"Creature of the Month"
December 2002
The German Shepherd
Order Family Genus&Species
Carnivora Canidae Canis familiaris
German Shepherd dogs are a relatively young breed
of dog,dating from the
late 1800's and were initially
used for herding cattle, sheep and goats. They
are still used in Europe for this purpose,
however, this breed is used mostly
nowadays by policemen and rescue units.
The German Shepherd is
also used
extensively by drug enforcement agencies and
airport security, utilizing their
keen sense of smell. They are also, of course, in big demand
as the family
pet.
The beginning of the German Shepherd breed can be traced back to a litter
of puppies that were born to a German farm dog
on New Years Day in
1895. One of these puppies showed
superior intelligence and a good
work ethic. It's owner did not train this dog but did decide
to enter him in
one of the first all-breed shows ever held in Germany. At this
dog show was
an ex-military man named Max Emil Frederich von
Stephanitz. He was
immediately drawn to a large gray dog with
a wolfish appearance but with
a silent dignity that commanded his attention.
Von Stephanitz examined the big dog and knew that this was the perfect
dog
with which to start a superior breed. The dog's name was
Hektor Linkrsheim
and was immediately purchased by Stephanitz,
and rechristened on the spot
as Horand von Grafrath. Von Stephanitz
scoured all over Germany for
suitable bitches with which to breed his "wonder dog" and although
they
were few and far between....with persistence,
he found several suitable females.
Captain Stephanitz was a shrewd judge of careful breeding and soon
possessed
several litters of top quality shepherds.
These were
judiciously inbred to keep
all the superior qualities that he had retained in his carefully selected
litters.
Puppy.JPG)
During the 1920's, American dog breeders purchased
some of the finest show
stock in Germany and brought them back
to America. Soon the modern German
Shepherd breed took hold and has proliferated ever since. The
German Shepherd
is the third most popular dog to be registered
with the American Kennel Club
in 1999 with 57,256 being registered.
Second
on the list is the Golden
Retriever
with 62,652 registered dogs and in first
place with the largest number of registered
dogs is the Labrador Retriever with 154,897 members.
German Shepherds are very intelligent and have
a strong protective instinct for
their master and their property. If strangers approach, these
dogs will begin
barking...if the stranger approaches it's
owner or the owner's family, the
dog will start to growl in a low gutteral warning.
Any
further approach or
any menacing actions from the stranger will be
met with swift and sure reaction
from the self-appointed protector of it's master and his family.
German Shepherds are considered to be a medium
to large sized dog, averaging
60 to 100 lbs when full grown, with the
female being slightly smaller than the male.
Males average 24 to 26 inches tall at the shoulder,
with females being 22 to 24
inches.
Their coats are thick, straight and of medium length
and come in a
variety
of colors....yellow, tan, brown, black, white
or gray and any mixture of these colors.
These dogs are carnivores and have 42 teeth...20
upper and 22 lower and have
a strong, vice-like, grip when biting down full-strength.
The average lifespan of the German Shepherd is
10 to 11 years,
though some
have lived past 12 years of age.
This breed matures in about
12 months and
puppies are born about two months after breeding.
A female can have up to
two litters a year with the average litter
consisting of
3 to 6 pups. The German
Shepherd is fully grown in 2 years.
This breed makes a great pet and is one
of the most
protective and loyal of
any breed of dog but certain considerations
have to be made before you choose
this dog as your companion and pet. German Shepherds are very
intelligent and
must feel they have a job to do.
They are
happiest when they sense that they are
useful and important in a families life.
They
do not do well in a kennel environment
and need room to romp and play. They should never
be neglected but should be
shown lots of attention and love, so that
little furry bundle that you see at the pet
store or at the breeders will eventually grow up to be a rather
large sized dog and
if a solid commitment cannot be made as to proper
exercise (mental and physical),
and to proper care and attention, then perhaps
another dog or animal would be
better suited for you.
GetinThatPen.JPG)
The German Shepherd in the above graphic
is doing what the breed
was born to do;
to herd sheep, goats, cattle and other animals.
The
training of this fine dog breed is
very important and obedience school is
strongly recommended, as soon as the dog
is old enough to send away for a month or so.
There are many excellent training schools in most
every state. These schools teach
the dog to respond to visual as well as verbal
commands, to
obey without hesitation,
and to interact with human beings as well as
other animals. Rewards are used as
enticements as is punishment
whenever the dog misbehaves. Both are powerful
learning tools and the dogs will soon
decide that rewards for favorable actions and
responses is far more desirable than being punished
for bad actions.
German Shepherds, like almost any other pet, will require
lots of time and energy to
reach their full potential, but that potential
is so great and fulfilling for both the dog and
the owner that it is imperative that great
care is taken in the raising and handling of this
most wonderful breed of dog.
German Shepherds can be found almost anywhere
in the world but are
especially prolific in the United States and
in their native Germany. They
will always have a place in our hearts, not only for their humanitarian
traits: (watch dog, drug and law enforcement,
seeing eyes for the blind, and
for their use in hunting for victims of disasters such as the Oklahoma City
bombing, but for their place in wartime as message carriers and scout dogs
and in the movies....who could forget Rin-Tin-Tin? They are a special breed
and deserve all the love and recognition they get.......and more!!!!!!
Press play below, to hear German Shepherd sounds.