A summary of the history of the German Shepherd Breed:

At this time Capt. Max von Stephanitz appears in the breed’s history and indeed it is this man who is acclaimed as the father of the breed. Von Stephanitz had long admired the qualities of intelligence, strength, and ability found in many native sheepdog breeds but had yet to see one which embodied all of his ideals.

There is no doubt that the essential credit for the development of this marvelous breed, must go to Max von Stephanitz. It was his vision that welded a wide variety of sheep herding dogs into one breed. He envisioned a dog of incorruptible character, great working ability, loyal and highly trainable.

He used as his watchword, "Do right and fear no one" and it was he who laid down the guideline of the breed,
"Utility is the true criterion of beauty".

Throughout the late 19th century, von Stephanitz was breeding dogs, experimenting and learning. In 1899, von Stephanitz attended a dog show and it was there that he purchased Horand von Grafrath. It was at this time the Verein was established and Horand became the first entry in the newly founded stud book, becoming the first registered German Shepherd.

It was Horand's shepherd qualities that impressed von Stephanitz the most. He was a medium sized dog with beautiful lines, he was active and had a zest for living. He was obedient, bold, protective and energetic. But most of all it was his mental soundness that was emphasized.

With the oncoming of the twentieth century, the SV developed into the largest single breed club in the world. Through the leadership of von Stephanitz the S.V. grew to a membership of fifty-seven thousand by 1923. He was in absolute control of the organization and dictated all policies pertaining to the breed. When the breed became famous after the first world war and the unscrupulous breeders raised puppies just to sell to foreign markets, von Stephanitz put a stop to it. He introduced the Koerung, a survey in which the dogs were thoroughly examined, judged and recommended for or excluded from breeding. In this way he put a stop to indiscriminate breeding and was able to steadily improve the breed.

One of the early crises that developed was a lessening need for a herding dog. The time came when railroads transported stock and when sheep raising declined. Again, it was Capt. Max von Stephanitz's keen sense which lead him to promote the German Shepherd as a police dog and this work has developed into a great source of service to mankind by this herding dog. This was occurring during the late 19th and early 20th century, when rapidly growing dog shows also led breeders to breed their dogs for appearance as well as working qualities.

Today we have a dog that is used throughout the world as a police dog, armed service dog, guide for the blind, schutzhund sport dog and search and rescue dog. There is demand for German Shepherds as family companions, obedience dogs, show dogs and even still as herding dogs. Thousands of people across the country derive great pleasure from the German Shepherd Dog through showing and breeding. It is the extraordinary character and sound temperament, an incredible sense of smell and efficient working physical structure and size that makes this the most versatile dog today.