Horand von Grafrath

Horand von Grafrath (January 1 1895 - after 1899) (formerly Hektor Linksrhein) was the first German Shepherd Dog and the genetic basis on which modern German Shepherds are based.

History

A society named the Phylax Society formed in Germany in 1891, with the intention of standardising dog breeds. The society disbanded in 1894, but many of the members continued to exhibit the ideologies promoted by the society. One of these members was "Captain" Max von Stephanitz, the man now credited with being the father of the German Shepherd Dog.cite web|url=http://www.germanshepherds.com/thegsd/history/|title=History of the German Shepherd Dog|publisher=German Shepherds.com|accessdate=2008-08-02] In 1899 while attending a show, von Stephanitz was shown a dog named Hektor Linksrhein. Von Stephanitz was so impressed by Hektor's intelligence, strength and obedience that he purchased the dog for 200 deutsche mark [cite web|url=http://www.schaeferhunde.de/site/index.php?id=654|title=Eine Idee findet ihre Organisation|publisher=Der Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde|accessdate=2008-08-03|language=German] and immediately formed the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (Society for the German Shepherd Dog). Von Stephanitz admired the dog for its "obedient fidelity to [its] master." [cite web|url=http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/pedigree/1208.html|title=V Horand von Grafrath pedigree information|publisher=Pedigree Database|accessdate=2008-08-02] Von Stephanitz changed Hektor's name to Horand von Grafrath and included him as the center-point of the society's breeding programs. The dog was then registered under a new breed registry, thus making Horand von Grafrath the first German Shepherd Dog. [cite web|url=http://www.gsdca.org/GSDReviewed/hdogs/HorandGrafrath.html|title=SZ-1 Horand von Grafrath|publisher=German Shepherd Dog Club of America|accessdate=2008-08-02] cite book| title = The German Shepherd Dog in Word and Picture | last = von Stephanitz | first = Max | coauthors = Schwabacher, Joseph | year = 1994 | publisher = Hoflin Publishing Ltd |isbn=9789993280057]

Many breeders of the time idolised Horand as the goal for what a well-rounded working dog should be.

Breeding

Horand fathered many pups. However, his most celebrated was Hektor von Schwaben, who later produced Heinz von Starkenburg, Beowolf, and Pilot. These three wolfdogs were used in later breeding programs, eventually producing all German Shepherds today.

"In Word and Picture"

Horand was heavily featured in "The German Shepherd Dog in Word and Picture", in which Von Stephanitz discusses the objectives and qualities of the breed.

References