German Shepherd Dog Breed History

THE GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG
A Short History
by Lee Weston

The German Shepherd Dog (a.k.a.GSD) has a surprisingly short history as a distinctive breed. The history of the type of dog used in Germany for watching sheep, family protection and hunting, that made up the GSD, goes back to the unrecorded period before the Roman Empire. The Germanic people would breed their dogs to other dogs to develop the traits they liked. If they herded sheep, and they liked the way a neighbor's dog did the work( i.e. intelligence, stamina, attentiveness or courage), they would arrange a breeding. It was haphazard at times, but it did bring about a distinctive "type" of dog.
It was over 100 years ago, that a Captain Max von Stephanitz, of the German Army, was asked to resign his commission due to marrying outside his "class". He happily did so, because he had always wanted to be a gentleman farmer. It was his observation that some of the dogs used to herd the oversized sheep of that area, were too small. Sometimes it was all the dog could do to control some of the more stubborn and intractable characters in the flock. So von Stephanitz set about looking for the type of dog he pictured in his mind:

"...firm of nerve, attentiveness, unshockability, tractability, watchfulness, reliability, and incorruptibility together with courage, fighting tenacity and hardness."

    It was in 1899 that von Stephanitz established the Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhund, SV, German Shepherd Dog Club. His dog, Hordand von Grafrath, became not only the first registered dog with that club, but he also became the prototype of the GSD's to follow. It was von Stephanitz who established, developed and standardized the look and type for GSD's throughout the world.
    He was also involved in the establishment of the requirements for Schutzhund activities. Schutzhund means "protection dog", and this reflects the expectations that von Stephanitz had of his beloved GSD's. There are three phases of schutzhund - obedience, tracking and protection. Von Stephanitz made it mandatory that for breeders of the GSD's to be able to breed their dogs, each of the dogs first had to demonstrate their ability to work. Therefore, a schutzhund title was required, and the Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhund had conformation shows, known as Sieger, where the dogs would have to be rated G (good), SG (very good), V (excellent), or VA (excellent select) , along with hip certification, to be allowed to breed.
    The Verein established a stud book immediately upon its founding, it controlled which dogs could be used for breeding, who could be bred to whom, age limitations, and the number of puppies that a breeder could keep and raise. For a litter to be officially registered in Germany, both parents had to have working titles and at least a G (good) conformation rating. There was much control exercised by the Verein, but the GSD's thrived, and only the best bred to develop better. Now consider that the A.K.C. simply registers all dogs born of A.K.C. registered parents. Therein lies the difference.
    Between 1899 and 1914, von Stephanitz, the Verein and the breeders of the GSDs, demonstrated the superiority of their dogs in protection, tracking and obedience by sometimes donating a particular dog to the police, sometimes selling puppies to be trained in rescue work. In 1914, the GSDs were suggested to the German Army for use as messengers, search and rescue, guards and ammunition carriers. At first, the Army was very amused, then they heard the people who had used these dogs in civilian life, and they changed their minds and took the offer seriously. During World War 1, the GSD's demonstrated their ability to do just about anything, they would go anywhere, and their courage impressed not only the German soldier, but the English and American soldiers as well. After W.W.1, the soldiers brought home remarkable, sometimes unbelievable, stories of this wonderful dog they had seen on the battlefields. It was the German Shepherd Dog that was the first dog to be trained to guide blinded soldiers, leading to the establishment of the Seeing Eye Dog.
    Towards the end of W.W.1, an American soldier entered a German bunker, and found two puppies whose mother was no where to be seen. This American soldier brought the two puppies home to America. Unfortunately, one of the puppies died of pneumonia, but the other thrived and grew up to become one of the most beloved German Shepherd Dogs in the history of the breed, Rin Tin Tin. This dog demonstrated all the traits that we humans wished we each possessed on the silent movie screens across America. Rin Tin Tin also saved Warner Bros. from financial disaster. Another GSD appeared on the screens, Strongheart, who demonstrated that the best within each of us could take form in reality. Soon, Americans were demanding Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart to be there for their families. America was in love with the GSD and it almost became the kiss of death to the GSD breed. The demand for as many GSD puppies as could be produced, overwhelmed the German breeders. The German breeders couldn't, and wouldn't, mass produce puppies for American consumption. In steps American know how. There were some breeders who loved the GSD as much as any German breeder, and then there were the others who thought they had found their pot of gold. Thousands of puppies were placed on the market and were sold. Problems in temperament, medical problems and out right fraud developed. Then the Crash and the Great Depression of 1928 hit the world. Many of these dogs, and others as well, were turned out into the streets to fend for themselves and interbreed without control.
    World War 2 became a part of the German Shepherd Dog's history as well. Again, this dog demonstrated its ability, mostly with the Red Cross, in locating wounded soldiers. The GSDs were heralded by soldiers of all sides of the battles and at the end of the war another upsurge of popularity hit the breed. Of course, for a short period of time, the GSD's were renamed Alsatians, due to the unpopular connection to anything German.
    After W.W.2 and all the excitement of the GSD being the number one breed being bought, sold and registered in the the U.S. had calmed down, the price of popularity had to be paid. Some of the bad results of uncontrolled breeding practices became more noticeable to the public. There were instances being reported in the newspapers of dog attacks, the GSD was given the reputation of an aggressive, uncontrollable dog. When in truth, it was the result of a few bad breeders who altered their bloodline's temperament by breeding the same low quality dog with another low quality dog. The breeders who mass produced the puppies and did not, could not, or didn't care to socialize the puppies properly. The medical problems of the breed started to add to the expense of owning a GSD. Hip dysplasia, cataracts, elbow dysplasia, von Willebrand's disease and epilepsy became common in some bloodlines.
    On the other side of the coin, were the reputable, responsible and caring breeders who dearly loved the breed for what it had originally had to offer. They wanted to keep the GSD strong, and yet the dog still needed to satisfy the original expectations of von Stephanitz's motto "utility and intelligence". The first German Shepherd Dog was registered with the A.K.C. in 1911. The German Shepherd Dog Club of America was founded in 1913. Dedicated breeders since that time, have weathered the storms and have fought to restore the temperament and the strong body of the GSD. It is imperative that a potential new owner of a GSD meet the expectations of the breeder and the dog. High standards must be kept, to preserve and protect this most noble animal.

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