German Shepherd

, the founder of the breed (with Horand von Grafrath), circa 1900 1890s During the 1890s, attempts were being made to standardise dog breeds. Dogs were being bred to preserve traits that assisted in their job of herding sheep and protecting their flocks from predators. In Germany this was practised within local communities, where shepherds selected and bred dogs. It was recognised that the breed had the necessary skills for herding sheep, such as intelligence, speed, strength and keen sense of smell. The results were dogs that were able to do such things, but that differed significantly, both in appearance and ability, from one locality to another. Horand became the center-point of the breeding programs and was bred with dogs belonging to other society members that displayed desirable traits and with dogs from Thuringia, Franconia, and Württemberg. Fathering many pups, Horand's most prolific was Hektor von Schwaben. Hektor was inbred with another of Horand's offspring and produced Heinz von Starkenburg, Beowulf, and Pilot, who later sired a total of 84 pups, mostly through being inbred with Hektor's other offspring. This inbreeding was deemed necessary in order to fix the traits being sought in the breed. Beowulf's progeny also were inbred and it is from these pups that all German Shepherds draw a genetic link. The society is thought to have achieved its goal since von Stephanitz’s leadership is commonly credited as the creator of the German Shepherd Dog. 20th Century During the first half of the twentieth century, the breed came to be strongly identified with Imperial and Nazi Germany, because of its association with purity and militarism. Adolf Hitler acquired a German Shepherd named "Prinz" in 1921, during his years of poverty, but he had been forced to lodge the dog elsewhere. However, she managed to escape and return to him. Hitler, who adored the loyalty and obedience of the dog, thereafter developed a great liking for the breed. Hitler kept several more of the breed, including Blondi, who was among several dogs in the 'Führerbunker' during the Battle of Berlin at the end of the Second World War. Dogs played a role in Nazi propaganda by portraying Hitler as an animal lover. Erna Flegel, a nurse who worked at the emergency casualty station in the Reich Chancellery stated in 2005 that Blondi's death had affected the people in the bunker more than Eva Braun's suicide. German Shepherds were also used widely as guard dogs at Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust. When the German Shepherd was introduced to the United States it was initially a popular dog. But as the dogs' popularity grew, it became associated as a dangerous breed owned by gangsters and bootleggers. The reputation of the German Shepherds as a dangerous breed had grown to such an extent that importing them was briefly banned in Australia in 1929. Potential legislation was even considered to require that all German shepherds in South Australia be sterilised. Naming The breed was named , by von Stephanitz, translating to "German Shepherd Dog." At the time, all other herding dogs in Germany were referred to by this name; they thus became known as , or old German herding dogs. The direct translation of the name was adopted for use in the stud-book; however, at the end of the First World War, it was thought that use of the word "German" would harm the breed's popularity in countries that had fought Germany. The breed was officially renamed by the UK Kennel Club to "Alsatian Wolf Dog," The word "Alsatian" once appeared in parentheses as part of the formal breed name of the American Kennel Club, until removed in 2010. Kennel club classification When the UK Kennel accepted registrations in 1919, 54 German Shepherds were registered. By 1926 this number had grown to over 8000. The first German Shepherd Dog registered in the United States was Queen of Switzerland. Her offspring had defects as the result of poor breeding, which caused the breed to decline in popularity during the late 1920s. It is typically among the most frequently registered breeds in other countries. and seventh-most registered breed by The Kennel Club in the United Kingdom in 2016. == Description ==

in the Museum of Veterinary Anatomy of São Paulo, Brazil German Shepherds are medium to large-sized dogs. The breed standard height at the withers is for males, and for females. German Shepherds can sprint at speeds of up to . German Shepherds are longer than they are tall, with an ideal proportion of 10 to . The AKC official breed standard does not set a standard weight range. The FCI accepted the long-haired type in 2010, listing it as the variety b, while the short-haired type is listed as the variety a. Most commonly, German Shepherds are either tan/black or red/black. Most colour varieties have black masks and black body markings which can range from a classic "saddle" to an overall "blanket." Rarer colour variations include sable, pure-black, pure-white, liver, silver, blue, and