|
|
In spite of efforts by various authors to bequeath antiquity, the German Shepherd Dog is compared to other breeds relatively new. Prior to 22 April 1899 the German Shepherd Dog breed did not exist. On that day, from the heterogeneous match and mix that comprised the main bulk of German herding dogs, one animal was chosen to be the first German Shepherd Dog.
This choice was the first serious move to produce a standard herding type in Germany. On the same day, to nurture the development of this new breed, a new club was also formed.
The dog, Hector Linksrhein, was destined to be the first German Shepherd and the founder of a new and most wondrous breed of working dog that would serve man in a diversity of duties never before imagined as within the capabilities of a dog. A breed that would perform these duties under extremes of conditions, and to the very furthest corners of the world. The club, the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (SV), was to become the largest and most powerful breed club in the world.
All of this from the vision and dedication of one man, Rittmeister (Riding master) Max von Stephanitz, a German army officer and acknowledged founding father of the new breed, the German Shepherd Dog.
Hector was purchased from his then owner and renamed Horand v Grafrath, (Grafrath being the kennel name of Stephanitz), to become the first registered German Shepherd Dog, and was entered on the register of the new club under SZ 1 (breed number 1).
Until the advent of Hector/Horand, herding dogs apart from regional similarities came in a variety of shapes, sizes, types and abilities. Shepherds in Germany like their forefathers and compatriots elsewhere in the world, chose their dogs for their fitness, mental and physical, for work, and cared little for the dogs appearance.
To replace dogs that became too old to work many shepherds, anxious to retain the working qualities of their animals either resorted to breeding with their own working dogs rather than buy animals from unproven working parentage elsewhere, or they bought from herding colleagues who bred their herding animals.
The stock of shepherds whose animals worked well and in turn produced good workers would be much sought after, either to purchase, or the male animals to father good stock from the female workers belonging to colleagues. The young from these breedings would in their turn be used to produce the next generation and so on. It is likely that in-breeding was also practised, with quite ruthless culling of unsuitable progeny.
Limited travel and communication facilities would limit sales and breeding influence to a fairly local area, restricting the influence that may have come from dogs further afield. Thus the breeding, based as it was on a small population often tended to produce a distinct family physical type in spite of the breeding emphasis being on working ability.
In Nineteenth century Germany a number of different types of dog could lay claim to being herding dogs. In some areas, Thuringia, Wurtemberg, and Swabia, groups were even approaching a state of sufficient familial likeness that might eventually been have acclaimed as breeds in their own right had not Stephanitz taken a hand.
Stephanitz was not the first to try to introduce a pattern of type into herding dogs. In the early to mid 1980's in an attempt to achieve and consolidate a standard type and regulate the breeding of the herding dog, an organisation called the Phylax Club was formed. Its founders, Hauptmann (Captain) Rielchelmann-Dunau and Count v Hahn, were however unable to maintain the impetus of their initial idea and, whether because they were more dedicated than organised, or because there still was no clear idea of type, the club folded after a very short time.
When Stephanitz came on to the scene however things began to happen. A horseman with a good knowledge of anatomy and what was at that time unusual an interest in and apparent knowledge of canine bio-mechanics, Stephanitz had very positive ideas upon the mental, anatomical, and bio- mechanical characteristics required of a herding dog. An idealist with both intellect and the finance to support his ideas, he also possessed the determination, drive, and dedication to put those ideas into practice.
His perception of a herding dog was of an intelligent, vigorous animal, of stable character and with the physical attributes of the wild dog. Fleet of foot, long of wind, untouched by the extremes of other breeds.
It is reputed that Stephanitz, together with his like minded colleague Artur Meyer were at a dog show in Karlresruhe when they came across the dog that epitomised their shared vision of the herding dog. Both men were familiar with German herding dogs and had long admired the character and the accomplished functionality of these animals, but in the dog Hector Linksrhein they saw something else.
