Heritage Kennels- German Shepherd history and origination

German Shepherd Dog Information

Heritage Kennels is happy to bring you; The History and Origination of the German Shepherd dog.

German Shepherd dogs originated in Germany in the 1800s. A product of many generations of breeding, Von Stephanitz, a student of the Berlin Veterinary College was attending a dog show and purchased a dog he believed was the perfect example of what a working dog should be. He later registered the breed and named it German Shepard.

This German Shepherd became the standard of the breed. He was breed with other dogs belonging to the society that displayed similar traits.

German Shepherds were accepted in the UK kennel Club in 1919 with about 50 dogs. By 1926 the number of registered German Shepherds was over 8000. The breed gained international attention during World War II after returning solders spread the news of the German Shepherd in their homelands.

Hollywood was next to catapult the German Shepherd into the lime light with Rin Tin Tin the first of many German Shepherd animal actors to grace the movie screen.

Many of the modern German Shepherds are criticized for straying away from the original ideology of the breed. German Shepherds should be bred as working dogs, and breeding should be strictly controlled to eliminate genetic defects. Critics believe that careless breeding has promoted disease and genetic defects in the German Shepherds. Lack of ethics and regulation has lead to a decline in the quality of German Shepherds available today. It is very important that you know your breeder and the history of their dogs.

Heritage Kennels is a German Shepherd Breeder in the Chicago area.