German Shepherd Information & Dog Breed Facts

Origins

Attempts to standardize breeds were made throughout Europe during the 1850s. The dogs were developed to retain characteristics that helped them herd sheep and guard flocks from predators. Shepherds in Germany picked and bred dogs that they believed possessed the skills needed for herding sheep, such as intellect, speed, strength, and excellent senses of scent. The end result was dogs that could do such things, but different significantly, both in appearance and ability, from one locality to another. Moreover, the Phylax Society was founded in 1891 with the goal of producing standardized dog breeds in Germany to overcome these discrepancies. The society disbanded after only three years due to internal disagreements about which features in dogs the society should promote. Some believed dogs should be bred primarily for working, while others believed that they should be bred for both working and appearance objectives. Despite failing to achieve their goal, the Phylax Society had motivated others to standardize dog breeds on their own.

One of these ex-members of the society was Max von Stephanitz, a former cavalry commander and former student of the Berlin Veterinary College. He believed strongly that dogs should be bred for working. Von Stephanitz was at a dog show in 1899 in western Germany when he saw a dog named Hektor Linksrhein. Hektor was the result of a few generations of careful breeding, and he was all Von Stephanitz imagined a working dog should be. He was so impressed by the dog’s power and also charmed with the animal’s intelligence, loyalty, and beauty that he purchased him right away. He changed the breed’s name to Horan von Grafrath and founded the Society for the German Shepherd Dog. Horand was the first German Shepherd Dog to be recognized as such, and he was also the first dog to be added to the society’s breed registry. Von Stephanitz inbred heavily on Horand and also Luchs, his brother, to consolidate the bloodline. Horand’s best son, Hektor von Schwaben, the second German Sieger, was mated with his half-sister as well as through daughters of his own sons, Beowulf, Heinz von Starkenber, and Pilot III.

The breed as a working dog

Working canines such as German Shepherds are extremely popular. They are used for several types of jobs. They are well recognized for their police duties, where they are used to hunt criminals, patrol difficult areas, and detect and detain suspects. The military has also used tens of thousands of German Shepherds. They are usually trained for scout duty and are employed to alert soldiers to the existence of attackers, booby traps, and other dangers. Military forces have also trained German Shepherds to parachute from aircraft.

Moreover, the breed is one of the most extensively employed dogs in a wide variety of scent-work roles. These include search and rescue, cadaver searching, narcotics detection, explosive detection, accelerant detection, and mine detection among others. They are well-suited for these lines of work as they have an excellent sense of smell and the ability to work through distractions.

At one time, the German Shepherd Dog was the breed chosen almost exclusively to be used as a guide dog for the visually impaired. In recent years, the Labradors and Golden Retrievers have been more widely used for this work, although there are still German Shepherds being trained.

Of course, the German Shepherds are still used for herding and tending sheep grazing in meadows next to gardens and crop fields. They are expected to look out for sheep that are trespassing and causing damage to the crops. Utility dog trials, also known as Herdengebrauchshund herding utility dog trials, are held in Germany and other countries to assess these qualities.

In popular culture

German Shepherds have appeared in a variety of media outlets. Strongheart the German Shepherd was one of the first canine movie stars and he was followed by Rin Tin Tin, who is now acclaimed as being the most famous German Shepherd. On the Hollywood Walk of Fame, both have stars. German Shepherds were also used in a popular Canadian series called The Littlest Hobo, a Disney movie called the 101 Dalmatians, and in 2007 in a Hollywood movie called I am Legend.

Recognition/popularity

There were 54 dogs registered when the UK Kennel Club first accepted registrations for the breed in 1919, and by 1926 the number had risen to almost 8000. The breed first gained international recognition at the decline of World War I after returning soldiers spoke highly of the breed, and animal actors such as Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart popularised the breed further. Moreover, in 1913 the German Shepherd Dog Club of America was formed by Benjamin Throop and Anne Tracy, with 26 other members. The first German Shepherd Dog to be registered in the United States was Queen of Switzerland, but her children suffered from deformities as a result of improper breeding, leading to the breed’s decrease in popularity in the late 1920s.

However, popularity increased after the German Shepherd, Sieger Pfeffer von Bern, was named Grand Champion in American Kennel Club dog shows in 1937 and 1938, only to plummet again after World War II ended owing to anti-German prejudice. Their popularity grew steadily until 1993 when they replaced the Golden Retriever as the third most popular breed in the United States. Furthermore, the breed became the second most popular in the U.S. in 2009.