Let's look at the history of the breed first. Cavalry Captain Max von Stephanitz, stood on a hill overlooking the pasture lands below him and observed a Shepherd's Dog untiringly herding the sheep, keeping the stragglers from straying into the crops, whilst the Shepherd himself rested, knowing his flock was safe and in charge of the best dog for the job. The observer, Max von Stephanitz became the father of the breed. Under his guidance, a handful of early fanciers of the 3 or 4 strains of talented Shepherd Dogs, formed a Club, drew up the standard, and set out to breed a medium sized, well proportioned, slightly longer than high, intelligent and courageous working dog with, strong guarding and protective instincts, the ability to work untiringly and great versatility. It all started in 1899, when Van Stephanitz saw the dog that epitomized his dream: Hektor Linksrhein, he immediately purchased him, and renamed him Horand von Grafrath. Horand was entered as the 1st dog in the stud book.

  When the father of the breed, Van Stephanitz, saw that the sheep herding days of many Shepherds were declining in Germany, he wisely steered the breed along the lines of greater serviceability than only working with the flock. The breed's faithfulness, love of children, home and hearth, coupled with aptitude for work, stamina, endurance, great scenting abilities, courage, hardness and combative instincts along with a great will to please and serve his master, made this German Shepherd Dog ideal for Police work and the Services as well as a family dog. The first Seeing Eye dogs in Switzerland, Germany and the USA, were German Shepherd Dogs! Since 1916 in Germany.

  As family pets, the dog quickly rose to great heights. After the war, Service Men brought him to the UK and the USA, he already was found all over Europe and yes, he came to Australia as early as the 1920s! As the demand for this noble, imposing breed grew, so did the number of breeders whose main interest was their bank balance. Tales of Rin Tin Tin may have helped these shady dealers as well as the true lovers of the breed, and it is due to the dedication of thousands of German Shepherd Dog fanciers all over the world, that the basis of the breed has remained solid and stable.

  With this breed, the true enthusiast can always go back to the source! Germany has always had strict guidelines for livestock, whether it is dogs or horses! Performance is what counts, and function is beauty! The German breeder has  always had a strong club,(the SV) to guide him. Show dogs could not compete in the adult classes without their training titles! Conversely, at the top working trials, the dogs had to have at least a grading of "Good "in conformation! The breeding of animals without show gradings and obedience titles was not encouraged, even in the early days, and today, no one would consider buying a pup from parents that have not passed through the stringent Breed Survey test. Breed Survey, Show, and Schutzhund Titles went hand in hand. The dogs need the "a" stamp for good hips to be eligible for Breed Survey.
  The SV has a world wide membership of over a hundred thousand! In Germany, the dogs are bred as Show Dogs, Trials Dogs, and family pets, they are in great demand as working dogs for Police and Customs, Search and Rescue or Avalanche dogs, and of course, in Germany, the GSD is still the Number 1 Guide Dog for the Blind!

  In Australia, dedicated breeders are striving to match those standards through the various German Shepherd Dog Council of Australia Breed Improvement Schemes. We were off to a slow start, there was an import ban on the breed from 1927 to 74, in W.A., the ban was lifted for Christmas 1976! We too had the motley crowd jumping on the band wagon!

  The GSDA of WA saw days of a membership of a mind boggling 3000 a few years after the lifting of the ban! Some of the Committee Members you see there today, were working even then, in Obedience and Show, guiding literally thousands of German Shepherd Dog owners to "breed with the best, just love and train the rest!" Today there would be less than 50 breeders registered here, a great achievement of those working on breed improvement! Breeding with unsurveyed stock is not encouraged!

  A quality German Shepherd Dog is not a thing of chance! It will come from generations of Breed Surveyed animals. Dogs and bitches that have been X-rayed and found to have hips suitable for breeding, some just missing out on gaining the "A" stamp, by a few points, parents and grandparents with good structure, good temperament and character!

  He's playful pup, always ready for tug of war, a loving pup, snuggling up with the kids. What would be expected of us, were we own such a paragon of virtue? What wouldn't be expected!

  Come back to an Obedience Club with a German Shepherd puppy after having trialled with some success with your previous dog of another breed, and everyone expects you to become an instant winner!

  The German Shepherd Dog is seen as a high flyer, a high scorer, working with verve and flair. Not always matching the smooth work and biddability of the Goldie nor the "please boss, what can I do next" keenness of the Border Collies, the German Shepherd Dog will reach dizzying scores of 200 showing a style and pride in his work all his own. He is a top dog for top people! His self assurance and strength of character can make him a handful for doting owners who have not yet learned that a dog nees a pack leader! He is a friend of the lonely, protector of the children, playmate of the cat, fierce guardian of his master's castle or cottage, what ever it may be.. Socialisation is equally important for a lovable Lab or a GSD, a dog that is deprived of learning as a puppy will not develope his full potential either as a friend, a family pet or trialler.

  Are you thinking of taking on a German Shepherd Dog? A new love in your life?? Ideally purchased at 8 weeks from a breeder who not only had him in peak condition physically but believed in environmental enrichment for puppy dogs, your little one will spend the next few weeks learning the rules of your home. Give him time to settle. He will soon try to teach YOU the rules, HIS rules! From getting up at daybreak to feed an ever hungry pup to playing ball with the intrepid  little hunter, he'll keep you on your toes. From hiding all the best shoes behind the couch to decorating the kitchen with Kitty Litter, he fits in well, he's mum's little helper! So let him help! GIVE him environmental enrichment! Toys to play with, a quiet place of his own where he can retire for a nap. Give him a little bit of play training every day and once he's had his shots, introduce him to the world!

  Protect him from harm while he is a youngster and as an adult, he will guard you with his life. If you want a steady and loyal guard / companion dog for your home, you need look no further. Whether black and gold or sable, the two most popular colours, he is a dog of natural shape. Unless he is a long coated specimen, he requires little grooming time.
  Gleaming with health and eye catching with his look of nobility and strength, your German Shepherd Dog catches the imagination even as he lazily stretches out in front of the fire, half closes his eyes and dreams his hunters' dreams of dark woods and long eared bunnies. Or is he dreaming of a shepherd's idyll, 300 woolly lambkins frolicking in the sun, and one carelessly leaving the narrow strip of grass they should be grazing to pluck a mouthful of silver beet from the field near the brook? He'll sort him out! He's running now, leaping in his dreams! Dream on my pup, guardian of the flock, the die is cast, I own you now, a GSD, why not?