The GSD story is that of a dog that is highly respected and admired around the world.

The history of GSD, relatively speaking compared to many of the other dog breeds, remains that of a very young breed. Captain Max von Stephanitz, a German cavalry officer, developed the German Shepherd breed in 1899, based entirely on his vision of the perfect working dog, a type of dog that could perform equally well in any condition.

The GSD story began in precisely this way. Using a variety of German Shepherd Dogs as staple livestock, Max von Stephanitz developed a distinctive new breed of working dog, the German Shepherd.

He highly admired the sheepdogs of his native Germany and believed that they had all the potential to be an all-purpose working dog. Max von Stephanitz was well aware of the historically declining need for herding dogs and believed that the breed’s working abilities would diminish unless they were used for other uses.

An idealist with a strong intellect and the financial ability to support his ideas, Max von Stephanitz also possessed the determination, drive, and dedication to put his ideas into practice. His perception of a sheepdog was that of an extremely intelligent, vigorous dog, with a stable character and with many of the physical attributes belonging to the wild dog: it floats on its feet, long in the wind and untouched by the extremes of other breeds. I was on my way to start the GSD story.

He saw no beauty in a non-functional dog and was ruthless in dismissing what he considered weak. Tireless and determined, he laid the foundation for the GSD story that would later make the breed the largest working dog in the world.

Until Horand, sheepdogs came in a variety of shapes, sizes, types, and abilities. Shepherds in Germany, as in other parts of the world, chose their dogs for their physical, mental and physical condition, and only for work, and cared little about the appearance of the dogs. Max von Stephanitz had very positive ideas about the mental, anatomical and biomechanical characteristics required for a sheepdog. He had a great understanding of the mental and anatomical requirements of a working sheepdog.

Quite possibly by chance, the beginning of the GSD story began at a dog show in Germany. While at the dog show, a medium-sized yellow and gray wolf-like dog caught the eye of von Stephanitz, who was attending the show with his friend Artur Meyer. This dog, Hektor Linksrheim, was immediately acquired by von Stephanitz and renamed Horand von Grafrath. Horand became the first registered German Shepherd dog, with the number SV1.

Just a few 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), would become the largest and most powerful dog breed club in the world and an important step in GSD history.

A standard for the GSD breed was soon developed based on mental stability and usefulness. The captain’s motto was “Utility and Intelligence.” Beauty was secondary to him and he considered that a dog was 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 plan listing the exact function and relationship of every aspect of build, gait, and inherent attitude, combined with comprehensive breeding regulation, which required that dogs used for reproduction they first had to prove their worth physically. and mentally.

Subsequently, with the cooperation of the local police and working dog clubs, a set of specific canine tests was developed in tracking, formal obedience and protection work. This became the current Schutzhund dog trials, another important part of the GSD story. Authorities were persuaded to use the German Shepherd in many branches of government service and served throughout the war as supply carriers, sentries, Red Cross dogs, messenger dogs, tracking dogs, and guard dogs, to name a few.

Historically, the GSD was gaining notoriety in the United States when World War I broke out. In 1917, when the United States entered the First World War, everything German became taboo. The AKC changed the name of the dog breed to Shepherd Dog and the German Shepherd Dog Club of America became Shepherd Dog Club of America. In England, the name of the German Shepherd breed was changed to Alsatian.

After World War I, British and American soldiers, impressed by the abilities of the German Shepherd Dog, brought home examples of their own to breed. The breed of dog became instantly popular, both as a family pet and as a working dog. After the war, the movie star Rin-Tin-Tin and Strongheart reawakened interest in the history of GSD and the canine breed.

This breed’s surprising good looks, combined with its remarkable intelligence and loyalty, have made it a favorite working and companion dog. Puppy mills soon flourished to meet the high demand, flooding the American market with poor quality “German police dogs”, causing the breed to drop in popularity.

Later, during World War II, the German Shepherd was widely sought after and employed by the Allied and Axis forces. These dogs performed various functions, such as mine detectors, sentries, guards, and messengers. In the United States, Dogs for Defense was formed, providing thousands of dogs to the military.

In GSD history, the paths of German and American German Shepherds diverged after WWII. Many German Shepherd Dogs had been killed or destroyed for lack of food. Later, breeders returned to having dominant individual dogs in the desired virtues of the breed. Around 1949, quality GSD specimens began to appear again at German dog shows. In the 1950s, American breeders recognized the need for a cross blood infusion and Troll von Richterback, the 1957 Grand Victor, was dominant in his day.

Several strong stallion families emerged in the 1960s. This was an important part in rebuilding the GSD historically speaking. While the SV had control of the German-bred German Shepherds, GSD’s American breeders were open to following their own preferences. The American and Canadian Great Victor, Lance of Fran-Jo, represented a new era in American Shepherds and was widely used during the 1960s. Lance produced many GSD puppies which in turn became historical mainstays of the breed in the United States. United.

In Germany, the history of GSD reveals that a very active market for German Shepherd dogs and sought-after puppies soon developed in countries such as South America, Japan, Italy, many Scandinavian countries and France. In addition, the SV began to give more and more importance to dog training titles. The tests of temperament and courage became much more demanding, and the SV forced the breeders to focus on the problem areas of puppies and dogs, such as missing teeth, poor rumps, etc.

Starting with a common base, the German Shepherd breed in Germany and America has taken a separate course. Both Americans and Germans have developed closely breed dogs. They differ in appearance, movement, style and structure and have developed desirable and undesirable characteristics in the breed.

Americans have a broader option to pursue their own views and choose their own bloodlines, either within or outside of their own country. The Germans, controlled by the SV, are likely to continue to search within themselves to further develop the breed. Today, the German Shepherd is still considered one of the most intelligent and versatile breeds out there and the future will be very interesting for the breed. In fact, the history of GSD has been very intense so far.