German Shepherd History in Brief
In 1889 Captain Max von Stephanitz
began the standardization of the breed. It all started at a dog show
in Karlsruhe in western Germany. A medium-sized yellow-and-gray wolflike
dog caught his attention. The dog was of the primal canine type, supple
and powerful, and possessed endurance, steadiness, and intelligence.
He was a working sheepherder, born with this ability, requiring no
training other than direction and finish to become proficient at the
task. This dog, Hektor Linksrhein, was purchased by von Stephanitz,
renamed Horand von Grafrath, and became the first registered German
Shepherd Dog.
Von Stephanitz founded the Verein
für Deutsche Sch·ferhunde, SV (German Shepherd Dog Club),
becoming the first president, and in a short period of time achieved
the standardization of form and type in the breed. A standard was
developed based on mental stability and utility. The captain's motto
was "Utility and intelligence". To him beauty was secondary,
and a dog was worthless if it lacked the intelligence, temperament,
and structural efficiency that would make it a good servant of man.
A breed standard was developed as a blueprint dictating the exact
function and relationship of every aspect of structure, gait, and
inherent attitude.
Von Stephanitz inbred heavily on Horand and also Luchs, his brother,
to consolidate the bloodline. Horand's best son, Hektor von Schwaben,
the second German Sieger, was mated with his half-sister as well as
through daughters of his own sons, Beowulf, Heinz von Starkenberg,
and Pilot III.
Intense inbreeding also concentrated
undesirable recessive originating from the mixing of the original
strains. Von Stephanitz then inserted unrelated blood of herding origin
through Audifax von Grafrath and Adalo von Grafrath.
As Germany became increasingly
industrialized and the pastoral era declined, von Stephanitz realized
the breed might also decline. With the cooperation of police and working
dog clubs a set of specific tests was developed in tracking, formal
obedience, and protection work. This was the prototype of the present
Schutzhund trials. He persuaded the authorities to utilize the German
shepherd dog in various branches of government service. The dog served
during the war as Red Cross dogs, messenger dogs, supply carriers,
sentinel, tracking and guard dogs.
The first German Shepherd Dog exhibited
in America was in 1907. Mira von Offingen, imported by Otto Gross,
was shown by H. Dalrymple, of Port Allegheny, Pennsylvania in the
open class at Newcastle and Philadelphia. The first championships
awarded German Shepherd Dogs was in 1913. In 1913 the German Shepherd
Dog Club of America was formed by Benjamin Throop and Anne Tracy,
with 26 charter members.
The German Shepherd Dog Club of
America's first specialty show was at Greenwich, Connecticut in 1915.
In 1917, when America entered World War I, all things German became
taboo. The American Kennel Club changed the name of the breed to the
Shepherd Dog and the German Shepherd Dog Club of America became the
Shepherd Dog Club of America. In England, the name of the breed was
changed to the Alsatian.
With the end of World War I came
a new appreciation for the breed. The German Army had made good use
of the breed as a war dog. Tales told by returning U.S. fighting men,
some bringing shepherds with them, and the intelligence and striking
appearance of the dogs caught the attention of the general public.
Rin-Tin-Tin and Strongheart, whose movies played on variations of
the "boy and his dog" theme, shot the popularity of the
breed sky-high. Puppy factories flourished to meet the demand, gutting
the American market with poor quality "German police dogs",
resulting in a downturn in popularity of the breed.
Serious breeding did continue such
as by Mrs. Harrison Eustis, of Fortunate Fields Kennels, in Switzerland.
Her approach was completely scientific with exhaustive research of
breedings undertaken. The most widely known usefulness to which her
dogs were put was as guide dogs for the blind at the famous Seeing
Eye in Morristown, New Jersey.
In 1922 Germany introduced a system
of regular breed surveys - a criticism of each dog, with a graded
description and recommendation for (or against) breeding. This type
of system never caught on in America due largely to the cultural differences
inherent in American society. However, good dogs were still produced
as German dogs were easily available for American dollars highly sought
after in inflationary Germany.
