History of a German Shepherd

When the British Kennel Club first received registrations for the breed in 1919, fifty-four dogs were registered, and in 1926 that number increased to more than 8,000. The breed first gained international recognition at the end of World War I after returning soldiers talked a lot about the breed, and animal players Rin Tin Tin and Straw-Lev became even more popular in the breed. The first German Shepherd dog registered in the United States was the Queen of Switzerland; However, her offspring suffered defects as a result of defective growth, which caused the breed to decline in popularity in the late 1920s.

The popularity grew again after German shepherd Cigar Pepper von Bern became Grand Victor in 1937 and 1938 at dog shows of the American Kennel Club, only to absorb another decline at the end of World War II, because of the anti-German sentiment of the time. As time progressed, their popularity gradually increased until 1993, when they became the third most popular breed in the United States. As of 2009, the breed has been the second most popular in the US. In addition, the breed is generally among the most popular in other records. The body structure of the German Shepherd dog is very suitable for athletic competition. They usually compete in shows and competitions like agility experiments.

Name

The breed was named Deutscher Schperhund by von Stephnitz, and a literal translation for "German Shepherd Dog". The breed is so named because of its original purpose of helping shepherds protect sheep. At that time all other shepherd dogs in Germany were called by this name; This is how they became known as Altdeutsche Schäferhunde or old German Shepherd dogs.

The direct translation of the name was adopted for use in the official race register; However, at the end of World War I, it was believed that the inclusion of the word "German" would hurt the popularity of the race, because of the anti-German sentiment of the period. The breed was officially renamed by the UK Kennel Club to the "Alsatian Wolf Dog" which has also been adopted by many other international kennel clubs. Eventually, the appendix "wolf dog" was omitted. The name Alsatian remained for five decades, until 1977, when successful dog-lover campaigns pressured the UK Kennel Club to allow the breed to re-register as German Shepherd dogs. The word "Alsatian" still appeared in parentheses as part of the formal race name and was only removed in 2010.

Modern race

The modern German Shepherd dog is criticized for deviating from von Stephanitz's original ideology of the breed: German Shepherds should be bred primarily as working dogs, and that breeding should be strictly controlled to prevent defects quickly. Critics believe that negligent growth has promoted other diseases and defects. As part of the breeding programs supervised by von Stephnitz, defects were quickly spread; However, in the modern age without regulation of reproduction, genetic problems such as color discoloration, hip dysplasia, monorchidism, weakness and uncommon teeth, as well as bent or folded ears that never fully appear when they reach adulthood.

Description

German Shepherds are large dogs, usually between 55 and 65 cm (22 and 26 inches) in the shoulder blades, with an ideal height of 63 cm (25 inches) according to the standards of the kennel club. The weight is 30-40 kg (66-88 kg) for men and 22-32 kg (49-71 kg) for females. They have a dome forehead, a long square-shaped muzzle and a black nose. The jaws are strong, with a scissor-like bite. The medium-sized and brown eyes have a vibrant, intelligent and self-confident look. The ears are large and stand erect, open at the front and parallel, but are often pulled back during movement. They have a long neck, which is lifted when excited and lowers when moving at a rapid pace. The tail is thick and reaches to the hook.

German shepherds can be in a variety of colors, the most common of which are tan / black and red / black. Most color varieties have black masks and black body marks that can range from a "saddle" to an overall "blanket." More rare color variations include the sable varieties, all black, white, heavy and blue. The black and tool varieties are accepted by most standards; However, blue and heavy are considered serious malfunctions and all white is grounds for immediate disqualification in some standards.

German shepherds wear a double coat. The outer coat, shed all year round, is close and dense with a thick bottom coat. The coat is acceptable in two versions; Medium and long. The gene with long hair is recessive, which makes the variety of long hair more rare. The treatment for variation in long hair differs between the standards; They are accepted under the German kennel clubs in the UK but are considered a malfunction in the American kennel club.

intelligence

German shepherds were bred especially for their intelligence, a trait in which they are now famous. In The Intelligence of Dogs, author Stanley Koren ranked the third breed in intelligence, behind Border Collies and Poodles. He discovered that they could learn simple tasks after only five repetitions and obeyed the first command given 95% of the time. Together with their power, this trait makes the breed coveted as police, guard and search and rescue dogs, as they are able to quickly learn different missions and interpret better instructions than other large breeds.

temperament

German Shepherds are very active dogs, and are described in breed standards as self-confident. Race is characterized by a desire to learn and a desire to have a goal. They are curious which makes them excellent watch dogs and suitable for search missions. They can be overly protective of their family and territories, especially if they do not exist socially properly. They do not tend to immediately befriend strangers. The German shepherds are very intelligent and obedient.

