Thursday, 03 June 2010 21:44
Last Updated on Friday, 04 June 2010 19:23
When the UK Kennel Club first accepted registrations for the breed in 1919, fifty-four dogs were registered, and by 1926 this number had grown to over 8,000. The breed first gained international recognition at the decline of World War I after returning soldiers spoke highly of the breed, and animal actors Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart popularized the breed further.
The German Shepherd Dog came into being in the late 1800 in Germany. Captain Max Von Stephanitz began breeding several different kinds of German herding dogs to create one that could work under all conditions.
The breed was named Deutscher Schäferhund by Von Stephanitz, literally translating to "German Shepherd Dog". The breed was so named due its original purpose of assisting shepherds in herding and protecting sheep. At the time, all other herding dogs in Germany were referred to by this name; they thus became known as Altdeutsche Schäferhunde or Old German Shepherd Dogs. Shepherds were first exported to Britain in 1908, and the UK Kennel Club began to recognize the breed in 1919.