German Shepherd: how in a couple of decades people ruined the ideal breed of dogs (7 photos)

If Max von Stephanitz, the legendary creator of the German Shepherd breed, could see what his brainchild has become today, he would not just roll over in his grave, he would spin there like a top!





Young man behind the screen. Come with us, please.

The German Shepherd is the most recognizable, popular and sought after dog in the whole world. Here you don’t even have to be a dog lover to unmistakably recognize a German among the rest of the motley brethren - the image of black and red dogs is so firmly ingrained in our heads. All these Mukhtars, Rexes, Commissioners and other movie images give shepherds the image of the coolest working dogs in the world. Such as a galloping horse, and drugs on a plane, and a criminal group with its own paws! But what really hides on the other side of popularity?



The dogs take their stay-at-home owner out for a walk. What caring pets!

In fact, you can swear a lot and for a very long time. Because in recent years, “dog trainers and breed enthusiasts” have turned an excellent working dog into a wreck. Most modern German Shepherds have serious problems either with their heads or with their health, but most often with both at the same time. Animals are scared by flying packages, get stars from cats and cannot take even the lowest barrier on the training ground. What kind of violators are there, they can at least live to be 10 years old! 77 genetic diseases are registered in the breed - this is no longer a bell, but bells on a church holiday! But how did they get to this point?





A lazy but extremely effective method of security.

In fact, everything is banal - like any other breed, the Germans were ruined by popularity. It all started in the 19th century. Then the ancestors of shepherd dogs herded sheep, guarded property and did not even suspect what would happen literally a hundred years later, until in 1898 Max von Stefanitz bought his first dog. With this he laid the first brick in the creation of the legendary breed. The dog so impressed Stefanits with his intelligence, devotion and hard work that the future dog handler plunged headlong into creating the ideal dog.

And you won't believe it, he did it! The Germans came out simply amazing in every sense. They could and did work in all areas, from helping the blind to detaining especially dangerous criminals. The whole world admired and happily accepted the Germans into the ranks of police, military and rescue workers. But the idyll did not last long.



But despite the fact that the breed is losing ground, it is still valued and loved by authorities. Of the total number of dogs, German shepherds make up 72.7%.

The wars have passed, crime has subsided, and the embittered decades have been replaced by much more well-fed and calm years. Shepherd dogs gradually seeped into the masses and settled in the hands of ordinary people. Who wouldn't want to have their own Rex at home? This is where a split in the breed occurred, when some breeders violated the most important commandment of Stefanitz - “a German shepherd for work” and began to massively breed dogs for themselves and for the soul.



With such shiny fur, you shouldn't go into the service, but into a model!

And you people know: the bigger, fluffier and more spectacular they are, the better. And why is there suspicion of strangers, endurance, and energy on the sofa? So the Germans began to wither, make mistakes and lose ground. The breed began to degenerate. And if a puppy was once born with the right innate qualities - toughness, courage and a fighting character, it was already considered a marriage.



You won't believe it, but this stooped dog is a world champion.

True connoisseurs of the breed could not stand this situation and rebelled. Of course, they failed to convince everyone that this humpbacked nag is no longer a German shepherd. But they began to work on breeding full-fledged service dogs. This has led to the fact that today you can find two varieties in one breed, the so-called “working breed” and “show class” Germans. The first ones are most similar to those original shepherd dogs. They are dry, light and ideally suited for work. But here’s the paradox: outwardly, they no longer fit modern official standards.



This is what a “working breed” dog looks like. This one will really stop both the horse and the criminal!

But they are suitable for show shepherd dogs that suffer from dysplasia and walk like little mermaids on knives. Looking at them, you already forget why dogs were originally bred. Because other than hugging and crying, there is nothing else to do with these bobbies. Whose side are you on?