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Posted on December 18, 2007 by Jan Ryan | Posted under   Pets Dogs


German Shepherd: A True Friend For Life



All the credit for the development of this highly intelligent, loyal and obedient breed goes to Max von Stephanitz. It was exclusively his idea that fused a great range of sheep herding dogs into one single breed. He envisaged a dog of principled character, wise working ability, faithful and extensively trainable. Shepherd dogs used to be the true working dogs during 18th and 19th centuries. In Germany, the shepherds used their dogs to guide their group of sheep or domestic animals. These dogs did not have any particular origin. For those dogs, the only necessity was their working ability, but not their looks.

During late 19th century a movement initiated in the process of guiding sheep, which was led by Captain von Stephanitz with an idea to establish his organization, Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhunde for breeding dogs combining both talents and looks. In his breeding technique, although the primary emphasis was given on improving the working efficiency, Max von Stephanitz also put his effort to improve beauty of the German Shepherd.

One of the early problems involved in the timeline of the development of the German Shepherd was when there was an apparent decline in the demand of shepherd dogs. By that time, it was again von Stephanitz who trained the German Shepherd as a police dog, which turned out to be a great source of service to mankind in general. During late 19th century and early 20th century increasing number of dog shows led the breeders to consider both the appearance and the efficiency of their dogs equally.

In 1899, with the persistent guidance of von Stephanitz, the concept of the modern German Shepherd took its place in reality with the establishment of Verein. During the First World War, England discovered the German Shepherd and brought this dog under the name of Alsatian home. By that time the overall control of all breeding in Germany was done by Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhunde. In the post Word War II phase, Germany was destroyed and in ruins, so was the breeding organization as well as the breeding policy. It was typically assumed that the best German Shepherd was bred in North America during that phase.

Similar to any other great innovator of different times, von Stephenitz always put his effort on exploring and gathering new knowledge about breeding German Shepherd dogs with the help of his extensive experience and experimental aptitude. He relied on several different ideas that were used by the British at that time. It was in 1899 when von Stephanitz attended a dog show and bought Horand von Grafrath, who was known as the first registered German Shepherd studbook entry. Von Stephanitz was most impressed by the wide range of qualities of the breed.

The blend of dynamism and active movements kept Horand apart from the other breeds. He was an obedient, brave, defensive and energetic type of dog, which was mostly praised for his mental alertness. In addition, he was also visually appealing with his beautiful lines of the body. A perfect combination of stamina and beauty gave the German Shepherd great worldwide recognition. In recent times, imported German Shepherds are exclusively adorable for implausible sense of smell, loyalty, obedience, sound temperament and excellence in physical structure and working ability.



About The Author:
Jan Ryan is a dog-owner and professional breeder who has extensive experience in dog training and breeding. The German Shepherd is an active breed with elegant beauty. It has a universal appeal due to its excellent obedience, loyalty and working ability. If you are in need of historical German Shepherd information, this article will provide it for you.


Tags: GERMAN SHEPHERD, GERMAN SHEPHERD, GERMAN SHEPHERD INFORMATION
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