History and Origins of the German Shepherd Dog

The German Shepherd breed appeared late at the end of the 19th century in Germany and they were first exhibited at a show in Hanover in 1882. They were not like German Shepherds as we know them today though being rough coated, short tailed and rather resembling mongrels. The German Shepherd Dog as we now know it didn't really appear until after the Second World War.

The breed was actually created by the cross breeding of working sheep dogs from rural Germany by an ex cavalry officer called Max von Stephanitz whose aim was to create a working dog for herding which could trot for long periods.

A breed standard was drawn up and the first breed show took place in 1899 following which the GSD became firmly established across Germany. In 1906 the first dogs were exported to the USA .

Since then, the breed has grown enormously in popularity and is now one of the most popular pedigree breeds in the UK as a pet as well as being the favourite working breed for many forces, especially the police. They are widely used for security purposes because of their strong protective instincts.

Many people in the UK still call these dogs Alsatians which may partly be due to the fact that they when they were first bred, the Alsace region of France was part of Germany were these dogs were very popular. In part it may also be due to the first and second world wars that the name Alsatian stuck as the word 'German' had a negative connotation. I still get people who think that Alsatians are the traditional short coat black and tan dogs and that German Shepherds are the long coated dogs that have become popular.

GSD's make wonderful family pets and will protect family and home.

These dogs are highly intelligent and will show undying devotion to their master but they are dogs that need company and stimulation to be at their best. It is however, important to remember that this is a working breed and that they do have certain characteristics that some people might find difficult to live with. The German Shepherd should be steady, loyal, self assured, courageous and willing and should not be nervous over aggressive or shy. Nervous aggression is something that we are now seeing more often as a result of bad breeding. It is sad but there has always been indiscriminate breeding of German Shepherds right from the start, which has lead to problems with temperament and health.   

