The Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (Society for the German Shepherd Dog

German Shepherd Dog

The German Shepherd Dog , also known as an Alsatian or just the German Shepherd, is a breed of large-sized dog that originated in Germany. The German Shepherd is a relatively new breed of dog, with its origin dating to 1899. As part of the Herding Group, the German Shepherd is a working dog...

), commonly abbreviated SV, is the German Shepherd dog club founded by Max von Stephanitz

Max von Stephanitz

Max Emil Friedrich von Stephanitz was a German dog breeder who is credited with having developed the German Shepherd Dog breed as it is currently known, set guidelines for the breed standard, and was the first president of the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde .-Early years:Born in Dresden, Kingdom...

 in 1899, as the successor of the Phylax Society

Phylax Society

The Phylax Society was the first German Shepherd Dog club, formed with the intention of creating a standardised German dog breed.- Establishment :...

. The society set forward the standards of the breed and were responsible for the creation of the modern German Shepherd Dog.

History

After the disestablishment of the Phylax Society in 1894, many members still harboured the desire to create a well-rounded dog by selectively breeding local German dog breeds. One such member was Max von Stephanitz, a cavalry officer and former student of the Berlin Veterinary College. Von Stephanitz harboured the belief that dogs should be bred for working purposes rather than for show, and in 1899, while attending a show, he was shown a dog by the name of Hektor Linksrhein. Von Stephanitz was so impressed by the strength and intelligence of the dog that he purchased it, changed its name to Horand von Grafrath

Horand von Grafrath

Horand von Grafrath was the first German Shepherd Dog and the genetic basis for modern German Shepherds.-History:...

 and founded the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde on April 22, 1899 and instated himself as the first president. The group was formed along with Von Stephanitz's colleague, Artur Meyer, and nine other members.

Pioneering the German Shepherd

After the club's establishment, Von Stephanitz's dog, Horand von Grafrath was named the first German Shepherd Dog and was the first dog added to the organization's breed registry

Breed registry

A breed registry, also known as a stud book or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders when they are still young...

. From that point onward Grafrath was used by the club as the basis for what qualities the breed should exhibit.

Overcoming old disputes

Von Stephanitz believed strongly that a dog's working ability was of the utmost importance and aesthetics should be ignored. Thus, in order to avoid the arguments which lead to the disestablishment of the Phylax Society, the society's first breed standard, which Stephanitz wrote himself, read "A pleasing appearance is desirable, but it can not put the dog's working ability into question ... German Shepherd breeding is working dog breeding, or it is not German Shepherd breeding".

Present day

The society is now the national German Shepherd Club of Germany and coordinates breeding, dog shows and titles.