Von Stephanitz had become alarmed
at the trend in the breed toward oversized square dogs. Other problems
included lack of steady temperament and faults of dentition. He and
the breed wardens decided drastic measures needed to be taken. At
the 1925 Sieger show von Stephanitz selected Klodo von Boxberg as
world sieger. This dog was dramatically different from the type of
dog that had gone before him. He was of lower station, deeper and
longer in body, short in loin and with a far-reaching gait. As it
turned out Klodo proved to be a potent sire, successfully heralding
a "new" type of shepherd. That same year Klodo was imported
to America by A. Gilbert of Maraldene Kennels in Hamden, Connecticut.
Klodo, through a number of important sons and daughters, is largely
responsible for the faults and virtues of modern North American lines.
In 1936 John Gans imported Sieger
Pfeffer von Bern and in 1938 Sidney Heckert Imported Odin vom Busecker
Schloss. Through their intense inbreeding and line-breeding, these
were dogs that molded the majority of our modern day lines. Pfeffer
was German Sieger in 1937 and had a great show career in America.
Through Pfeffer a uniform type in America was established but with
the faults of long coats, missing dentition, faulty temperament, overlong
bodies and loins, and orchidism (missing one or both testicles).
The German Shepherd Dog was widely sought after during World War II,
employed by Allied and Axis forces, as mine detectors, sentinels,
guard work, messenger, and other services. In America, Dogs for Defense
was formed, providing thousands of dogs to the army.
The paths of German and American shepherds diverged after World War
II. The Americans continued largely with the Pfeffer and Odin lines
while in Germany the breed was in poor shape. Many dogs had been killed
or destroyed due to lack of food. The best that was left was bred,
frequently outcross breedings, since there was no great selection
of line-bred stock. Soon the breeders had individual dogs dominant
in the desired virtues. They then began to line-breed or inbreed so
that by about 1949 quality specimens began to appear at German shows.
The pedigrees of these "new" dogs were largely of the result
of "type" breeding without the influence of Pfeffer but
having the great dogs behind him. Prepotent sires emerged, Axel von
der Deininghauserheide, Rolf vom Osnabruecker-land and Hein v. Richterback,
representing preserved prewar genetics.
Through Pfeffer, American breeders
established a beautiful type. This was concentrated by inbreeding,
and in combinations with descendants of his half-brother Odin vom
Busecker-Schloss. Many well-known kennels of the day, utilizing these
lines were Long-Worth, founded by Lloyd Brackett, Liebestraum, owned
by Grant Mann, and Hessian, owned by Art and Helen Hess.
In 1950's America, some breeders
recognized the need for some infusion of outcross blood and this was
done through Klodo Boxberg and Odin Stolzenfels lines which blended
well with American taste for topline, croup length and rear angulation.
The Axel/Rolf/Hein combinations were also brought in notably by Troll
von Richterback. Troll, 1957 Grand Victor, had tremendous appeal.
He was dominant in producing rear drive, hindquarter strength, muscle,
bone, and head. He was also dominant in producing straight upper arm,
weak ears, blues, and fading pigment.
Imports critical to the breed in
America were Bernd v Kallengarten and Falk v Eningsfeld. Bernd was
imported by Ernie Loeb. Bernd was dominant for shoulder, forehand,
bone, feet, substance, suspension, head, croup, tailset, and body
length but also weaknesses for ears, steep croup, loose ligamentation,
long coats, and high percentage of hip and elbbow dysplasia. Of note
is the fact that Bernd introduced the solid-black gene into the American
breed.
During the 1960's there was an
emergence of strong families of stud dogs. In Germany the SV was in
control while in America breeders were open to follow their own preferences.
