German Shepherd Dog

The German Shepherd dog is a well known dog that can either be black and tan or red and tan. There are a few other colors but these are either rare, such as the solid black color, or not allowed by show standards, such as white, liver or blue. They are large and solid dogs with a muscular appearance. They should have a dark nose, almond shaped eyes, a big bushy tail and ears that stand upright. There are three varieties of German Shepherd's and these are the rough-coated, the long rough-coated and the long-haired. They can be as tall as 26 inches and weigh between 49 to 88 lbs. They should all have a black 'mask' around their muzzle and have black markings on their body such as a saddle mark.

History: A relatively new breed the German Shepherd can trace its history back to a man named Max Von Stephanitz, throughout Europe during the 1800's attempts were being made to standardize breeds, and many attempts had failed. In 1899, Max Von Stephanitz bought a dog, which to him displayed the look and the characteristics he thought the breed should show. After buying the dog, he founded the 'Society for the German Shepherd Dog' and his dog, 'Horand Von Grafrath' was declared the first German Shepherd. Through careful breeding the dog we know today was created, and they can all be traced back to the original dog Horand Von Grafrath and his original offspring. They have been bred to be work dogs and make excellent guard dogs, they are well known for being police dogs, military dogs and they are also used for scent-work such as search and rescue, narcotic detection and explosives detection. They are also used as guide dogs.