	German Shepherd Dog, West German Show (High Lines). This is the breed type most popular in Germany, and which at its best probably comes closest to the Breed Standard.
	German Shepherd Dog, German Working Lines (also Belgian and Dutch lines, which are NOT related to Belgian or Dutch shepherds, which are different breeds - see below). These dogs have been bred primarily for the sport of Schutzhund, and as service dogs. They excel as police, military, SAR and drug/bomb detection dogs.
	German Shepherd Dog, East German Lines (DDR). This family was developed in East Germany from those dogs remaining in the East after WW 2. Those foundation dogs predated the show/working split of post-war West Germany, and were not extreme in either conformation or drive.
	German Shepherd Dog, Czech/Slovak Lines. These dogs were bred in Communist Czechoslovakia as state working dogs. They are essentially the same as the DDR lines, from which they were largely developed.
	German Shepherd Dog, American Show Lines. This family has been the numerically dominant type in North America since the 1970's.
	Old American Show generally refers to American show dogs bred prior to the 1970's, which did not show the extremes of the later bloodlines, and whose bloodllines largely died out with the appearance of the modern American show lines. At the same time in Germany, the breed had not yet differentiated into show and working lines, and in type were very similar to the American dogs.
	German Shepherd Dog, British Lines (Alsation). These dogs are descended from old lines imported into the British Isles prior to the modern, post-war German lines. They developed into a heavy boned, long bodied type with uniformly beautiful shoulders, showing generally soft temperament and variable drive.
	Crosses between types are as good or as bad as the animals used to make the cross. They generally do not show the extremes of either parent's type. Shown is a first generation DDR X Canadian show cross, the product of a Group winning show champion (Ch Corry, pictured in the Page Heading) and a bitch of DDR Haus Kuhn breeding.
	German Shepherd Dog, White (Swiss Shepherd Dog). White is a dominant masking gene that is a disqualification in most countries. Lovers of the white GSD campaigned for equal recognition, but finally pursued separate breed status and gained FCI recognition as the Swiss Shepherd Dog. In North America they are still AKC/CKC registered as GSDs, or are recognized by ARBA as Canadian or American White Shepherds. In general, they show good but somewhat oversized structure and medium to soft temperament, with variable drive. They have served as SAR, therapy and guide dogs, where white can be an effective colour. The white gene is not linked to deafness or any health problems, and is not albinism. They should show dark eyes and skin, and black nose, lips, pads and nails.
	Panda Shepherd. Currently one family of AKC registered GSDs of German lines, that shows a new, spontaneous mutation for white spotting that exhibits an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance, consistenct with the action of a single gene acting with full penetrance.
	There are no "rare" or especially desirable colours in the correct GSD. Blue and liver are disqualifications world wide. Silver, fawn, cream and solid red dogs are examples of extremely faded pigmentation. Breeders who promote odd colours are not breeding to the GSD Breed Standard, although their animals may be perfectly sound and make fine companions. Interbreeding animals with insufficient pigmentation can result in dogs with skin problems, and lightly pigmented exposed skin which is not well protected from UV radiation. Pictured is a liver and tan GSD.
	Maskless Shepherd. This is a colour variant only, characterized by a lack of the typical black mask, and often showing faded or "bright" points of tan on the muzzle, chest and feet. It can also be seen in sable and bicolour patterns. While common in English lines prior to WW1, it is not typical of any contemproray bloodline. White markings are indicative of fading pigmentation, but are not evidence of wolf blood, although wolf crosses will often show similar colouration. A black mask gives the typical GSD expression, and is generally required by most judges, but the lack of it is not strictly speaking a sign of fading colour.
	Shiloh Shepherd. A breed developed in America as a reaction to the increasingly extreme show type, in a supposed attempt to recreate the qualities of the "original" GSD. Alaskan Malamute and Sarplaninac were crossed in to increase size. This is a giant breed, at least 30" at the shoulder. It is not AKC recognized, but is registered with the ISSR, or International Shiloh Shepherd Registry. All colours and long coats are accepted. Ears are slightly smaller than the GSD. Temperament is medium to soft and drive is variable.
	German Shepherd Dog, Long Haired (Alt Deutsche Schaferhund, "Old German Shepherd Dog"). This is not a separate type or breed. The recessive gene for long hair is present in all families and types, and results in a longer than normal coat. It can vary from slightly longer than normal, to very long hair which is difficult to keep well groomed and free of burrs and ice. Regrded for many years as a fault, the long coat is now accepted and can be shown in Germany, provide it has a weatherproof undercoat. A coated dog bred to a dog that is free of the recessive will produce normal puppies who carry the recessive.
	King Shepherd. An American attempt to produce a giant, long haired GSD. ARBA recognized. Malamute, Akita and other breeds were crossed in to increase size. Its Standard insists on as much size and bone as possible. An impressive family and companion dog, It's huge size and soft temperament make it unsuitable as a working dog.
	German Shepherd Dog, Old Style (Old Fashioned, Original, Old World etc). This appears to be an attempt to return to the good old days of the breed, with dogs exceeding 30" at the withers, and well over 100 pounds in weight. They are advertised as being "flat backed" and "straight backed", in reference to the excessive slope of some American show dogs and the roaching of some German show dogs. Many are long haired. In fact, excess size, long hair, placid temperament and high rear ends were never considered desirable in the GSD. Although these problems did exist in the original foundation dogs, which varied widely in type, concientious breeders have striven to breed out these faults.
	This is the true "German Old Style", a Sieger from the 1920s. The dog's dry bone, leg length, shallow chest and square proportions make the breed's kinship with the northern Malinois quite apparent. The breed's founder decided that a more powerful dog was wanted, with a lower stationed, trotting structure that was not so massive as to detract from the dog's speed and agility. These early dogs are the breed's foundation and history, but breeders have developed better dogs than this, and there is no good reason to return to the past. VA1 Erich v Grafenwerth
	Kunming Dog. An interesting attempt to recreate the GSD in Communist China, but with the square, leggier structure of the very early GSD. They can show a tendency to weediness. Colours include all GSD patterns, as well as brindle apparently.
	Byelorussian Ovcharka. An interesting attempt to recreate the GSD in the Soviet Union. In the 1930's GSDs were crossed with Central Asian Ovcharkas, Russian Laikas and other local breeds, supposedly to increase the ability to withstand cold, which is odd, considering a healthy GSD is quite happy in even Canada's severe north. It was recognized as a separate breed in 1964. .
	Czechoslovakian Wolfdog. An FCI recognized Czech breed developed from a cross between the European wolf and the GSD, supposedly to produce a larger, healthier, super shepherd. While similar to some Czech line GSDs in appearance, this dog has yet to participate in high level sport, or as a police service dog,
	Sarloos Wolfhond. An FCI recognized Dutch breed developed from a cross between the European wolf and the GSD, supposedly to produce a superior shepherd dog.
	Utonagan. Another example of the European fascination with the wolf. A cross between GSD, Malamute and Siberian huskies which has yet to achieve FCI recognition. This hybrid was not created to produce a better shepherd, but to producea dog of wolf-like appearance, without the wolf blood. This cross seems to show good temperament and trainability for companion purposes, and makes no claims to superiority as a working dog.
	American Tundra Shepherd. An non-registerable American cross between the North American wolf and GSD. While certainly impressive, its very large size makes it unsuitable as a service dog. It has no record as a reliable working dog in any field of service or sport. It seems to come in a wide range of wolf and GSD colours, and most seem to show a high set rear and sway back, which are not typical of the wolf.
	Alsation Shepalute. This is not a breed, as several breeds are still being crossed to produce it. It is a type produced by a single US kennel, supposedly to recreate the Dire Wolf, a large, low stationed, extinct canid. Its type is not stable, it is not recognized by any registry, and it has no accepted breed standard.
	Dwarf German Shepherd Dog. This is not a miniature version of the breed, but a genetic defect that can cause multiple health problems and is referred to as pituitary dwarfism. It appears to occur in many different families, and afflicted dogs require lifelong veterinary care to maintain health and coat. Dwarves are usually identifyable at birth, and are not simply runty animals stunted by health issues. Secondary problems include pannus, thyroidism, allergies and poor coat.
	Bohemian Shepherd (Chodsky pes, Chodenhund). An indigenous herding breed of the Czech Republic that can be traced back approximately 500 years. This breed is, if not a progenitor of the GSD, then certainly descended from some of the same European herding families. Somewhat smaller than the GSD, it carries a long coat and is always black with red markings.
	Altdeutscher Huetehunde. A popular, indigenous herding breed of Germany, probably descended from some of the same European herding families. Some members of this breed may have played a part in the foundation dogs of the GSD. It comes in all coats and colours, and is a herding specialist.
	Belgian Shepherd (Malinois). This smaller, lighter, highly athletic breed is a cousin to the GSD, descending from Northern European sheepdogs, and developed in the Belgian town of Malinois. .
	Dutch Shepherd. Very similar to the Malinois, this breed is brindle striped, and also has long and wired haired varieties. It also excels as a service dog, and is occasionally used in crossbreeding with the Malinois to produce sport and service dogs.