German Shepherds Pictures

German Shepherds Pictures - Introduction and history

Picture source: Lanes House Of Shepherds © 2001-2004 Lanes House Of Shepherds, ASuperiorGSD com

The breed is relatively young. The first German Shepherd was officially registered in 1899 by then the newly founded and actually the world's first German Shepherd Club, which was named the Verein fur Deutsche Shaferhunde. Captain Max von Stephanitz, who is fairly viewed as the god father of the breed, was the head of the society.

He began his lifelong toil with buying a wolf-like dog at one of dog shows. He considered the dog for a while and it so impressed him that he did not hesitate to purchase him. The dog's loyalty, faithfulness, protectiveness and obedience delighted the cavalry captain, whose occupation defined the direction of breeding strategy, and that was to develop a brave, enduring and obedient service dog.

In the epoch of world wars, many regarded the breed with suspicion, as was anything that bore at least a little relation to Germany. Actually, the projected dislike was towards the breed's name, not on the breed itself, and the world community did not go beyond just changing the name for 'Alsatian'. This name lasted about 40 years, and in the 1970s, the original name was reestablished. Nowadays German Shepherds are the most admirable dogs in the world.