panda varieties. The all-black and sable varieties are acceptable according to most standards; however, the blue and liver are considered to be serious faults and the all-white is grounds for instant disqualification from showing in conformation at All Breed and Specialty Shows. File:German-shepherd-4040871920.jpg|Saddle black-and-tan coat File:LaikaRosenhof.jpg|Black mask and sable File:Black-german-shepherd.jpg|Solid black File:Military Working Dog - American Air Day 2012 (7831960226).2.jpg|Bi-colour Long_haired_German_Sheppard.jpg|Long-haired black-and-tan Variants • The East-European Shepherd is a variety of the German Shepherd bred in the former Soviet Union. It was developed to create a larger, more cold-resistant version of the German Shepherd. It lacks the physical deformities bred into western show lines of German Shepherds and has become one of Russia's most popular dog types. • The King Shepherd is a variety of the German Shepherd bred in the United States. It was developed in hopes to rectify the physical deformities that have been bred into the original breed. • The Shiloh Shepherd is a variety of the German Shepherd bred in the United States. It was developed in the 1970s and 1980s in response to concerns about behavioral and conformational traits observed in modern German Shepherds, and was bred for its large size, length of back, temperament, and hip structure. It has been recognised since 1990 by the American Rare Breed Association. • The White Shepherd is a variety of the German Shepherd bred in the United States. White-coated German Shepherds were once banned from registration in their native Germany, but in the United States and Canada the coloration gained a following and a breed club was formed specifically for white German Shepherds, calling their variety the White Shepherd. The variety is recognised as a separate breed by the United Kennel Club. • The White Swiss Shepherd Dog (, , ) is a variety of the German Shepherd bred in Switzerland. It descends from the American White Shepherds; the first stud dog of what was to become the breed was an American dog born in 1966 and imported to Switzerland. The variety was recognised by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale as a separate breed in 2003, and it is now recognised by a number of national kennel clubs. Behavior German Shepherds are moderately active dogs and are described in breed standards as self assured. They are not inclined to become immediate friends with strangers. German Shepherds are highly intelligent and obedient, as well as protective of their owners. Intelligence German Shepherds were bred specifically for their intelligence. In a list of breeds most likely to bark as watchdogs, Stanley Coren ranked the breed in second place. Coupled with their strength, this trait makes the breed desirable as police, guard and search and rescue dogs, as they are able to quickly learn various tasks and interpret instructions better than other breeds. Bite and jaw force A 2020 literature review in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery found that from 1971 to 2018, of all pure breed dogs in the United States, the German Shepherd was responsible for the most bites severe enough to require hospital treatment. An Australian report from 1999 provides statistics showing that German Shepherds are the breed third most likely to attack a person in some Australian locales. After the reporters evaluated the breed’s popularity, they reduced the percentage of attacks by German Shepherds to 38th place. According to the National Geographic Channel television show Dangerous Encounters, the bite of a German Shepherd has a force of over (compared with that of a Rottweiler, over , a Pit bull, , a Labrador Retriever, of approximately , or a human, of approximately ). == Health ==

Many common ailments of the German Shepherd are a result of the inbreeding practised early in the breed's life. One such common ailment is hip and elbow dysplasia which may cause the dog to experience pain later on in life and may cause arthritis. A study conducted by the University of Zurich found that 45% of the police working dogs were affected by degenerative spinal stenosis, although a small sample size was used. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals found that 19.1% of German Shepherds are affected by hip dysplasia. The German Shepherd Dog is one of the breeds more commonly affected by degenerative myelopathy, which is caused by a mutation in the SOD1 gene. A small study in the UK showed 16% of young asymptomatic German Shepherds to be homozygous for the mutation, with a further 38% being carriers. German Shepherds are among the breeds regularly tested for Von Willebrand disease, an inherited bleeding disorder, and are at risk of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), a degenerative disease of the pancreas. It is estimated that 1% of the UK population of German Shepherds has this disease. Lifespan Overall lifespan is