He was middle sized, grey coloured, in appearance almost wolf-like, with the raw natural beauty that came straight from the forest. Here stood the founder of our breed, the first German Shepherd, calm, steady, confident, a king amongst noble beasts.
Meyer and Stephanitz were in no doubt about what to do. Stephanitz bought the dog, and there and then, together, and without previous thought or preparation, the two formed the club for the new German Shepherd Dog.
The first president of the new society was Artur Meyer, although his presidency was short lived and three years later, his colleague Stephanitz took over the leadership and became the main focus for development of the breed.
Much has been written about Stephanitz, he is invariably referred to as "The old man", yet when he succeeded Meyer he was still in his thirties. No democrat, Stephanitz was opinionated, uncompromising and dictatorial in his determination to drive the breed along the path of his vision.. He was also however, a talented organiser and had a great understanding of the mental and anatomical requirements of a working shepherd dog. Seeing no beauty in a non-functional animal he was ruthless in discarding what he considered degenerate or weak. Tireless and determined he laid the foundations that were to make the breed the greatest all-round working dog in the world.
His vision of the dog was translated into the description that was to become the standard for the breed.
He ensured that that standard, together with a comprehensive breeding regulations, required that animals used for breeding had first to prove their breed worth physically and mentally.
He considered that the inherent qualities of the herding dog of vigour, intelligence, reliability, enthusiasm for work, and its willingness to serve its master took it to a level of nobility beyond that of a superficial veneer of beauty.
He believed that the dogs physical characteristics were decided by the assembling of the correct physical attributes to enable the dog to perform its tasks. His sole concession to physical appearance was that it must express breed type.
In expressing his impatience with beauty, Stephanitz undoubtedly foresaw a need to protect the future of the breed from the "Show" fraternity, and introduced working tests for breeding stock to safeguard that future. Show exhibitors with little regard for the breed's true value would quickly corrupt the breed, readily sacrificing character, intelligence and working ability in the pursuit of the more lucrative and easily attained physical attributes of the show ring. Perhaps he had already experienced it in the early days of development. Developments in countries where working characteristics are not a prerequisite for breeding have shown him to have been a man of perception.
The early tests were in the form of herding trials. Later for dogs not so employed. a further set of tests were introduced, designed to prove intelligence, confidence, courage, vigour and an eagerness for work.
In his book Stephanitz revealed a rare insight into the structure and mechanism of canine anatomy. His abilities at mathematics are not known but nonetheless his practical application of geometry to explain the static and dynamic features of German Shepherd anatomy still hold today.
Even today with the benefits of modern technology Stephanitz's work would have been an expression of knowledge, able research and dogged dedication. When one considers that his achievements were without the advantages of high speed photography, cine film or video, and that X- ray technology was in its infancy, then his efforts were indeed remarkable. Even more remarkable is the fact that his original work on construction and character of the German Shepherd are still valid.
Stephanitz died on the 22 April 1936 which incidentally was the 37th anniversary of the club he and Artur Meyer founded together.
His legacy:
The GSD first arrived in Britain in the early part of the century around 1908. There is little recorded about the dogs other than they provided a curiosity factor when they appeared in public. No apparent effort was made to develop the breed and no records survive of groups to promote the breed being formed.
The intervention of the 1st World War may have ended what ever interest there was, and nothing more is recorded until further animals were imported by two army officers who had met the breed during their military duties during the war.
The officers Majors James Baldwin and Brabazon (later Lord Brabazon) had like many soldiers in Europe heard stories of the wonder dogs belonging to the German army that performed to them most amazing duties as search, locate and recover dogs for German wounded, as carriers of dispatches and as silent patrol dogs accompanying reconnaissance and fighting patrols into the 'No man's land' between the two sides.
Major Baldwin remembered his WW1 experiences well and in 1939 when the second World conflagration broke out was able to persuade the then war office to form a similar pool of war-dogs to assist the British military, and now Col Baldwin commanded the first war dog training unit.
