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| Other names | Alsatian (UK) Berger Allemand Deutscher Schäferhund Schäferhund | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nicknames | GSD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country of origin | Germany | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The German Shepherd (German: Deutscher Schäferhund, German pronunciation: [ˈʃɛːfɐˌhʊnt]) (aka Alsatian and Alsatian Wolf Dog, both UK names) is a breed of large-sized dog that originated in Germany.[] German Shepherds are a relatively new breed of dog, with their origin dating to 1899. As part of the Herding Group, German Shepherds are working dogs developed originally for herding sheep. Since that time, however, because of their strength, intelligence, trainability and obedience, German Shepherds around the world are often the preferred breed for many types of work, including search-and-rescue, police and military roles and even acting.[4] German Shepherds are the second-most popular dog in the United States[5] and fourth-most popular in the United Kingdom.[6]
Origins
In Europe during the 1850s, attempts were being made to standardize breeds.[7] The dogs were bred to preserve traits that assisted in their job of herding sheep and protecting flocks from predators.[8] In Germany this was practiced within local communities, where shepherds selected and bred dogs. They were believed had the skills necessary for herding sheep, such as intelligence, speed, strength and keen senses of smell.[8] The results were dogs that were able to do such things, but that differed significantly, both in appearance and ability, from one locality to another.[7]
To combat these differences, the Phylax Society was formed in 1891 with the intention of creating standardised development plans for native dog breeds in Germany.[8] The society disbanded after only three years due to ongoing internal conflicts regarding the traits in dogs that the society should promote;[8]some members believed dogs should be bred solely for working purposes, while others believed dogs should be bred also for appearance.[9] While unsuccessful in their goal, the Phylax Society had inspired people to pursue standardising dog breeds independently.
With the rise of large, industrialized cities in Germany, the predator population began to decline, rendering sheepdogs unnecessary.[8] At the same time, the awareness of sheepdogs as a versatile, intelligent class of canine began to rise.[8] Max von Stephanitz, an ex-cavalry captain and former student of the Berlin Veterinary College, was an ex-member of the Phylax Society who firmly believed dogs should be bred for working.[8] He admired the intelligence, strength and ability of Germany's native sheepdogs, but could not find any one single breed that satisfied him as the perfect working dog.[8]
In 1899, Von Stephanitz was attending a dog show when he was shown a dog named Hektor Linksrhein.[8] Hektor was the product of few generations of selective breeding and completely fulfilled what Von Stephanitz believed a working dog should be. He was pleased with the strength of the dog and was so taken by the animal's intelligence, loyalty and beauty, that he purchased him immediately.[7] After purchasing the dog he changed his name to Horand von Grafrath and Von Stephanitz founded the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (Society for the German Shepherd Dog).[7] Horand was declared to be the first German Shepherd Dog and was the first dog added to the society's breed register.[8]
Horand became the centre-point of the breeding programs and was bred with dogs belonging to other society members that displayed desirable traits and with dogs from Thuringia, Franconia and Wurttemberg.[8] Fathering many pups, Horand's most successful was Hektor von Schwaben.[8][10] Hektor was inbred with another of Horand's offspring and produced Heinz von Starkenburg, Beowulf and Pilot, who later fathered a total of eighty-four pups, mostly through being inbred with Hektor's other offspring.[8] This inbreeding was deemed necessary in order to fix the traits being sought in the breed.[8] In the original German Shepherd studbook, Zuchtbuch für Deutsche Schäferhunde (SZ), within the two pages of entries from SZ No. 41 to SZ No. 76, there are four Wolf Crosses.[11] Beowulf's progeny also were inbred and it is from these pups that all German Shepherds draw a genetic link. It is believed the society accomplished its goal mostly due to Von Stephanitz's strong, uncompromising leadership and he is therefore credited with being the creator of the German Shepherd Dog.[12]
Popularity
When the UK Kennel first accepted registrations for the breed in 1919, fifty-four dogs were registered and by 1926 this number had grown to over 8,000.[7]The breed first gained international recognition after the decline of World War I, returning soldiers spoke highly of the breed and animal actors Rin Tin Tinand Strongheart popularised the breed further.[13] The first German Shepherd Dog registered in the United States was Queen of Switzerland; however, her offspring suffered from defects as the result of poor breeding, which caused the breed to suffer a decline in popularity during the late 1920s.[13]
Popularity increased again after the German Shepherd Sieger Pfeffer von Bern became the 1937 and 1938 Grand Victor in American Kennel club dog shows, only to suffer another decline at the conclusion of World War II, due to anti-German sentiment of the time.[13] As time progressed, their popularity increased gradually until 1993, when they became the third most popular breed in the United States. As of 2012, the German Shepherd is the second most popular in the US.[13][14] Additionally, the breed is typically among the most popular in other registries.[13] The German Shepherd Dog's physique is very well suited to athletic competition. They commonly compete in shows and competitions such as agility trials.
