German Shepherd is one of the most popular pet dog breeds in the world. It is known for its intelligence, alertness, faithfulness, and muscular strength.
When it comes to adopting an animal, dogs become the first choice of humans, as they provide them with comfort, companionship, and unconditional love till their last breath. German Shepherd is a massively popular dog breed that everybody loves to own. This article reveals some interesting historical facts about German Shepherd. Read on to find out.
History And Origin
German Shepherds were first introduced in Germany way back in 1899 by Max von Stephanitz, an ex-Cavalry Captain and veterinary student. Max cross-breeded the different types of native herding dogs whom he deeply admired for their wolf-like structures, sharp senses, and willingness to assist their masters in the job of herding sheep and safeguarding flocks from predators. Max believed that he could create a better, standardized version of the working dog that could later be used throughout Germany and other parts of the world. The breed was named ‘DeutscherSchäferhund’ which translated to ‘German Shepherd Dog’.
During The World War
At the time of world war when dogs used to be a part of military forces, German Shepherds were trained and used extensively to assist police and many other law-enforcement agencies in search and rescue operations, detecting illicit substances, locating enemies, and many other tasks. They were (and still are) popularly known as Police Dogs or K-9s. Apart from this, German Shepherds were also trained as Guide Dogs. They used to lead their visually-impaired masters safely to their intended destinations.
Did You Know?
German Shepherd is the third most-intelligent dog breeds in the world, after Border Collies and Poodles.
In the year 1917 when America joined the World War, anything related to the word ‘German’ took a negative connotation. At that time, Britishers decided to change the breed’s name to Alsatians (Alsatian Wolf Dogs) after the Alsace-Lorraine area, where they had spent tough time during the war. This led to the confusion that the German Shepherds and the Alsatians were two different breeds. Later in 1977 due to the numerous campaigns led by the dog breeders, the breed’s name was changed back to German Shepherd Dogs, or GSD in short.
German Shepherd In India
During the ‘British Raj’, Britishers bought German Shepherds in India and referred them as Alsatians. They bred the dog and distributed them among the elite class of people including landlords and royals families. In the year 1919, (Indian) Captain P. Banerjee bought a dog naming FOCH, who became the first ever German Shepherd to be shown in the Indian soil, at the 14th championship show in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in February 1921. In India, the breed flourished with the name ‘Alsatian’ even after regaining its name. It’s been a few decades only since the breed has got popular as ‘German Shepherd’ after its import from its originating country Germany.
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Hope you find the above German Shepherd facts interesting and useful. Feel free to share your feedback or edits in comments.
