Dog Handling

By Rose Johnston

It’s hard to imagine the German Shepherd Dog as being a tender and herder of sheep. People who aren’t familiar with this breed’s DNA would imagine the German Shepherd Dog bothering sheep rather than protect them. Todays German Shepherd Dog is no longer a herding dog as such, at least not in the way it is used to be.

Over a hundred years ago in Germany and Northern Europe the old Shepherd Dog (as they were called then) was an amazing working dog, bred according to the regions of Germany where landscape, climate and predators were all factors in breeding a suitable dog. Farmers were very careful not to cross-breed these dogs for fear of losing valuable traits: self-reliance, independence and the best temperament. A dog genetically endowed as a herding dog could tend the flock hour after hour on his own, and would do it willingly without command. Aside from tending the sheep he also had to guard against wolves, thieves, criminals and other predators. His master could retire for the night knowing that his flock would be intact in the morning.

At the end of the 18th Century an ex-Cavalry Captain from the German Imperial Army, Max von Stephanitz, changed and evolved the old Shepherd Dog into the dog we are more familiar with today. Stephanitz was dubbed ‘father of the breed’. While observing the dogs out working in the pastures he became impressed with one dog in particular ‘Hektor Linksrhein’ and decided to buy it on the spot. He changed the lineage name to Horand von Grafrath, and it is from this dog that all German Shepherds descend from.

Stephanitz went in search of other Shepherds who were a good match in type to breed from. He ensured that the best traits would be carried forward in forming a new standard. From that point on the progeny was formed and the new standard of breed was set and the official name of the breed was to be called the German Shepherd Dog.

Stephanitz also formed the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde SV (Society of the German Shepherd Dog) in 1900 to protect the new breed. The society consisted of hard working farmers who were struggling to make ends meet and who knew the value of a good working dog. The rules for breeding were established and laid down, every new German Shepherd Dog bred and its subsequent offspring, had to be recorded in a register.

Stephanitz was also responsible for introducing the idea of using German Shepherd Dogs in various other roles, such as guide dogs, search and rescue, police and military work and guard dogs. He was laughed at and ridiculed for these ideas, but he persisted and eventually was recognised, not only for his breeding abilities, but also for his training abilities.

In the early 1930s when Hitler and Nazism came into power, Stephanitz had been perfecting his beloved breed for over thirty years. He considered Hitler and his regime to be lowly and beneath him. However, some of the members of his SV Society had become Nazis and conspired to get rid of him. He was ordered to hand over his life’s work or otherwise be sent to a concentration camp. Forced to resign, he gave up and died a year later.

Nazi officials were ruthless in killing dogs that did not suit their ideals. They also disregarded Stephanitz’s idealology in breeding and in training. They had corrupted the German Shepherd Dog standard that Stephanitz had worked so hard to achieve. Hence, the bad reputation German Shepherd Dogs were given after the Second World War. Stephanitz’s beloved German Shepherd had become a lost breed.

The decades after the Second World War is where a lot of mistakes were made in breeding the German Shepherd Dog back again. The standards Stephanitz had so passionately worked hard for over three decades were once again being misused. High losses of the breed, due to the war, left very few to start breeding with again. The start of inbreeding and indiscriminate breeding (weak or poor lines) practices were becoming more widespread, weakening the German Shepherd Dogs superb genetic lines. This in turn has caused a lot of health issues and temperament problems that were not prevalent during Stephanitz’s time.

The father of the breed constructed a visionary standard for the future, to maintain the breed as a suitable working dog: strong in body, sound in mind, a willing spirit, a faithful companion, and to include tasks as a helper of mankind. Most importantly of all he wanted the genetic lines to remain intact to perpetuate those valuable traits in working ability and especially in temperament.