Name
The breed was named Deutscher Schäferhund by von Stephanitz, literally translating to "German Shepherd Dog". The breed was so named due to its original purpose of assisting shepherds in herding and protecting sheep. At the time, all other herding dogs in Germany were referred to by this name; they thus became known as Altdeutsche Schäferhunde or Old German Shepherd Dogs.
The direct translation of the name was adopted for use in the official breed registry; however, at the conclusion of World War I, it was believed that the inclusion of the word "German" would harm the breed's popularity,[15] due to the anti-German sentiment of the era.[16] The breed was officially renamed by the UK Kennel Club to "Alsatian Wolf Dog",[15] after the French-German border area of Alsace-Lorraine.[8] This name was also adopted by many other international kennel clubs.
Eventually, the appendage "wolf dog" was dropped,[15] after numerous campaigns by breeders who were worried that becoming known as a wolf-dog hybridwould affect the breed's popularity and legality.[8] The name Alsatian remained for five decades,[15] until 1977, when successful campaigns by dog enthusiasts pressured the British kennel clubs to allow the breed to be registered again as German Shepherds.[3] The word "Alsatian" still appeared in parentheses as part of the formal breed name and was only removed in 2010.[17]
Modern breed
The modern German Shepherd breed is criticized by some for straying away from von Stephanitz's original ideology for the breed:[18] that German Shepherds should be bred primarily as working dogs and that breeding should be strictly controlled to eliminate defects quickly.[19] He believed that, above all else, German Shepherds should be bred for intelligence and working ability.[8]
Critics believe that careless breeding has promoted disease and other defects.[18] Under the breeding programs overseen by von Stephanitz, defects were quickly bred out; however, in modern times without regulation on breeding, genetic problems such as color-paling, hip dysplasia, monorchidism, weakness of temperament and missing teeth are common, as well as bent or folded ears which never fully turn up when reaching adulthood.[20]
Description
German Shepherds are large sized dogs. The breed standard height at the withers is 60–65 cm (24–26 in) for males and 55–60 cm (22–24 in) for females.[1][21][22] The weight standard is 30–40 kilograms (66–88 lb) for males and 22–32 kilograms (49–71 lb) for females.[1] They have a domed forehead, a long square-cut muzzle and a black nose. The jaws are strong, with a scissor-like bite. The eyes are medium-sized and brown with a lively, intelligent and self-assured look. The ears are large and stand erect, open at the front and parallel, but they often are pulled back during movement. They have a long neck, which is raised when excited and lowered when moving at a fast pace. The tail is bushy and reaches to the .
German Shepherds have a variety of colors, the most common of which are tan/black and red/black. Most color varieties have black masks and black body markings which can range from a classic "saddle" to an over-all "blanket." Rarer colour variations include the sable, all-black, all-white, liver and blue varieties. The all-black and sable varieties are acceptable according to most standards; however, the blue and liver are considered to be serious faults and the all-white is grounds for instant disqualification in some standards
German Shepherds sport a double coat. The outer coat, which sheds all year round, is close and dense with a thick undercoat. The coat is accepted in two variants; medium and long. The long-hair gene is recessive, making the long-hair variety rarer. Treatment of the long-hair variation differs across standards; they are accepted under the German and UK Kennel Clubs but are considered a fault in the American Kennel Club.
Beim Schutzdienst wird der Hund darauf konditioniert, in die Schutzhülle eines gestellten Opfers zu beißen. Der Helfer (das gestellte Opfer) trägt zur schutzdienst deutscher schäferhund
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