Find German Shepherds
For Sale

The German Shepherd is a somewhat recent breed, dating back to the 1890’s. These dogs owe their existence to one legend – Max Von Stephanitz, a dog breeder and a captain of the German cavalry. Stephanitz wanted to develop a well-rounded working dog.

Long before Stephanitz started breeding dogs, farmers in Germany used dogs for herding. In fact, sheepherders would travel for days so that they could breed their female dogs with fine sire.

But as Stephanitz noted, no one had taken any interest in developing these herding dogs to a distinct breed. So upon retiring from military life, he began experimenting with dog breeding.

For months, Stephanitz studied breeding techniques and traveled throughout Germany attending dog shows. It was during one of these shows that he came across an exceptional, wolfish-looking dog.

He bought the dog and named him Hektor Linksrhein. Later, the dog was renamed Horand v Grafeth. Horand’s powerful physique and high intelligence fascinated Stephanitz so much so that he formed a society in its honour.

The ‘Verein fur deutsche Schaferhunde’ was founded specifically to improve on the traits Horand’s descendants.

Stephanitz would later advocate for the use of this dog in military service and police work. This is how German Shepherds came to be used in World War I and II .

During these wars, these dogs served as messengers, sentries and ammunition carriers. To date, these dogs are used by the military and in guarding homesteads.