health

Many common ailments of the German shepherds are the result of the breeding practiced at the beginning of the breed's life. One such common disease is dysplasia of the hip and elbow that can cause a dog to experience pain later in life, and can cause arthritis. A study conducted by the University of Zurich on police working dogs found that 45% were affected by degenerative spinal stenosis, although the sample studied was small. The Animal Orthopedic Foundation found that 19.1% of German shepherds are affected by hip dysplasia problems. Due to the large and open nature of their ears, shepherds are prone to ear infections. German Shepherds, like all large dogs, tend to swell.

According to a recent survey in the UK, the lifespan of German Shepherds is 10.95 years, which is normal for a dog of any size. Degenerative myelopathy (CDRM), a neurological disease, occurs with enough regularity specifically in the breed to indicate that the breed is prone to it. A very cheap DNA saliva test is now available for a degenerative myelopathy test. The test gene for the mutation gene seen in dogs with degenerative myelopathy. Now, after a test, the disease can be grown from breeds with high benefits. By DNA from each dog in samples collected by inflating the inside of the cheek of a sterile cotton swab.

division

The kennel club got into a dispute with German shepherd breed clubs over the issue of integrity in the show breed breed. The show varieties have been nurtured with a particularly sloping top line (back) that causes poor walking in the hind legs. Working pedigree lines, such as those commonly used as service dogs, usually retain the traditional direct back of the breed. The discussion was expedited when the topic was raised in the BBC documentary, Pedigree Dogs, which said that breed critics describe it as "half dog, half frog". An orthopedic veterinarian commented on photographs of dogs in a showcase ring that are "abnormal".

The position of the Kennel Club is that "this issue of integrity is not a simple difference of opinion, it is the fundamental issue of the essential conformation and movement of the breed." The kennel club has decided to retrain judges to punish the dogs suffering from these problems. It also insists on examining more hemophilia and hip dysplasia, other common stem problems.

An urban search and rescue task force dog works to locate survivors at the World Trade Center site that collapsed after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Use as a working dog

German Shepherds are a very popular selection for use as working dogs. They are best known for their police work, which are used to track down criminals, patrol problem areas and detect and hold suspects. In addition, thousands of German shepherds served the army. They are usually trained for scout roles, and are used to warn soldiers of the presence of enemies or other boob traps or threats. German shepherds were also trained by military groups to parachute from aircraft.

The German Shepherd Dog is one of the most common breeds in a wide variety of scent work roles. These include search and rescue, body search, drug detection, explosives detection, accelerator detection and mine detection dog, among others. They are suitable for these work lines because of the pungent sense of smell and their ability to work regardless of distractions.

At one point the German Shepherd Dog was the breed chosen almost exclusively to serve as a guide dog for the visually impaired. In recent years this work of the Labradors and Golden Retriever has been more widely used, although there is still training of German shepherds. A multi-purpose breed, they excel in this field because of their strong sense of duty, their mental abilities, their fearlessness and their attachment to their owners.

The German Shepherd dogs are used for grazing and grooming the meadows alongside gardens and crop fields. They are expected to patrol the borders to prevent presses from harming crops. In Germany and elsewhere these skills are tested in experiments with service dogs also known as HGH (Herdengebrauchshund) experiments in service dogs.

In a common culture

Strong heart, one of the earliest dog stars.

The German shepherds were featured in a wide variety of media. Strong German Shepherd Heart was one of the earliest canine movie stars followed by Rin Tin Tin, who is acclaimed as the most famous German Shepherd. They both have stars on Hollywood Avenue of Fame. The German Shepherds served in the popular Canadian series "The Little Hobo". Batman's Dog The Dog appeared in Batman's comic books, initially in 1955, until 1964. Between 1964 and 2007 his appearances were sporadic.

Rex, a German shepherd, is the police dog character of the Austrian television drama Commander Rex.

The animated film All Dogs Go To Heaven stars a German shepherd named "Charlie Barkin". He is also the main character in the sequel and TV series.

The Disney film, 101 Dalmatians II from 2003: Patch's London Adventures, features the German shepherd Thunderbolt, who is a TV hero.

The 2007 Hollywood film "I'm a Legend" starring Will Smith as virologist Robert Neville shows German shepherd dog Samantha (Sam) as Neville's only companion in the abandoned New York City, where a deadly strain of the virus has spread. The film shows a close connection between the main character and his dog.