My Dog Training Blog

The history of the German Shepherd, in comparison to other breeds, is a relatively recent tale. However, a century is all it took for this breed to secure it’s place as the top breed for canine protection. The UK Kennel Club, the American Kennel Club and the Canadian Kennel Club have all consistently ranked the German Shepherd among the top three most popular breeds alongside the Labrador Retriever and Golden Retriever.

Prior to the registration of the German Shepherd as an official breed, shepherd dogs throughout Germany were being bred for strength, intelligence and loyalty. Despite being bred for similar working qualities, shepherd breeds in Germany varied greatly in ability and appearance from community to community. The 1800s sought to standardize dog breeds in Germany with limited success. The Phylax society was developed for this purpose in 1891, but disbanded three years later as it’s members could not agree between breeding solely for working qualities versus breeding for appearance and showmanship as well. It was not until 1899 that Captain Max von Stephanitz, heralded by some as the father of the German Shepherd, established standards for the breed. His motto was “utility and intelligence,” and insisted that dogs be bred for their working abilities above all else. Von Stephanitz had seen a yellow and black wolf-like dog named Hektor Linksrhein at a dog show in Germany. He was so impressed by the strength and loyalty of the dog that he decided to purchase it on the spot. He renamed the dog Horand von Grafrath, and founded the Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhunde (Society for the German Shepherd Dog) with Horand as the first registered German Shepherd. Horand was bred with admirable Shepherd dogs owned by other society members, and inbreeding among the best of these pups standardized the breed. Prior to the establishment of the Verein f