German Shepherd History and Changes

History of Changes, Structures and Working traits

German Shepherd History .pg header Prese

GSD History: Max von Stephanitz and Manfred Heyne. The Early dogs

The very first German Shepherd to be registered (Horand von Grafrath) had a "wolf-like appearance" i.e. sable colored, straight back, naturally erect ears. The dog was observed at a field trial event by Max von Stephanitz and was so admired for his intelligence and loyalty that he was immediately purchased by Stephanitz and given the name Horand v Grafrath. He would later become the founding father of the German Shepherd breed. In 1899 Stephanitz founded the Verein fur deutsche Schaferhunde, the first known registry for the German Shepherd and in 1908, the German Shepherd became recognized by the AKC.

One of the earliest breeders and masters of the competition Herding Champions (most winning in the history of the Herding competitions) was Manfred Heyne. His unmatched experience and talents explain a lot of the original qualities and also the changes that happened as competitions became the focus. He started out very young as a real shepherd, and his input and knowledge of how the true GSD was intended to think and work help me to see the goal of bringing back those traits if at all possible. His work was centered around the independent working dog. One that was far more than simple obedience able, his views and goals were to keep the lines alive that were able to reliably do the work whether or not the "handler" was there to tell it what to do... Many articles on this amazing man and his work are found here; http://www.german-shepherdherding.com/the-genetic-origin-of-the-breed/

One thing that cannot be argued is that all German Shepherds of today, whether black/tan/red, or sables of varying degree of colors and patterns, or even the whites, all have the same foundation dogs in their ancestry since all German Shepherds come from that foundation stock!

Stephanitz wanted the GSD to continue to be a working dog. This means high intelligence, ability to THINK for itself, to willingly obey yet be smart enough to dis-obey when necessary. (a guide dog for the blind for instance) Manfred Heyne had the same belief, he only bred dogs who could do the job independently without a handler there all the time to command it's every move. (think of it; what if there were an emergency at home, maybe a sheep birthing that had complications and the shepherd had to leave the flock with the dog in charge? Could the dog do it without the shepherd there?) THAT is what these dogs were bred to do! They must be strong, highly intelligent, a strong instinct to protect but not disrupt the herd, must be resilient, able to 'go all day' and just....work! Whatever task they are handed, Guide dog, physical assitant, therapy, family guard/pet, you and your family is the pack they want to protect if called for or otherwise be gentle and happy with. They should be able to do this with relative ease and intelligence....With proper upbringing THIS is the German Shepherd!

How we try to keep that vision in our dogs:

Because there are so many different types today, we search long and thoroughly for what we want. We believe the old vision is the correct one, and that work-ability is what we search for. But since the database is so huge today, (unlike in the beginning of the breed), we also try to avoid what is commonly called "line" breeding..... Why do we avoid it? what exactly IS line breeding? Well it's the "mating within a close relative". How large is the database to choose from now a days? It's HUGE!! Do we REALLY need to mate close relatives anymore? No. It's hard to avoid these inbred lines though, because it is such common practice, but we are trying to steer clear of it. Our dogs have no inbreeding in their most recent 5 generations! Sometimes we have to search extremely long and hard for just the right one to add to our program. That avoidance of inbred lines is just one thing we consider. The search goes beyond that, and beyond "show titles", we research names in the pedigrees that don't even have titles, but do indicate the qualities we want. For instance Gunther's lineage has untitled dogs as well as his world renown titled lines, but they are personal protection dogs that hold no 'recognized' titles. His lines from his dam's side include Kwai vom Klostermoor and this dog is a perfect example of this. He is not a show dog, but is a level 3 protection K-9. You won't find these things in a general pedigree, so it takes a lot of research to find what we're looking for......... But it is so worth it!

Here's an interesting and old time video clip of dogs with that old structure going through some training exercises.

Please notice that these dogs are not skinny, there's not one rib to be seen and these are WORKING dogs. Don't be pressured into thinking your dog isn't "fit" if it's not showing ribs. That seems to be one of the newest "trends". Ours are of the old style, none of my family keeps them THAT thin and my family has dogs that live very long, healthy, lives well into their teens!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y41DE5N9QU

The different STYLES

Sometimes referred to as "types"

The different Styles of German Shepherds today

They are all a little different from each other, but all are regarded as pedigreed German Shepherds.

Show lines:

American – The most common in North America since the 1970’s.

Canadian – Another common type in North America since the 1970’s.

