The German shepherd is an icon of loy alty and courage of animals. This breed of dog is one of the most popular and versatile. It is one of the most intelligent dogs in the world, which has led them to be a police dog, a tracking dog, a shepherd dog and a therapy dog, among many other functions.
In addition to his beauty and intelligence, the German Shepherd enjoys well-deserved fame thanks to film and television stars, with "Rex the police dog" being the best known of these canine actors. In this article on our site we will share with you the entire German Shepherd story, keep reading:
Origin of the German Shepherd
The German Shepherd has a well-documented and relatively recent history. This breed was created with a clear and precise objective: to be a working breed.
Max Emil Frederick von Stephanitz, a cavalry captain in the German army, already had a vision of a German working breed in 1890. According to von Stephanitz's vision, dogs of this breed should be intelligent, protective, fast, noble in appearance, trustworthy and completely dedicated to pleasing their owners. This vision was shared with Artur Meyer, who helped von Stephanitz in the creation of the modern German Shepherd.
In 1899 von Stephanitz saw a dog that amazed him. This dog, named Hektor Linkrshein, measured about 25 inches at the withers and was similar in appearance to what the cavalry captain sought for a dog of worked. So von Stephanitz bought the dog that became the main progenitor of the modern German Shepherd.
Two weeks after buying Hektor, von Stephanitz and Meyer founded the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (SV) which was the first club of the breedand is currently the parent entity that brings together German Shepherd clubs from around the world. Of course Hektor was the first dog registered in that club, albeit under the new name of Horand von Grafrath.
From then on, the SV devoted itself to developing the breed using sheepdogs from Wüttemberg, Thuringia and Hannover. The dogs selected for this purpose met a particular requirement: a great capacity to work.
The German Shepherd was a working breed from the start. This was von Stephanitz's vision and he passed it on to future German Shepherd breeders by establishing working titles for this breed in 1906.
The German Shepherd in War
The German Army doubted the usefulness of German Shepherds for war. However, the success of these dogs in the German police opened the door for them to serve on the front lines during World War I During that war, German Shepherds were used to locate wounded soldiers, transport messages, warn of the presence of enemies during patrols, etc.
The skills of the German Shepherd were recognized by Allied soldiers At the end of the war many of these soldiers returned not only with fascinating stories, and often exaggerated, about the qualities of the German Shepherd, but also with some dogs of this breed.
In fact, the first Rin Tin Tin was a puppy that survived a bombing raid and was adopted by US Corporal Lee Duncan, who took him to the United States.
Of course, World War II also featured German Shepherds among the troops. At that time the popularity of the German shepherd was enormous: both in his country of origin and in other countries of the world.
The German Shepherd in times of peace
Due to its great qualities and the great popularity it had acquired, the breed became one of the most appreciated to fulfill practically any function in the service of man. The usefulness of the German shepherd in police services became so great that the breed became synonymous with police dog In addition, it also showed ample capacity to be an excellent assistance dog.
Over time, even more functions were assigned to this formidable breed, among which are drug detection, anti-personnel mine detection, search and rescue, therapy, canine skills, etc..
The German Shepherd Today
The old appearance of the German shepherd has nothing to do with the current one. Today we find several "blood lines" of this breed, some conceived to participate in beauty contests and others as working dogs. In both cases, although obviously more so in the case of beauty lines, the aim is to achieve a very specific morphological standard, but also unhe althy.
The guidelines set by the canine federations have transformed the German Shepherd into a sickly dog, with a very high predisposition to suffer from many hereditary diseases. Some of them are hip dysplasia, hemophilia, cataracts, vertebral instability or progressive retinal atrophy. In fact, it is one of the breeds most prone to he alth problems
However, the continuous and desired breeding of this breed has not only affected the dog's he alth. It is estimated that some German shepherd lines not only suffer from he alth problems, but are also susceptible to different behavioral problems, such as fear, aggressiveness or stereotypies.
From its origins as a sheepdog to its current role, this breed has been through a lot. However, despite the multiple functions and problems it may have, the German Shepherd is above all a faithful, reliable and loving companion.
