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The German Shepherd Dog

History of the German Shepherd Dog

The result of the effort to breed an ideal shepherd with many capabilities, the German Shepherd Dog has proved itself in many areas, including working as a police dog, as a guide for the blind, in the military and as a search and rescue dog.

Some feel that this dog strikes a resemblance to a wolf, but it is not related to a wolf any more than any other breed.

While the roots of this breed can be traced back as far as 7th century A.D., when it was considered a mountain sheepdog found in Germany, the true origination of the dog we know today can be credited to Captain Max von Stephanitz. Between the late 1800s and the early 1900s, he was the one to develop the German shepherd into an all-purpose working dog. It is said that von Stephanitz used local shepherd dogs of the long-haired, short-haired, and wire-haired varieties, found in such places as Bavaria, Thurginia, and Wurtemburg, to produce the modern-day German shepherd.

The German army helped to modify the breed into a military dog around 1880. In 1882, Hanover hosted the first German shepherd exhibit.

The success of the German shepherd is attributed to an organization called the Verein fur Deutsche Scharferhunde SV, which was formed in 1899 to oversee the breeding of the German shepherd. This group was interested in developing a herding dog that would also be courageous, athletic, and intelligent. It was in April of 1899 that von Stephanitz registered the first German shepherd, named Horan.

Long-haired and wire-haired varieties of the breed were shown until 1915, but today, most countries only recognize the short-haired version at shows. The short-haired version was first presented in 1889 in Berlin.

The German shepherd worked as a war sentry during World War I, and it was at this time that the name of the breed was changed from German Sheepdog to Shepherd Dog by the AKC. In Britain, the name was changed to Alsatian wolf dog. The reason for the name changes was to separate the dog from its unpopular German heritage. Eventually the name wolf dog was dropped out of fear that people began to have of the breed. In 1931, the AKC added the "German" back to the name and the breed was known from that point on as the German shepherd.

The dog became quite popular thanks to Hollywood's creation of Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart, and the German shepherd enjoyed status as the top ranked breed in America for several years. Although this breed has since lost popularity it is still viewed as a versatile and hard-working dog.

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Our Featured Import German Shepherd Dog Listings:

Zoe
Breed	German Shepherd
Sex	Female
Status	Available For Sale (or co-ownership) to an Approved home on May 20, 2012 for $4,230.00. Reserve now! (price will increase with further training) Click here to inquire
Training Level	Level 1 Family Protection Dog - In Training
Additional Info	Learn more about Zoe - Click Here for additional information

Elvis
Breed	German Shepherd
Sex	Male
Status	Available For Sale to an Approved home on May 15, 2012 for $9,890.00. Reserve now! (price will increase with further training) Click here to inquire
Training Level	Level 2 Personal Protection Dog - In Training
Additional Info	Learn more about Elvis - Click Here for additional information

Zili
Breed	German Shepherd
Sex	Female
Status	Available For Sale (or co-ownership) to an Approved home on May 20, 2012 for $5,630.00. Reserve now! (price will increase with further training) Click here to inquire
Training Level	Level 1 Family Protection Dog - In Training
Additional Info	Learn more about Zili - Click Here for additional information

Zako
Breed	German Shepherd
Sex	Male
Status	Available For Sale to an Approved home on May 20, 2012 for $6,630.00. Reserve now! (price will increase with further training) Click here to inquire
Training Level	Level 1 Family Protection Dog - In Training
Additional Info	Learn more about Zako - Click Here for additional information

Jesi
Breed	German Shepherd
Sex	Female
Status	Available For Sale to an Approved home on May 20, 2012 for $14,230.00. Reserve now! (price will increase with further training) Click here to inquire
Training Level	Level 2 Personal Protection Dog
Additional Info	Learn more about Jesi - Click Here for additional information

Urma
Breed	German Shepherd
Sex	Female
Status	Available For Sale to an Approved home on May 15, 2012 for $16,880.00. Reserve now! (price will increase with further training) Click here to inquire
Training Level	Level 2 Personal Protection Dog
Additional Info	Learn more about Urma - Click Here for additional information

Merlin
Breed	German Shepherd
Sex	Male
Status	Available For Sale to an Approved home on May 15, 2012 for $33,740.00. Reserve now! Click here to inquire
Training Level	Level 3 Executive Protection Dog
Additional Info	Learn more about Merlin - Click Here for additional information

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