Another use was discovered by Beryl Griffin who trained and used blitz dogs for finding buried victims during and after air-raids in the 2nd World War. Such was the rapport between this lady and her dogs, that she knew from the attitude of the animal whether the victim they had found was alive or dead. This pioneer work has been extended to assist mountain rescue groups in Britain and in Europe the avalanche dogs.
Baldwin actually met his first German Shepherd in a small Belgium town. The dog, a bitch, was trotting by her master's side as he rode his bicycle. Baldwin impressed by the quiet steady demeanour of the animal bought her, and she accompanied him throughout the rest of the war, and indeed as did her canine colleagues on the other side, kept company with him on many a sortie. Baldwin never ceased to be impressed by the animal, who on a number occasions gave warning of trouble ahead.
Baldwin and Brabazon unfortunately were more enthusiastic than wise in their efforts to introduce and promote the breed in Britain and made decisions that still live with the breed today.
Believing that the hatred generated by the war for anything German would inhibit the development of the breed, they renamed it the Alsatian 'Wolf" Dog, Alsatian was derived from the source of many of the early imports, Alsace Lorraine.
Why Wolf Dog is unknown, perhaps a superficial resemblance to the northern wolf was a factor, perhaps even a desire to create a macho image of a fierce wolf type animal. Whatever the reason it was a gross error and probably caused more problems than the correct name would have done.
Certainly the name did not match the reputation of the dogs in WW1 trenches. Soldiers on both sides respected these courageous dogs for their diligence in carrying dispatches, finding the wounded and patrol work.
The name did appeal to the puppy farmers however, and the fringe breeders and the like who capitalised on the new import to the detriment of the dog. Any dog with erect ears became a new 'Wolf Dog' and business was brisk. Any one with a spare cellar, an unused back yard, coal house, woodshed, outhouse, box, or cage bred 'em. The the media ever ready to fan flames, campaigned against these 'half wolves let loose on British society'. It was a mess.
Two clubs which had been formed to support the breed, The Alsatian League and the Alsatian Wolf Dog Club united in the early 1920's under the name of the Alsatian League and Club of Great Britain and began to bring some order to the breed. The dedication and diligence of the clubs and individual members in challenging false media reports, sometimes in court, did much to reduce the campaign. Without them the breed may have not have survived.
If the same diligence had come with the introduction of the breed, together with a system similar one in Germany, the early problems would not have materialised, puppy farmers and backyard breeders would have been kept out, and the breed would have progressed as a single type. Therein lay the mistake of the early importers.
The German Shepherd fraternity in Britain has a fine record in its support for breed improvement schemes and schemes to reduce the number of hereditary diseases in dogs. The prime mover in most of these systems has been the German Shepherd Dog League, but without the support of the rank and file of thr breed fraternity, sometimes at quite large personal expense, none of them would have got off the ground.
The list of firsts is endless but to illustrate just a few:
A major step was the change of name in the late 1970's. Geneticist Dr Malcolm Willis put a motion to a Kennel Club general meeting, which after much discussion allowed a compromise change from Alsatian (GSD), to GSD (Alsatian). Now, in all but official parlance, the animal is known and referred to as the German Shepherd Dog.
A few die-hard clubs retain Alsatian as their title, but even many of their members now refer to the animal by its correct nomenclature. The lay public, perhaps the best monitor of the change, have also come to accept and use the correct name.
Today the breed is in good form. Visiting judges comment on the excellence of the animals they see, temperaments are much improved, type and quality is as good as anywhere, and slowly the British version of the breed is converging on the visions and ideals of its founder.
The employment of the breed world wide as police dogs, herding dogs, army dogs, guide dogs, hearing dogs, rescue dogs for natural and other disasters, sniffer dogs for drugs and explosives, but most of all as family dogs, tells us much about this breed and its matchless service to man.