A Brief History of the German Shepherd Dog in South Africa
Author: FJ van Kraayneburg
The German Shepherd Dog Federation of South Africa
The development of a dedicated specialist organisation for the German Shepherd Dog (GSD) breed began with the formation of the German Shepherd Dog Breeders Association (GSDBA) cc 1970. It was under this name that the organisation became a founder member of the World Union of German Shepherd Dog Associations (WUSV) cc 1972.
Originally part of Kennel Union of South Africa (KUSA), the GSDBA voted on 17 November 1984 to terminate their affiliation with the KUSA. This was because it had become clear that the breed could not develop and flourish under an All-Breed regime where non-GSD people took the decisions for GSDs. The aim was to form an independent specialist registering authority for GSD's in South Africa in which only GSD fanciers decided on how to develop the breed. This was to be along the lines promoted by the mother organisation for GSD in Germany, the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (SV), within South African interests and requirements.
Legal wrangles concerning the validity of the disaffiliation in 1984 resulted in the founding of the German Shepherd Dog Federation of South Africa (GSDF) in April 1985. At this time the breed was split between the GSDF and a group claiming to be the management of the GSDBA within the KUSA.
About 1992 the SV decided that the GSDF was the most appropriate vehicle to take the German Shepherd Dog Breed forward in South Africa. As a result of this decision the GSDF became the only specialist organisation for GSD's recognised by the WUSV. This momentous decision resulted in the few remaining important GSD breeders in KUSA joining the GSDF and the breed once again united within the GSDF. Because it was the official WUSV member, the GSDBA was incorporated into the GSDF and the GSDF was recognised by the WUSV as the only officially recognised WUSV member in South Africa.
The development of a dedicated specialist organisation for the German Shepherd Dog (GSD) breed began with the formation of the German Shepherd Dog Breeders Association (GSDBA) cc 1970. It was under this name that the organisation became a founder member of the World Union of German Shepherd Dog Associations (WUSV) cc 1972.
Originally part of Kennel Union of South Africa (KUSA), the GSDBA voted on 17 November 1984 to terminate their affiliation with the KUSA. This was because it had become clear that the breed could not develop and flourish under an All-Breed regime where non-GSD people took the decisions for GSDs. The aim was to form an independent specialist registering authority for GSD's in South Africa in which only GSD fanciers decided on how to develop the breed. This was to be along the lines promoted by the mother organisation for GSD in Germany, the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (SV), within South African interests and requirements.
Legal wrangles concerning the validity of the disaffiliation in 1984 resulted in the founding of the German Shepherd Dog Federation of South Africa (GSDF) in April 1985. At this time the breed was split between the GSDF and a group claiming to be the management of the GSDBA within the KUSA.
About 1992 the SV decided that the GSDF was the most appropriate vehicle to take the German Shepherd Dog Breed forward in South Africa. As a result of this decision the GSDF became the only specialist organisation for GSD's recognised by the WUSV. This momentous decision resulted in the few remaining important GSD breeders in KUSA joining the GSDF and the breed once again united within the GSDF. Because it was the official WUSV member, the GSDBA was incorporated into the GSDF and the GSDF was recognised by the WUSV as the only officially recognised WUSV member in South Africa.
The German Shepherd Dog
In relative terms the German Shepherd Dog (GSD) is one of the world's youngest breeds, the first animals having been registered in 1899 after the founding of the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (SV) with Capt. Max von Stephanitz as its first president.
The original intention was to develop a herding breed suitable for working with German sheep. The often quoted statement by von Stephanitz "To breed a German Shepherd Dog is to breed a Working Dog" actually refers to herding only.
What made working with sheep in Germany different from virtually anywhere else in the world are two-fold: a) German Sheep are generally big and powerful, with rams weighing up to 160kg and ewes 120kg and b) the main requirement was to keep sheep in a relative small grazing area. This required a trotting dog with great endurance. It is still the dog we select for in the breed-ring today.
In Germany farmers typically live in a village with the farmland surrounding the village. Individually owned farmland is seldom protected by fences and the sheep farmer had to constantly ensure that his sheep did not stray onto a neighbour's crops. During the early development of the breed, von Stephanitz collected as many dogs actively working with sheep as he could and began breeding a specific type, which was to consolidate in the German Shepherd Dog breed we know today.
