Leonberger
- German Pinscher
- Large Münsterländer
- German Roughhaired Pointer
- Weimaraner
- Westphalian Dachsbracke
Medium Dogs
- German Spaniel
- Jagdterrier
- Kromfohrländer
- Dachshund
- German Spitz
Small Dogs
- Affenpinscher
- Pomeranian
- Miniature Pinscher
- Small Münsterländer
The Poodle is usually counted as a German breed. Still, the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) documents it as a French breed. It is likely because the breed went through most of its standardization to become what we know today as the Poodle in France.
Bullenbeisser, or the German Bulldog, was another dog breed from Germany. Though extinct now, it was the ancestor of the present-day Boxer.
Another dog that has ties to the country in terms of its origin is the Löwchen, which is believed actually to have originated in France.