The forerunner of the modern German Shepherd Dog is still living in Germany today. In fact, 90 percent of the work on the sheep flocks of Germany is still done by this non-standard precursor of our standard German Shepherds. Because herding work is growing scarcer, this dog is now in danger of fading out of existence. There is a German society dedicated to its preservation.

Below are some examples of the Old German Shepherd Dog:

This is a dog which shows a strong genetic link to modern German Shepherd Dogs, even though it is working in the transhumance herding environment of the late 19th century. If you see a modern dog in a similar pose, the similarities will be immediately apparent.

These three dogs are somewhat removed from the one above in type, and look quite different from most standard German Shepherd Dogs; however, they are still the recognizable forerunners of our modern dogs. And dogs like this are still working the flocks in Germany as Altdeutscher Schaeferhunde -- Old German Shepherd Dogs.

Even further removed in appearance is the collie-type dog on the left above and the curly-coated dog above right. In America, one would probably assume that the one on the left might be a Border Collie and the one on the right a Bouvier des Flandres. But in Germany, working the flocks, they are Old German Shepherd Dogs.

Sources:
Karl Hermann Finger, Hirten- und Huetehunde
Verein fuer Deutsche Schaeferhunde Archives