approximately 10 years. Several studies have found the average lifespan to be lower than the average for all dogs: a 2024 UK study found a mean lifespan of 11.3 years, compared to 12 years for crossbreeds and 12.7 years for purebreds; a 2022 UK study using veterinary records found a value of 10.16 years compared to 11.23 overall and 11.82 for crossbreeds; in Italy a 2024 study found an average of 10 years, the same as the overall average; a 2005 study in Sweden based on insurance data found 51% of German Shepherd dogs died by the age of 10, higher than the overall rate of 35%. A 2015 French study found a mean lifespan of 10.08 years. Musculoskeletal Musculoskeletal disorders are debilitating conditions that are often associated with genetic makeup, malnutrition, and stress-related events. Some breeds like the German Shepherd, are predisposed to a variety of different skeletal disorders, including but not limited to: canine hip dysplasia, Cauda equina syndrome, and osteoarthritis. Canine hip dysplasia (CHD) is the abnormal formation of the hip joint and surrounding tissue causing instability and partial dislocation of the hip joint, resulting in pain, inflammation, lameness, and potentially osteoarthritis of the joint. A North American study analysing more than 1,000,000 hip and 250,000 elbow scans in dogs over the age of two found the German Shepherd Dog to have a rate of hip and elbow dysplasia to be 18.9% and 17.8% respectively. The German Shepherd had the 8th highest rate of hip dysplasia and 6th highest rate of elbow dysplasia. Another North American study found 10.26% of German Shepherd Dogs surveyed at teaching hospitals to have hip dysplasia, compared to 3.52% overall. Pituitary dwarfism Congenital hyposomatotropism, also known as pituitary dwarfism has been known to be an autosomal recessive disorder in the German Shepherd dog for a long time. The condition causes growth retardation. The puppy coat is retained into adulthood and guard hairs fail to fully develop outside of the distal extremities. Eventually, full alopecia occurs. The degree of growth retardation and other clinical symptoms varies between affected dogs. Unlike humans where the POU1F1 and PROP1 genes are responsible for the defect a mutation in the LHX3 gene is responsible for the condition. The University of Utrecht offers a genetic test for this defect. Untreated dogs usually live between 3-5 years. Dogs that undergo treatment can live healthily for several years but are still unlikely to have a normal life expectancy. == Use ==

German Shepherds are a popular selection for use as working dogs. They are known for being easy to train and good for performing tasks and following instructions. They are especially well known for their police work, being used for tracking criminals, patrolling troubled areas and detecting and holding suspects. Additionally, thousands of German Shepherds have been used by the military. These military working dogs (MWD) are usually trained for scout duty, and they are used to warn soldiers of the presence of enemies or of booby traps or other hazards. German Shepherds have also been trained by military groups to parachute from aircraft or as anti-tank weapons. They were used in World War II as messenger dogs, rescue dogs and personal guard dogs. The German Shepherd is one of the most widely used breeds in a wide variety of scent-work roles. These include search and rescue, cadaver searching, narcotics detection, explosives detection, accelerant detection and mine detection, among others. They are suited for these lines of work because of their keen sense of smell and their ability to work regardless of distractions. At one time the German Shepherd was the breed chosen almost exclusively to be used as a guide dog for the visually impaired. When formal guide dog training began in Switzerland in the 1920s under the leadership of Dorothy Eustis, all of the dogs trained were German Shepherd females. An experiment in temperament testing of a group of Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds showed that the Retrievers scored higher on average in emotional stability, ability to recover promptly from frightening situations, cooperative behaviour and friendliness; while the German Shepherds were superior in aggression and defensive behaviour. These results suggested that Labrador Retrievers were more suited to guide dog work while German Shepherds were more suited to police work. Currently, Labradors and Golden Retrievers are more widely used for this work, although there are still German Shepherds being trained. In 2013, about 15% of the dogs trained by Guide Dogs of America were German Shepherds, while the remainder were Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers. The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association in the United Kingdom trains some German Shepherds, while the comparable organisation in the US only trains Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and crosses between these