West German– The most common lines in Germany.

Working lines:

West German– High drive, frequently used as herding dogs long ago. Considered by some to be the closest to its ancestor first bred by Capt. von Stephanitz.

DDR/East German– High drive. This line was bred after WWII from the remaining war dogs.

Czech – High prey drive, used frequently in Police work, this line originated in communist Czechoslovakia, was selectively bred from 3 main kennels and was bred to be used as working dogs and border patrol guard work.

– Blended working /show lines This type combines any variation of the above “types”.

Although they are all a little different from each other, they are all the German Shepherds and their pedigrees, no matter the types, are built on impressive ancestors! ...Blending them, for us anyway, seems to keep the good mentality, the strong build and the sturdiness, and still get some of the beautiful colors of the show lines

As you can see, there is indeed a difference in the "types". Some types excel in Police work, others would make better family dogs or personal assistant dogs, while others would need a job such as SAR while being a family dog. Some lines have been bred for many generations for bite work and others have not. It truly is a personal preference in which type you like more, but in the end they are ALL German Shepherds, highly intelligent!

The coat color can also be a hot topic today. But the first German Shepherds included sables and whites, the first registered dog had white lineage, so the argument over colors can go on forever as well.

So based on any research, readily available to anyone interested to look into the history of the structures, it does seem to be a personal preference, as both types are currently being bred today, but the topic of which one is the “right” one has been known to make the fur fly when the topic comes up! Read any public forum on the topic and you’ll see what I mean.

--Basic Standard of size and weight and the history of structural changes

- A mature male averages heights of 24-26 in (60-65 cm) at the shoulder and weights of 66-88 lb (30-40 kg); the female slightly smaller. ….The "types" do have a slight variation in size as well as build, so the size ‘type’ should be taken into consideration as well when looking for that perfect match. While some breeders go for the bigger size, others do not ~Some breed for the newer "streamlined build, others like the more "sturdy" look ~ and some breed for the sloped build (that seems to have started in the '70s), some breed for the old straight build. Some argue that the standard has never changed, and some argue it has indeed changed.

To really see the changes without bias though, one should examine for themselves the history of the GSD in pictures. Also examine the "stack" of a dog, the back leg, from the back knee to the foot, when in the show "stack" should be vertical, not slanted, in fact the more slanted it is, the more the hind end is going to be dropped out of proportion. (notice in the comparison pics below that all the "stacks" are properly placed both the old dogs as well as the modern dogs, but the hind end is considerably dropped in the modern dogs. I tried to find examples where the hocks were properly vertical in order to show the difference.

Some people prefer the newer sloped look, some also prefer the "streamlined" (almost greyhound style) look over the heavier look:

and some people prefer the older, straighter blockier build.

(examples of top rated dogs from long ago:

Versatility and Independent thinking

Versatility and the independent thinking are two of the many major traits of the German Shepherd. It is a highly intelligent dog. Over time many of it's traits have been singled out and bred in order to do a specific job. One of these traits was the ability for guard work, such was bred into the Czech lines for Border Patrol work, another of these traits is the ability to be intelligent enough to disobey when absolutely necessary. For instance; seeing eye dogs and therapy dogs need to be extremely stable and be able to THINK independently! What if a seeing eye dog were to follow the forward command and lead it's human into the path of an on coming car? It MUST be smart enough to intelligently disobey! All "types" can have a mix of all of these things in a litter though, they are after all, a breed known for it's versatility.

The very first German Shepherd to be registered (Horand von Grafrath) had a "wolf-like appearance" (i.e. sable colored, straight back, naturally erect ears). The dog was extremely intelligent and this was observed at a field trial event by Max von Stephanitz. He was so admired for his intelligence and loyalty that he was immediately purchased by Stephanitz and given the name Horand v Grafrath. He would later become the founding father of the German Shepherd breed. In 1899 Stephanitz founded the Verein fur deutsche Schaferhunde, the first known registry for the German Shepherd and in 1908, the German Shepherd became recognized by the AKC. (see photos of first German Shepherds below)
*****Here is an extremely educational interview of Manfred Heye, (mentioned, with links to articles, throughout our website) of an old time Champion GSD trainer/handler/owner, (an actual herder!) and his opinions of the true "working" German Shepherd, and on instinct vs "on command" dogs: (read all the way through, I promise it will be worth it!!) Interesting information from a man that has "won more Sieger titles by far than anyone else in the hundred year history of the SV"

www.german-shepherdherding.com/the-genetic-origin-of-the-breed/

We prefer the older, sturdier build.

