German Shepherd Dog

The German Shepherd Dog is one of the most easily recognized, and often misrepresented of all dog breeds. Commonly referred to as police dogs, German Shepherds have received an unfair reputation as being overly aggressive. However, the real reason they have long been selected for police and rescue work is their high level of intelligence and extreme loyalty to their handlers.

The German Shepherd Dog breed as we know it today traces it's origins back to a single dog, Hector Linksrhein, later renamed Horand v Grafrath. A man named Max Von Stephanitz is considered the founder of this breed. While there were a number of these types of dogs available in Germany, the breed had no recognized standard and therefore lacked uniformity. Von Stephanitz admired the intelligence and temperament he found in these animals and was determined to develop the breed into the perfect herding dogs. He knew he had found his foundation stud in Hector. Von Stephanitz went on to establish the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde, essentially the first German Shepherd Dog breed club.

The German Shepherd Dog is a member of the herding group, according to the original reason for their development. However, because of their superior intelligence and tracking abilities, German Shepherds are now employed by search and rescue teams, police and military, and as helper dogs for the disabled.

The German military used German Shepherds in World War I as dispatch carriers, to help locate and rescue wounded soldiers, and to accompany soldiers during silent patrols.

British Colonel James Baldwin trained the first canine unit for the British army in World War II. He had observed the dogs while serving in World War I and was very impressed with their loyalty and discipline. Baldwin convinced his superiors the dogs would be a great asset to the British military as well.

Baldwin made a well-intentioned but devastating mistake in renaming German Shepherds, calling them Alsatian Wolf Dogs. He did this because he thought the hatred for Germany would create a negative feeling toward the breed, but it turned out that the hatred and fear of wolves was even worse than the bad feelings toward Germans at that time. So began the long history of inaccurate and negative press about the breed.

Beryl Griffin used her German Shepherds during World War II to find victims hidden in ruble from air raids. Griffin’s dogs told her if the victims were dead or alive. This led to the continued service of German Shepherds as search and rescue dogs.

White German Shepherds are a subject of controversy within the breeding world. Some consider them to be their own separate breed; others do not. Hector, the original German Shepherd, is the source of the recessive white gene still evident today. A White German Shepherd is any German Shepherd that is entirely white or cream colored, but not necessarily an albino. Some consider the White German Shepherd to be the outward sign of weaker genetics; others feel they are superior to other German Shepherds. During the early development of the German Shepherd as a breed, there was an effort to establish a pure strain of White German Shepherds.

German Shepherds have become a popular breed, and as with many breeds before them, indiscriminent breeding by those seeking a quick cash return has resulted in lesser quality animals contributing to the gene pool. Though responsible breeders are working hard to eliminate these health problems, instances of Canine Hip and Elbow Displasia still plague the breed.

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