Animals
Much loved and controversial – the German Shepherd
A German Shepherd dog on the training ground of the Lauingen Shepherd Club. photo
© Stefan Puchner/dpa
As TV commissioner “Rex” he ensured high ratings, and not only as a service dog, he loyally stands by people’s side. In 1899, Germany’s most popular dog breed began its triumphant march.
He keeps the herd together, after earthquakes he looks for survivors under the rubble of collapsed buildings, the powerful in the world also like to think of him as a status symbol and for many he is simply an important family member – and has been for 125 years. The German German Shepherd is one of the best-known and most popular dog breeds, even if it is not always called “Rex” and is not entirely without controversy.
“He is intelligent, willing to learn and enthusiastic about his work, be it as a service dog for the police, for herding or as a rescue dog,” says Barbara Ullrich-Kornadt from the Association for German Shepherd Dogs in Augsburg, describing the advantages of the breed. In addition, the four-legged friends make excellent family dogs if they are well trained and exercised.
“Horand von Grafrath” was the first German Shepherd
The global success story began on April 22, 1899 at a dog exhibition in Karlsruhe. At that time, the captain Max von Stephanitz showed his male dog “Horand von Grafrath” – officially the very first German Shepherd dog. To date, “Horand” has well over two million purebred offspring, and the German Shepherd Club keeps meticulous records of them. On the day of the first presentation, Stephanitz and a handful of colleagues founded the association, which still monitors the breed and, according to its own statements, is now the largest purebred dog breeding association in the world.
In the 125 years, the German Shepherd has become a pet loved by many and viewed negatively by some. The Nazis exploited the German Shepherds during their reign of terror; there are countless photos of Adolf Hitler with his dog “Blondi”. The use of the animals as strict service dogs for the GDR border troops also didn’t exactly create a good image.
Biden’s German Shepherd had to leave the White House
Recently, US President Joe Biden’s German Shepherd “Commander” made negative headlines. In the White House, the animal bit Secret Service officials so often that it was banned from government headquarters last fall.
US President Joe Biden with his dog on the steps in front of the White House.
The problem is not an isolated case. In Germany, the authorities also repeatedly have to deal with aggressive German Shepherds or mixed breeds. The state government of North Rhine-Westphalia has been keeping statistics on such incidents for many years. German Shepherds are described there as conspicuous. In 2022, a total of 907 biting incidents with injuries to people were recorded in the state. “The German Shepherd was the most conspicuous breed-specific breed, with a total of 122 incidents,” says the latest annual report.
Ullrich-Kornadt points out that German Shepherds and German Shepherd mixes make up the largest proportion of the large dog group. Other German Shepherd breeds are also included in the biting statistics, she says. The club spokeswoman points out that the dogs definitely need to be trained. Because then the animals would cause fewer biting accidents.
The breed is susceptible to certain diseases
Regardless, there are still many fans of the breed today. The German Shepherd Association compares its headquarters in Augsburg with a medium-sized company, where around 40 employees look after around 1,800 local groups nationwide with more than 50,000 members. There are even more than half a million members represented in the World Union of German Shepherd Clubs.
The German Shepherd still leads the puppy statistics of the German Canine Association ahead of the Dachshund. Although the number of young animals has almost halved to around 8,400 between 2008 and 2022, the number of dachshunds remains largely stable at around 6,000 puppies per year. The German Shepherd Association suspects that the decline could be due to a significant increase in keeping costs. The vet’s fees have increased, as has the dog tax.
The veterinary costs for German Shepherds in particular can be significant because, according to veterinarians, the breed is susceptible to certain diseases. Behavioral biologist Sabrina Karl from the Four Paws animal welfare foundation also criticizes that German Shepherd dogs have been bred to have such a steeply sloping back line and hips that some animals can hardly walk normally. Various problems are the result. “Some of the dogs suffer extremely and a life without permanent pain is not possible for them.”
It is now common for many pedigree dogs to be bred for the benefit of humans and as a result suffer from pain and strain, says Karl. Animal rights activists are demanding a rethink and countermeasures from breeders. When breeding, the focus should be on the health of the animals first and not on their appearance.
The German Shepherd Association emphasizes that the organization has had a procedure in place since 1966 to test dogs for so-called hip dysplasia (HD). As a result, the proportion of German Shepherd dogs with medium and severe HD has been “drastically reduced” from 27 percent initially to 2 percent today.