But whichever "type" you prefer, keep them healthy, not fat, not thin, and they're all good.

As you can see, there is indeed a difference over time… The older CH dogs were of good size, not overly big, but not a ‘medium’ either, at least not by what people today think of as a medium size dog (for instance the Border Collie & Blue Heeler are what most consider a medium sized and they are considerably smaller than a German Shepherd.)

Structural Changes

This is an "erect ear, dry muzzle" breed and the overall look is like it's trademark. It's been the well established standard for over 100 yrs now. In the best interest of the future and devotion to the German Shepherd breed, concerned breeders won't breed the "flopping" faults. I personally won't breed for the "extremes" of sloped or roached backs either, or overly aggressive. But also remember all dogs have faults, some more than others, and nature is unpredictable, so make your list of "must haves" before you buy. A Guarantee is a good place to start.

Prototype of the first dogs, the evolution, and trends that changed the GSD

The GSD of the beginning was quite different from today’s dogs. The prototype of the end of the 1800s into early 1900s was a good structure of course, (or else those dogs would not have been chosen as the foundation stock of the breed!) but it was a prototype, a 1st draft if you will. As the development progressed, the body started to change, very slightly at first. However, the straight back was part of the foundation stock and it continued to be straight for 60 years. At this point, (60 years into the development) it was no longer a prototype; it was a well developed, desirable, functional structure. It was still the structure of a working breed. (look at all other breeds bred for work, no other breed was bred to slope like the slope trend that happened to the GSD) It wasn't until the 1970s when fashion trends took hold and the structure changed dramatically. That was when the trend of a low hind end came into the picture. The 1970s brought the two well known forms of this ‘low hind end’ structure; 1)The dropped hind end slope of the American Showline, and 2) the “curved” drop (aka roach back) of the German Showline. (Diagram below shows the difference between a straight back and a slope back. It IS in the structure, NOT hust in the way a dog is "stacked" (the positioning of the dog for show purposes) . Some people today claim there is no such thing as a straight back GSD, they say ” it’s just in the way it's stacked”, but when looking at the skeletal structure of the different types, there is indeed a more straight line along the spine, and a huge difference in the way the entire hind end is built of the non sloped dogs. It is not merely a difference in the outward appearance due to a “stack”.

Neither of the slopes are what we strive for. We do occasionally use a bloodline for other traits that brings a slope, but I do not choose one that has extreme slope, and that one dog would not be bred to another sloped dog, so that we maintain the straight line in our line of offspring. The slope is not our goal, thus we would breed that one dog to one that has a long bloodline of straight backs in order to minimize the possibility of reproducing the slope or curve. This is done very carefully to implement the traits we desire of any dog we have selected for our lines, but also to filter out the traits we don’t want, such as the roach back or extreme slope. Herding dogs need to be able to have good balance and endurance, to be built to run all day if needed, as the herding dogs of their foundation did. A real, actual herding man, Schäfermeister (Master Shepherd) Manfred Heyne, grew up as a herder then also became a champion herder earning more champion awards than any other, (and I think, to this day, he still holds that record) really knew his dogs. He also prefered the non show dogs! It was the working traits that were far more desirable to this Master Herder than looks, the looks are simply a bonus! Herders did however need a structure that could move all day with little effort, intelligence to work without the herder at times, and that ability is evidenced in their dogs, and Heynes dogs were not roached or sloped.

We all know and accept that each person has their own likes and dislikes. There are many slope backed GSDs that are being shown in herding competitions and their owners are very proud of them. Those who like that sloped structure are just as protective over it, just as protective as those of us who like our straight backs are protective over ours. There’s nothing wrong with people having different likes and dislikes, it’s what makes us unique!

Both sides are often harshly criticized by the other. "Destructive to the structure" is often thrown at the slope back dog breeders and those who prefer the sloped backs often throw the words “uninformed back yard breeders” at the straight back breeders! What a horrible thing! the two sides often get pretty mean towards the other. To me it's a personal preference. I prefer the straight back build, so of course I sometimes feel the need to defend our old style preferences. We still breed for QUALITY and health, we simply prefer the old fashioned structure. To help explain why, I try to educate those who aren’t aware of the differences in the two styles. I LOVE the formation of our old style straight backs, it’s what was once the standard and I simply believe it’s the best. This structure is what we strive for, the Old Fashioned GSD!

