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History of the German Shepherd Dog
The German Shepherd Dog is a fairly recent breed in the breeding history of dogs, having
been developed almost entirely in the 1900s. On April 3, 1899, Max von Stephanitz
attended one of the earliest dog shows for all breeds ever held in Germany. On that day, von
Stephanitz purchased a herding dog he observed at the show, and he decided to form the
Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhunde,( S.V.). Max von Stephanitz was named the
organization's first president and remained so until his death in 1936. The dog he purchased
that day, Horand von Grafrath, was designated S.Z.1, the first German Shepherd Dog to be
registered with the Verein. The Verein became a driving force in the canine world and the
largest specialty club.The Verein started to keep a stud book immediately (marked by an S.Z. number) and began
to circulate a semi-monthly newsletter. It held annual "Sieger" shows at which one dog and
bitch were selected as Sieger and Siegerin. The Verein and von Stephanitz held a watchful
eye on German Shepherd Dog breeding throughout Germany, holding jurisdiction on which
dogs and bitches could be used for breeding, which could be bred to one another, the
number of puppies that could be kept and raised from each litter, age limitations on breeding
stock and the number of breedings a stud dog could have in one year.Max von Stephanitz and the Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhunde ( SV ) had a goal to develop
a dog of uniform structure and working ability. Under the guidance of Rittmeister Stephanitz
began the formation of the modern day German Shepherd Dog.Though herding was the German Shepherd Dog's original purpose, von Stephanitz
recognized the importance of expanding the breed's usefulness in other directions and
persuaded the government to use the German Shepherd Dog in police and military work.
The German Shepherd Dogs was used extensively by the police, military and went on to
become the first dogs used as Guide Dogs for the blind.The German Shepherd Dog lost some popularity in the United States during each of the
World Wars, but recovered directly after. The popularity is attributed to his outstanding
characteristics which are sound nerves, alertness, self-confidence, trainability, watchfulness,
loyalty and incorruptibility, as well as courage, fighting drive and hardness. This makes him
ideal to be a superior working dog in general, and in particular to be a guard, companion,
protection, herding dog, and most of all an excellent overall pet.The German Shepherd Dog as we know him today is a versatile working dog capable of
performing a wide variety of tasks.