There were also attempts made to incorporate the Scottish and Border Collie, but these breeds proved too small and light to handle the German sheep. They were more suited to gather the smaller English and Scottish sheep roaming the moors. The incorporation of some German Sheep Herding dogs with long coats and even curly hair explain the various coat types in the breed even today.
In von Stephanitz's day, protection work was limited to the police and armed forces. Civilians were only allowed to train and compete in protection dog tests after World War II when safety became an issue. The Protection Dog Test (Schutzhund or SchH) was only established in the middle 1950's. This test later became the IPO and IGP tests after it became unfashionable to train dogs for protection against people. The Breed Survey was initiated around 1930 and the courage test of the day was limited to teasing a dog with a sack to see if it would hold its ground and not retreat.
The first GSD's imported into South Africa was from the United Kingdom. This was because the KUSA, which was the only registering authority in South Africa at the time, stemmed from there. However, there was never any temperament selection, nor any minimum breeding requirements, as in the mother country and the dogs in South Africa predictably inherited the problems that developed in England, where the breed became known as the "Alsatian". Older people will remember the bad reputation the breed had as a biter of owners and children.
During the 1970's a few GSD's were imported from Germany. It became quite a debate as to which was the best, the English type (Alsatian), the German type or the combination. With the formation of the GSDF there was a clear intent to phase out the English based GSD's and replace them with the German type. By 1990 this changeover had been completed and all the temperament problems associated with the breed disappeared in tandem.
In South Africa today the breed is unsurpassed as a healthy, family protection dog. GSD's are not suitable as protectors of property in the absence of a human handler. They generally react to aggression only and will often allow a non-aggressive burglar unfettered access. Dogs that will protect property in the absence of a handler are usually dangerous, and that is not what we want for our breed.
In relative terms the German Shepherd Dog (GSD) is one of the world's youngest breeds, the first animals having been registered in 1899 after the founding of the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (SV) with Capt. Max von Stephanitz as its first president.
The original intention was to develop a herding breed suitable for working with German sheep. The often quoted statement by von Stephanitz "To breed a German Shepherd Dog is to breed a Working Dog" actually refers to herding only.
What made working with sheep in Germany different from virtually anywhere else in the world are two-fold: a) German Sheep are generally big and powerful, with rams weighing up to 160kg and ewes 120kg and b) the main requirement was to keep sheep in a relative small grazing area. This required a trotting dog with great endurance. It is still the dog we select for in the breed-ring today.
In Germany farmers typically live in a village with the farmland surrounding the village. Individually owned farmland is seldom protected by fences and the sheep farmer had to constantly ensure that his sheep did not stray onto a neighbour's crops. During the early development of the breed, von Stephanitz collected as many dogs actively working with sheep as he could and began breeding a specific type, which was to consolidate in the German Shepherd Dog breed we know today.
There were also attempts made to incorporate the Scottish and Border Collie, but these breeds proved too small and light to handle the German sheep. They were more suited to gather the smaller English and Scottish sheep roaming the moors. The incorporation of some German Sheep Herding dogs with long coats and even curly hair explain the various coat types in the breed even today.
In von Stephanitz's day, protection work was limited to the police and armed forces. Civilians were only allowed to train and compete in protection dog tests after World War II when safety became an issue. The Protection Dog Test (Schutzhund or SchH) was only established in the middle 1950's. This test later became the IPO and IGP tests after it became unfashionable to train dogs for protection against people. The Breed Survey was initiated around 1930 and the courage test of the day was limited to teasing a dog with a sack to see if it would hold its ground and not retreat.
The first GSD's imported into South Africa was from the United Kingdom. This was because the KUSA, which was the only registering authority in South Africa at the time, stemmed from there. However, there was never any temperament selection, nor any minimum breeding requirements, as in the mother country and the dogs in South Africa predictably inherited the problems that developed in England, where the breed became known as the "Alsatian". Older people will remember the bad reputation the breed had as a biter of owners and children.
During the 1970's a few GSD's were imported from Germany. It became quite a debate as to which was the best, the English type (Alsatian), the German type or the combination. With the formation of the GSDF there was a clear intent to phase out the English based GSD's and replace them with the German type. By 1990 this changeover had been completed and all the temperament problems associated with the breed disappeared in tandem.
In South Africa today the breed is unsurpassed as a healthy, family protection dog. GSD's are not suitable as protectors of property in the absence of a human handler. They generally react to aggression only and will often allow a non-aggressive burglar unfettered access. Dogs that will protect property in the absence of a handler are usually dangerous, and that is not what we want for our breed.