Old Style GSDs of days gone by Presentat

Regardless of an individuals personal preferences of these styles of the GSD, I think we all would admit that the old herders must have been some very strong people, a perfect match for the loyal and strong breed they loved so much. Manfred Heyne certainly has a very interesting story, one that brings evidence of this man’s personal strength, dedication and love for his dogs. He once had to smuggle his dog out of the DDR! VERY dangerous back then, yet he did it…. A very exciting story if you can find it today. It seems to have disappeared from most searches. Many admirers have saved the article and interview though, I hope you can find it. He was a fascinating man, an EXPERT on the true herding and protective abilities of the German Shepherd ***Exerpt from the story: “It was with this dog, Erwin, the one that Manfred Heyne risked his life to get out of the DDR, that he won the SV’s Bundesleistungshüten (National Herding Championship) In 1954 for the first time. With a son of this dog, he won the Bundesleistungshüten a second time in 1959. And, with a grandson he won again in 1963! And so on and so forth — winning the SV-Bundesleistungshüten 13 times with seven dogs”........

I would say he qualifies as an expert in the German Shepherd, don’t you think? It’s his expertise that I try so hard to follow. His and others like him that thought for themselves, and didn’t ‘follow the crowd’ and fashion trends

Manfred Heyne and his CH dogs Presentati

Common structural "faults"

These 'faults' do not, by any means, mean the dog is not purebred or not good mental quality, they're just "show faults"

Ear structure

This is something that has often been neglected in the breeding over the GSDs history.

Notice this German Shepherd below with soft ears. He is not an isolated example....he's actually just one pup out of several flop eared offspring from the same parents. When there is more than one isolated offspring with it, there is no doubt it is inherited. He's a wonderful pet, loved dearly, in spite of his ears ( he once saved her from an attack while out on a morning walk in their favorite park!) But you can imagine the questions about his purebred status that his owner gets. These lines are not alone (and he is out of a highly titled pedigree)! Other GSDs today have the same problems. Soft ears that won't stand naturally, and/or have the "wet-look". This boy's owner loves him enough to refuse to put him through the gluing process (serious injuries to the ears and skin ARE a possibility!) His sire's and siblings' ears had to be glued and yet another sibling had severe hock knees as well! I thought I might have a pup out of these two parents, but I missed out and later realized that it was a blessing in disguise as I learned more about these lines. We would not be where we are today if it had gone through. Unfortunately, this trait has become accepted as "normal" by some.

Tails

Another "fault" is the curled tail. It may curl to varying degrees, but anything other than a "saber like curve" is not a proper tail curve. Or curled up over the back. It does happen now and then, so once it's been seen more than a couple of times the parent dog is usually retired so as not to bring more into the breed. Sometimes, if other more important traits such as intelligence, or extra strong traits in mentality are evident a dog will be bred in spite of this tail because it is a very minor detail in the overall dog. But in a perfect world, this is not a proper GSD trait.

The act of taping the ears is very controversial., and in my humble opinion, GSD's ears should never need taping in Conformation Competing Dogs, unless there has been some kind of damage during the puppy hood..... but then, as I've stated before, I'm not in that world so my opinion won't matter there.
If this floppy ear trait is inherited, it will show up in more than one pup from the two parents. Otherwise it could simply be from a bad diet or damage somewhere along the life of the pup. I have noticed along the years that it appears to be "the bigger the adult dog, the longer the ears took to come up. The smaller adults usually had their ears up really early, around 5-6 weeks of age. If you're concerned, simply ask the breeder about the ear history of their dogs.

Sizes do vary

Although some claim these were medium size dogs "back in the year", and should still be that "medium" size, I think the term 'medium' may be misunderstood. The CH dogs of the past, and those that I knew as a kid (1960s) were fairly big dogs, and these vintage photos (with a simple google search) show how big they were back then. 26" high is not considered a medium dog today. Those dogs of the past were not giant like Mastiff size, but weren't medium like the Border Collie size either. The dogs of 26"- 27" or so tall were the kind of dogs my grandparents and my father had and that I have had and have now. Compare these old style dogs to the dogs I have today and you can see why I choose the older look and build. These dogs were majestic, not giant, but big none the less. The Great German Shepherd!

More info is always being added as we run across more topics and articles for interesting discussions

Email: Pearlinhaus@gmail.com