German
Shepherd History
The
German Shepherd Dog is one of the most widely recognized
breeds in the world. The breed is known and favored in
many countries for its intelligence, trainability, adaptability
and fortitude. The foundation of this breed is comparatively
recent (1899), making the climb to its current numbers
and status of renown even more amazing. Rittmeister Max
von Stephanitz, proclaimed "the father of the breed," and
his friend, Herr Artur Meyer, bought a working dog seen
at a show in order to foster a strong, capable German
herder. Von Stephanitz led the group that promoted German
Shepherds from 1899 to 1935. During that time, he brought
the breed to its current status of respect.
With
less demand for herding over the years, von Stephanitz
was determined not to let the Shepherd decline and encouraged
its use by the police and the military. During World
War I, there were 48,000 Shepherds "enlisted" in
the German Army. Today, the GSD serves perhaps in more
ways than any other breed; search-and-rescue (S&R),
police, army and sentry, scent discrimination and, of
course, companion. They are superb dog guides for the
blind and helpers for the handicapped.
Perhaps
the best testimony to its S&R ability comes from
the Hospice at St. Bernard, which still offers refuge
to travelers. Today the Hospice raises Saint Bernards
as a tourist attraction, but German Shepherds do the
rescue work.
Despite
fads, poor breeding practices, malign-ment of character
as "attack" dogs, and discrimination against
anything German during the years of and following World
War I, the breed has thrived. During the German phobia,
English owners refused to give up the breed they had
come to admire. They did compromise and change the name
to Alsatian, which prevailed for nearly 40 years after
all hostilities ended. Their American counterparts, in
a similar attempt to disguise the breed's origins, temporarily
dropped the word "German" from the name. Two
German Shepherds helped to soothe the post-War wounds.
The film stars Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart reawakened
interest in the breed, with their breath-taking adventures
and thrilling rescues. During the Second World War, the
Shepherd served the Allied forces in the fight against
its homeland. These dogs have amazed even their trainers
in feats of power and agility.
As
late as 1915, there were three coat types— the
smoothhaired, the longhaired and the wire-haired. The
wirehaired has since disappeared; "long coats" are
still born, but do not meet with approval in the conformation
ring. They do, however, make fine companions, and there
are admirers that prefer them.
Shepherds
can tolerate extremes in weather conditions: barking
with delight at a romp in below-zero temperatures, rolling
in a snowbank; or withstanding the heat of a steamy jungle
in a combat zone. |
