July 15th 2011 8:17 am
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Shepherd of Thuringia
The German Shepherd descended from the Shepherds of Thuringia. These dogs were much smaller, had small erect ears, curly tails and were grey in color. They were stocky and small in stature. They were independent in nature and required much socialization. They were natural tending herders. They were gentle in nature and extremely intelligent.

Friedrich Sparwasser's Frankfort kennel was working on perfecting the perfect sheepdog. He also raised Norwegian Elkhounds. He used Swedish Sheepdogs, which were lighter, light built body, and lighter bones. I will be scanning and posting one of the earliest Champion German Shepherds from Friedrich Sparwasser'skennels.This is Peter von Pritschen, who was also from Thuringia. Peter was SZ 148 KrH PH, and was the champion in the year 1902. He was an example of a perfect working with all desired psychological as well as physical features. He was born on 14 December 1900.

Captain Stephanitz (Father of The German Shepherd) required a breed that would have the best and most desirable qualities . Both the Thuringian and Wurttemburg sheep dogs were first exhibited in a show held at Hanover in the year 1882 – the year that marked the beginning of the evolution of a dog that was having a mind blowing ability to control herd of sheep. Drastic steps were taken to synchronize these varieties of typical sheep dogs in one single breed. Intelligence and Utility were the watch words for the breeding program. Selective breeding was one of the determining factors in the project. Selection was made on the basis of the degree of shepherding qualities the dogs used to possess. Those dogs were selected that had the typical shepherd qualities, such as expressive heads, moderately lighter weights, good bones and good gait. The dentitions were to be quite strong. The bites were to be quite resistant and such that it would redirect the sheep to the desired direction without damaging. Dogs with erect ears were chosen to get the sound and noise and especially the shepherds’ commands from distant more accurately. This was how the selection was actually made for the perfectly selective breeding program. The German Shepherd Dog as we know today did not really appear until after the Second World War, although the project on the development of a perfectly working dog had already started by the Prussian cavalry captain Max Von Stephanitz. Planned and scientific breeding for correctly blending the blood of best of both worlds had produced enough outstanding specimens, and the breed that is today known as the "Deutsche Schaferhunde" - German Shepherd Dog had gained popularity by fast pace.