breeds. German Shepherds are still used for herding and tending sheep grazing in meadows next to gardens and crop fields. They are expected to patrol the boundaries to keep sheep from trespassing and damaging the crops. In Germany and other places, these skills are tested in utility dog trials also known as Herdengebrauchshund (HGH) herding utility dog trials. One Mexican German Shepherd, Zuyaqui, was dissected and his body put on display at the Sedena's "Narco Museum" in Mexico. He is regarded to be the dog who has captured the most drugs in Mexican police and military history. File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-08408-0002, VEG Joachimshof, Nachtwärter mit Hund.jpg|German night-watchman with dog, 1950 File:Swedish police dogs.jpg|Swedish police dogs, 2007 File:French Urban Search and Rescue.jpg|Rescue dog at the site of the collapsed World Trade Center, 2001 File:US Navy 070329-N-4965F-004 Military working dog, Arpi, a 5-year-old German Shepherd, locates hidden explosives inside of a car during a training.jpg|Military dog during training == Controversies ==

The modern German Shepherd breed is criticised by experts for straying away from Max von Stephanitz's original ideology that German Shepherds should be bred primarily as working dogs and that breeding should be strictly controlled to eliminate defects quickly. He believed that, above all else, German Shepherds should be bred for intelligence and working ability. The Kennel Club, in the United Kingdom, is involved in a dispute with German Shepherd breed clubs about the issue of soundness in the show strain of the breed. Some show strains have been bred with an extremely roached topline (back) that causes poor gait in the hind legs. The issue was raised in the BBC documentary, Pedigree Dogs Exposed, which said that critics of the breed describe it as "half dog, half frog." An orthopaedic vet remarked on footage of dogs in a show ring that they were "not normal." The Kennel Club's position is that "this issue of soundness is not a simple difference of opinion, it is the fundamental issue of the breed's essential conformation and movement." The Kennel Club also recommends testing for haemophilia and hip dysplasia, other common problems with the breed. == In popular culture ==

, one of the earliest canine stars (1921) German Shepherds have been featured in a wide range of media. In 1921 Strongheart became one of the earliest canine film stars, and was followed in 1922 by Rin Tin Tin. Both have stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Batman's dog Ace the Bat-Hound appeared in the Batman comic books, initially in 1955, through 1964. From 1964 onwards, his appearances have been sporadic. A German Shepherd named Inspector Rex is the star of an Austrian Police procedural drama program of the same name, which won many awards, where German Shepherd Rex assists the Vienna Kriminalpolizei homicide unit. was a famous and very successful police dog in Hungary in the 1950s and early 1960s. After his death his story was fictionalised by two crime novels by , titled and Kántor in the Big City. A five-part thriller series for television titled Kántor was produced in 1975, which was loosely based on the actual dog's story, setting the events more than a decade after the real Kántor died. It became one of the staple productions of Hungarian television history, making German Shepherds the most popular dog breed in the country ever since. The taxidermy mount of Kántor's body is on display at the Police Museum in Budapest. == Notable individual German Shepherds ==

• The dog on which the breed was founded • Horand von Grafrath (January 1, 1895 – after 1899), considered the first German Shepherd and the genetic basis for modern German Shepherds • In film, television and fiction • London, protagonist dog from The Littlest Hobo. • Strongheart (1 October 1917 – 24 June 1929), featured in Hollywood films of 1921–1927 • Rin Tin Tin (September 1918 – 10 August 1932), Rin Tin Tin Jr., and Rin Tin Tin III, featured in Hollywood films of 1922–1947 • Thunder the Dog (7 September 1921 – after October 1928), featured in Hollywood films of 1923–1927 • Silver Streak (born 1924), featured in Hollywood films of 1924–1928 • Lightning, grandson of Strongheart, featured in Hollywood films of 1934–1938 • Ace the Wonder Dog, featured in Hollywood films and serials of 1938–1946 • Rex the Wonder Dog, fictional superhero in the DC Comics universe 1952–present • Ace the Bat-Hound, fictional partner of Batman in DC Comics 1955–present • Muhtar, protagonist of the Soviet detective film Come Here, Mukhtar! of 1964 and the Russian detective series Muhtar's Return of 2004-2019 • Joe, protagonist in the NBC television series Run, Joe, Run in 1974–1975 • Won Ton Ton, protagonist of the 1976 comedy film Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood, a spoof of Rin Tin Tin • Koton, sometimes identified as Rando, police dog later featured in the 1989 film K-9 with James Belushi • Rex, protagonist of the Austrian-Italian comedy-drama television series Inspector Rex of 1994–2015, and remakes in other countries • Pets of political figures • Blondi (1941 – 29 April 1945), Hitler's pet on which he tested the cyanide capsules he later consumed to commit suicide, killing her • Champ (11 November 2008 – 19 June 2021), Commander (born 1 September 2021), and Major (born 17 January 2018), pets of US president Joe Biden • Major, police dog later kept as a pet of United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt while he was in office, which bit a United States senator and the prime minister of the United Kingdom in 1933 while living at the White House • PDSA Dickin Medal recipients (for military and civil defence service dogs) • Awards in the original 1943–1949 series for service in the Second World War • Antis (1939–1953), 28 January 1949 for war service in North Africa and England and post-war assistance in an escape from communist Czechoslovakia • Bing, a.k.a. Brian ( – October 1955), 29 March 1947 for service with the 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion paratroopers • Irma, 12 January 1945 for rescuing people trapped under destroyed buildings in civil defence service in the London Blitz • Jet (21 July 1942 – 18 October 1949), 12 January 1945 for rescuing people trapped under destroyed buildings in civil defence service in the London Blitz • Rex, April 1945 for locating casualties in thick smoke in burning buildings in civil service in England • Rifleman Khan, 27 March 1945 for rescuing a drowning soldier in November 1944 in the Netherlands in the Battle of Walcheren Causeway, an engagement of the Battle of the Scheldt • Thorn, 2 March 1945 for locating air-raid casualties in thick smoke in a burning building in civil service • After revival of the medal in 2000 • Apollo ( – 2006), 5 March 2002 on behalf of all search and rescue dogs that served at the World Trade Center site and the Pentagon in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 attacks in New York City, United States • Lucca ( – 20 January 2018), 5 April 2016 for service with the United States Marine Corps of 2006–2012 in two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan for explosives and insurgent detection until injured by an IED • Lucky (service ), 6 February 2007 for anti-insurgency service with the Royal Air Force against the Malayan National Liberation Army in the Malayan Emergency in 1949–1952 (the only surviving dog of a four-dog team) • Sam (died 2000), 14 January 2003 for service in April 1998 in apprehending a gunman and in crowd control during protection of refugees in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps of the British Army in the Bosnia and Herzegovina conflict • PDSA Gold Medal recipients (for non-military dogs) • Ajax, 11 June 2013 for service in the civil guard that saved lives by detection of an ETA bomb near a guard barracks site on the Spanish island of Mallorca in 2009 under dangerous circumstances • Anya, 6 July 2010 for service as a British police dog in defending an officer from a knife attack in January 2008 • Ellie and Jones (Shepherd mixes), 22 August 2013 for saving their owner who collapsed and lost consciousness due to diabetic shock in November 2010 • Finn (born March 2009), 6 May 2018 for service as a police dog in a knife attack on a police officer in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England, on 5 October 2016 • Gage (died 13 July 2010), 22 August 2013 (posthumously) for service as a police dog in a suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, defending an officer in an attack by a man with a rifle (in which the dog was killed) • Other military, police, search-and-rescue, and institutional guard dogs • Gabi, 1980s guard dog at the Belgrade Zoo that protected a security guard and the public by fighting with an escaped jaguar • , police dog in Hungary in the 1950s and early 1960s, later portrayed in fictionalized versions for novels and television • Lex (1999 – March 25, 2012), used by the United States Marine Corps in Iraq and later adopted by the family of a soldier who died in a rocket attack while serving as his handler • Mancs (1994–2006), earthquake search and rescue dog of Miskolc, Hungary, that helped rescue a 3-year-old girl who had spent 82 hours under ruins of a 1999 earthquake in Turkey • Nemo A534 (died December 1972), served in battle in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War • Rajah, performing and unofficial police dog in New Zealand, suggested as a candidate replacement for Rin Tin Tin in films • Shen Hu (9 February 2006 – 29 September 2019), Chinese search and rescue dog that rescued 15 survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake • Trakr ( – April 2009), Canadian police dog that discovered the last survivor of the 11 September 2001 attacks in New York City, United States • Zuyaqui (died 2000s), used by Mexican military and police forces for detection of illegal drugs == Notes ==