GSD history, relatively speaking when compared to many of the other
breeds of dog, is still that of a very young breed. Captain Max von
Stephanitz, a German cavalry officer, developed the German Shepherd Dog
breed in 1899, based entirely on his vision of the perfect working dog,
one type of dog which could work equally well under any conditions.
GSD
history began in just this way. Using a variety of German sheep dogs as
his foundation stock, Max von Stephanitz developed a new and
distinctive working dog breed, the German Shepherd Dog.
He greatly
admired the herding dogs of his native Germany, and believed they had
the full potential to be the total all-purpose working dog. Max von
Stephanitz was very aware of the historically declining need for herding
dogs and believed that the working abilities of the breed would decline
unless they were put to other uses.
An idealist with both strong
intellect and the financial capabilities to support his iddas, Max von
Stephanitz also possessed the determination, drive, and dedication to
put his ideas into practice. His perception of a herding dog was of an
extremely intelligent, vigorous dog, of stable character and with many
of the physical attributes belonging to the wild dog- fleet of foot,
long of wind, and untouched by the extremes of other breeds. He was well
on his way to beginning the GSD history.
He saw no beauty in a
non-functional dog and was ruthless in discarding what he considered
weak. Tireless and determined, he laid the foundations of the GSD
history that were later to make the breed the greatest all-round working
dog in the world.
Until Horand, herding dogs came in a variety of
shapes, sizes, types and abilities. Shepherds in Germany like elsewhere
in the world, chose their dogs for their fitness, mental and physical,
and for work only, and cared little for the dogs appearance. Max von
Stephanitz had very positive ideas about the mental, anatomical, and
bio- mechanical characteristics required of a herding dog. He had a
great understanding of the mental and anatomical requirements of a
working shepherd dog.
Very possibly by chance, the beginning of
the GSD history started at a dog show in Germany. While at the dog show,
a medium-sized yellow-and-gray wolflike dog caught the attention of von
Stephanitz, attending the show with his friend Artur Meyer. This dog,
Hektor Linksrheim, was immediately purchased by von Stephanitz and
renamed Horand von Grafrath. Horand became the first registered German
Shepherd Dog, with the number SV1.
Only weeks later von Stephanitz
and his friend Artur Meyer founded the Verein für Deutsche
Schaferhunde, or SV (German Shepherd Dog Club), along with the help of a
few other co-founders. The dog club, the Verein für Deutsche
Schäferhunde (SV), was to become the largest and most powerful dog breed
club in the world and a major step in GSD history.
A standard for
the GSD breed was soon developed based on mental stability and utility.
The captain's motto was "Utility and intelligence". To him beauty was
secondary, and considered a dog worthless if it lacked the intelligence,
temperament, and structural efficiency that would make it a good
servant of man.
The German Shepherd Dog breed standard was
developed as a blueprint listing the exact function and relationship of
every aspect of structure, gait, and inherent attitude, combined with a
comprehensive breeding regulation, which required that dogs used for
breeding had first to prove their worth physically and mentally.
Later,
using the co-operation of local police and working dog clubs, a set of
specific dog tests were developed in tracking, formal obedience, and
protection work. This developed into present day Schutzhund dog trials -
another important part of the GSD history. The authorities were
persuaded to utilize the German Shepherd Dog in many branches of
government service and served during the war as supply carriers,
sentinels, Red Cross dogs, messenger dogs, tracking and guard dogs, to
name a few.
The GSD historically was just gaining notice in the
United States when World War I broke out. In 1917, when America entered
World War I, all things German became tabu. The AKC changed the name of
the dog breed to the Shepherd Dog and the German Shepherd Dog Club of
America became the Shepherd Dog Club of America. In England, the name of
the German Shepherd Dog breed was changed to the Alsatian.
After
WWI, British and American soldiers, impressed by the abilities of the
German Shepherd Dog, brought home examples of their own to breed. The
dog breed instantly become popular, both as a family pet and as a
working dog. After the war the movie star Rin-Tin-Tin and Strongheart
stimulated interest in the GSD history and dog breed again.
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