Breed History

how it all began…

In 1889 Captain Max von Stephanitz attended a dog show in Karlsruhe, Germany. At this show he encountered a wolf-like dog name Hektor Linksrhein, whose intelligence, strength, speed and poise immediately caught von Stephanitz’ attention. Von Stephanitz bought Hektor on the spot, renamed him Horand von Grafrath and ultimately used Horand to found the breed known today as the German Shepherd Dog.

Von Stephanitz’ goal for the breed was that it should be “useful and intelligent”, with the dog’s looks taking a back seat to its working ability. The Captain went on to set a breed standard that dictated every function the dog was expected to be able to perform and the relationship that each of its characteristics (size, structure, gait, temperament, etc…) has to the dog’s functional ability. In other words, von Stephanitz took pains to ensure that the breed’s physical characteristics served to enhance and complement its working abilities. To many GSD lovers even to this day, a German Shepherd that can’t work is not really a German Shepherd at all.

The breed remained largely in the shadows until World War I, during which the German Army made extensive use of the breed for various military tasks.   When American GIs returned home – often with German Shepherds of their own – they told tales of the imposing, intelligent and loyal dogs that had been employed by their enemy. Various contemporaneous movies were made that featured the breed and, suddenly, the GSD had exploded onto the dog scene.

World War II proved to be yet another opportunity for the breed to embed itself into the public consciousness. GSDs were used by both the Allied and Axis forces for a variety of both front-line and guard-duty tasks.

It was after WWII that the GSD began to take on the look that most today would associate with the breed (tan/red colouration with black saddle). Due to historical over-breeding, and a tendency among show line breeders to select for looks over temperament, there is tremendous variance in both looks and temperament among German Shepherds today. We now see two main “types” of German Shepherd, both of which are considered to be the same breed, however both also possess significantly different characteristics.

Click here to learn about the different Types of GSD