Origin and History of German Shepherds - Family - Pets

German shepherds are members of a relatively young breed, and the origin is well known. In 1899 Captain Max von Stephanitz decided to breed an all-around working dog from his sheepherding dog. He bred various shepherds and farming dogs, holding trials to choose the best workers with the highest intelligence. He formed a club for owners of German Shepherds and promoted them to the police and military.

The breed served in World Wars I and II, first in the German army and later for the British and Americans. Corporal Lee Duncan, of the American army found German shepherd puppy abandoned by the Germans during World War I and named him Rin Tin Tin, after a kind of French doll. When he brought Rin Tin Tin home to his native Los Angeles and trained him, the dog starred in 26 movies during the 1930's. In the 1950's a popular television series, Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, starred a German shepherd in the part of a dog who worked for the U.S. Army during the 19th century.

In 1908 the American Kennel Club recognized the German shepherd as a herding breed. The breed is among the top ten in popularity in the United States. It is also a popular pet in Europe and Britain, where it is called an Alsatian.

German Shepherds were the first breed to be trained as guide dogs for the blind, and Helen Keller owned a pair of them. They are good in this role due to their intelligence, sense of responsibility, and loyalty to their humans.

They have proven their usefulness many times as search and rescue dogs and in police and military work. Their keen sense of smell, tirelessness, willingness to work, and obedience make them excellent for tracking lost people and criminals, finding and holding suspects, detecting bombs and narcotics, and patrolling. In the military, German shepherds are often used for scout duty, and to warn soldiers of enemies or explosives. They have even been trained to parachute from airplanes. German shepherds eagerly searched through the rubble of the World Trade Center after 9/11.

On farms German shepherds are used for herding, protecting livestock from predators and keeping animals from wandering into fields of crops.

As family dogs they will often look after children and patrol the home at night, checking that each member of the family is safely in bed. With responsible breeding and early socialization and training, the German shepherd is hard to beat as a wonderful canine family member.