Today the German Shepherd is considered as one of the most elegant and noble breed of dogs. Forming of this noble breed started during the mid-1800s, a group of dog breeders called the Phylax Society was formed in order to foster a local breed of dogs for the German nation. This group conducted discussions and experiments by mixing different breeds, hoping to arrive with an offspring that had the advantages of its parents.

Unfortunately, the group did not last long and in 1894, the group disbanded. Though the Phylax Society was not successful for the creation of the current German Shepherds, the studies it conducted was able to give way for its creation.

  

By the end of the 19th century, a German captain named Max von Stephanitz, who is considered as the father of the breed, formed another group that aimed for the creation of the best breed of sheepdogs, from which arrived the modern-day German shepherds.

Inbreeding was necessary to permanently fix the qualities during the early years of the German Shepherds.   In order to keep the breed alive, Von Stephanitz had to find other uses for the breed aside from regular sheep herding. He soon realized that the abilities of the breed can be very helpful for government activities. During the two world wars, the German Shepherd has gained much praise from their owners for being a very brave and reliable companion in the field.  It is for these reasons that the breed has become one of the most popular breeds in the world.

Name change

After World War II, there was a strong desire to change the name of this wonderful dog for obvious reasons.  Primarily in Europe the name of the breed was changed from the German Shepherd dog to the Alsatian wolf dog (named after the German-French border Alsace-Lorraine). In 1977, most countries returned to the original name of the German Shepherd Dog.  Today in some countries they are still known as Alsatian.

An intelligent dog like the German Shepherds are used in a wide range of jobs.  Their jobs range from personal protection; herding; search and rescue; police; the military; assistance dogs to the blind and handicapped;  to a beloved family member.  German shepherds can be differentiated by individual behavior and abilities. Working dogs have their emphasis in service, while the show dogs emphasis appearance. A good breeder will select the correct type of shepherd that fits his needs and purpose. 

Shepherds come in a variety of colors.  The Black & Tan is the most popular and identifiable.  The pigment of the tan hair can vary from a light cream to a dark red.  Other colors include a Sable, Solid Black, and Solid White. All of these colors were valid colors and were apart of the original breeding stock.  The color of the Solid White shepherds was seen as an advantage for the original purpose of herding sheep but a tremendous disadvantage for the latter purpose of shepherd for military and police work.  Their white color makes too good of a target and could put the dog and his owner's lives  at rise.  For that reason most organizations don’t recognize or disqualify the Solid White as a valid color.  Longhaired shepherds of any color are also disqualify from showing. 

            

The German Shepherd Dog has come a long way in the past 100 years.  Pictured above in the black and white photo is one of on the early German Shepherds.  Pictured below in full color is a beautiful Black & Red German Shepherd of today.  This champion male should be every breeder's goal.

American German Shepherd History

A few breeders had imported the German Shepherd dog before World War-I started.   Soldiers returning from the war brought back more shepherds to America.  One of the most well known German Shepherd to come to America was "Rin Tin Tin" born September 10, 1918.  He was found by Corporal Lee Duncan in a bombed War Dog Kennel in Lorraine, France during World War-I.  After returning to his home in Los Angeles, CA, Duncan thought Rin Tin Tin had a future in making films.  After many attempts Rin Tin Tin was sign by Warner Brothers and starred in 26 Warner Brothers films. The Rin Tin Tin films were credited with saving the film company from bankruptcy. Rin Tin Tin died August 10, 1932.  These movies helped the popularity of the German Shepherd breed grow here in the U.S. like wild fire.  After Rin Tin Tin's death Duncan continued breeding and working with German Shepherds.  He later had a Rin Tin Tin II, III, IV, etc and had a hand in the U.S. dog training program for World War II.   Duncan died September 20, 1960.

Early American Television had it's own German Shepherd star named "Bullet" in the well loved Roy Rogers and Dale Evans series. Today Bullet stands along beside Roy and Dales' horses "Trigger" and "Butter Milk" in the Roy Rogers' museum in Branson, MO.