14 Interesting Facts About German Shepherds You Probably Didn’t Know

Shepherd dogs probably existed in Germany as early as the 7th century. But the official career of this dog breed only began with the breeding efforts of the Prussian court cavalry master Max von Stepanitz in 1871. The two males “Horand von Grafrath” and his brother “Luchs von Sparwasser” are considered the progenitors of the German Shepherd Dog. The aim of breeding at that time was above all to breed a robust breed that would largely leave its old herding habits behind and instead be used as an obedient guard and working dog.