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Known for its beauty, keen intelligence, and loyalty, the German Shepherd is one of the most popular and sought after breeds of dog in the world. Though among dog breeds they are a fairly recent breed coming into existence in 1899 they quickly rose to prominence. While most people can easily recognize these dogs and even tell you a lot about their disposition, there are a lot about these dogs you probably don't know. For those who love this dog here are a few interesting and little known facts.
1. Max Von Stephanitz is known as the father of the German Shepherd dog breed. He first purchased this dog at a dog show in 1899 and named it Horand Von Grafrath. This dog would become the centerpiece of the German Shepherd breed.
2. These dogs were originally bred to herd sheep and therefore the AKC registers them as herding dogs. The AKC registered the first German Shepherd as a breed in 1809.From 1809-1813 the Westminster Kennel club referred to the German Shepherd dog as the the German sheepdog.
3. During World War II both the Germans and the Americans used this breed of dog to dectect mines. German Shepherds were also used as guard dogs helping to patrol the perimeters of battle zones.
4. These loyal and intelligent dogs are the world's number one police dog used for drug detection and rescue in many countries throughout the world.
5. A GSD named "Buddy" became the first seeing eye dog in 1928. Since that time there have been many Shepherds who have taken on this role.
6. Roy Roger's Shepherd was named Bullet, Jack Kennedy's bore the name of Clipper, Franklin Roosevelt's Shepherd was named Major, and Hitler was quite fond of his shepherd who he named Blondi.
7. These dogs are the third most intelligent dog following the Border Collie and the Poodle. It is because of their intelligence that this breed of dog is so versatile and can be trained for military service, search and rescue, guide dogs, police dogs, and family pets.
8. These dogs come in a variety of color combinations such as black and red, black and silver, black and cream, black and tan, solid black, sable, and white. The white shepherd is considered a fault by the AKC.
9. Although German Shepherd's quickly rose to popularity being consistently on the top 10 list for decades. In 2009 this dog rose to become the second most popular registered dog according the AKC.
10. Unlike many others dogs of it's size and background Shepherd's only need a medium amount of exercise. A couple of walks around the block and some playtime in the yard is enough to keep them active. They are also incredibly gentle with children and the elderly when trained properly.
Although Shepherd's are on many of the top 10 most dangerous dog lists it should be noted that these lists do not rate dogs on how likely they are to bite but rather on the amount of damage they can do should they bite. Unless trained as attack dogs shepherd's are not known to attack those they are familiar with and trust.
Glen Stevens is a German Shepherd enthusiast. He owns and maintains German Shepherd Answers, a resource for all German Shepherd lovers and where you can find more great information on German Shepherd dogs and other essential advice.
