Quote Originally Posted by GSDOG
In german it is called Deutsche Schaferhunde..which means German Shepherd Dog...That is what the founder of the breed called it. In america before WWI started the AKC called it the German Sheepdog, during the war they dropped the German part, after the war the AKC changed the name to German Shepherd Dog. .........I actually looked this up because it has been a long long time since I even thought about the dog part of the name...If I am not mistaken Belgians are called Belgian Sheepdogs???
In the FCI they are referred to as the Mechelen Belgian Shepherd, Tervuren and Groenendael Belgian Shepherds (had to share a section. Dont know why that is), and Laeken Belgian Shepherds.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) recognizes only the Groenendael under the name "Belgian Sheepdog", but also recognizes the Tervueren (with the alternative spelling "Tervuren") and the Malinois as individual breeds. The Laekenois can be registered as part of the AKC foundation stock service and should eventually be recognised fully by the AKC.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_Shepherd_Dog