Troll wielded a large amount of clout in America by producing the
famous "F" litter Arbywood, including Fels, Field Marshall,
Fortune and Fashion, bred by Lucy Woodard. This pedigree combined
Odin Stolzenfels/Klodo Boxberg/Pfeffer/Utz as well as the Axel/Rolf/Hein
combination. The Arbywood males contrasted with their pure American
counterparts, being stallion males with the desired type.
Fortune was bred to Fran and Joan
Ford's Frohlich's Elsa v Grunestal producing Lance of Fran-Jo, American
and Canadian Granvd Victor. Lance represented a new era in American
shepherds - angulation, topline and sidegait. Lance's popularity in
the sixties was also due to the American tendency to turn away from
imports, perhaps due to cost and poor quality. Lance was geographically
convenient to all parts of the U.S.A. and was widely used.
Lance produced many offspring which
in turn became pillars of the breed in America, including Lakeside's
Harrigan, Cobert's Reno of Lakeside, Eko-Lan's Morgan, Cobert's Golly
Gee of Lakeside and Mannix of Fran-Jo. Important offspring of these
dogs included Doppelt-Tay's Hammer and Hawkeye who figured prominently
in the late seventies.
Also concentrating on Lance and
figuring prominently in the breed were Zeto of Fran-Jo and Zeus of
Fran-Jo.
Also important during Lance's time
was Yoncalla's Mike, a Bernd v Kallengarten grandson consolidating
the Pfeffer/Odin blood. Mike was a potent sire transmitting balanced
structure, rich color, strong bone and good feet. Mike's best known
son was Grand Victor Hollamor's Judd whose daughters were also widely
used.
In Germany a very active market
developed for German Shepherd Dogs sought in countries such as Japan,
Italy, Scandinavian countries, South America, France, and others.
The SV matured with innovation such as the "a" stamp, a
tattoo identification system, emphasis on producing bloodlines, and
stricter regulations for top ratings given to dogs. In America the
reverse happened as show status was emphasized, professional handlers
began to control the sport and systems such as the Futurity/Maturity
system emphasized early breeding of dogs before their true genetic
worth became clear.
The emerging sires of Germany were
Quanto Wienerau, Canto Wienerau, Mutz vd Pelztierfarm, and Marko v
CellerLand. Quanto was a dominant producer giving low-stationed, medium
sized progeny with good forequarter, strong bone and heads, and good
type but also some fading pigment, east/west pastern conformation,
cowhocks, and short, flat croup. He produced many famous sons such
as Dick Adeloga and Lasso di val Sole. Quanto linebreeding has continued
in importance through dogs such as Uran v Wildsteiger Land.
Canto only lived about four years
yet had an important impact on the breed in Germany. Canto passed
on style, energy, and desire to show and move which was sought after
by international buyers. Canto produced well when crossed with Quanto
lines as well as traditional working lines. His famous son Canto Arminius
was also a dominant force in the breed.
The SV began to place more and
more importance on training degrees. The mid-sixties saw a minimum
Schutzhund 1 degree, and the AD, an endurance test. Temperament and
courage tests became more demanding, and the SV forced breeders to
concentrate on problem areas such as missing teeth, poor croup, etc.
Since SV officials were also the judge's at the Sieger show it was
only the animals meeting their dictated requirements that received
the top honors. Schutzhund 3 become mandatory for the top VA awards.
To this point, the mid-eighties,
we end this brief history. Although starting with a common base, the
breed in Germany and America has taken a separate but parallel course.
The Americans, largely through Lance, and the Germans, largely through
Canto and Quanto, have evolved closely-bred, although differing breeds
in looks, movement, style, and structure. Both systems have cemented
both desirable and undesirable characteristics into the breed. The
Americans have the option to pursue their own views and choose their
own bloodline courses whether from within or outside their country.
The Germans, controlled by the SV, will likely continue to look within
to develop the breed. The future will be interesting for the breed
in both countries ...
Top
