"Old German Shepherd"
refers to the working sheep and cattle-herding dogs of Germany. Varying in
type, dogs from among these strains were used in the late 19th century/early
20th century in the development of the modern SV-registered German Shepherd
Dog. While the SV-registered dogs came to have a standardized appearance
and came to be bred more as police, service, companion and show dogs, herdsmen
in Germany continued to breed their sheep and cattle dogs as they always
had. The Old German Shepherds were bred solely for their usefulness in
herding, and outward appearance remained variable.
Today there is a registry for these dogs, the Arbeitsgemeinschaft
zur Zucht Altdeutscher Hütehunde (AAH), formed to preserve and
promote the Old German Shepherd varieties as working stockdogs. To be
registered, the dogs must prove their ability to work on sheep or cattle. Coats
may be short, medium-length, or long; shaggy, wiry, or smooth-textured. Colors
include black, black-and-tan, shades of brown or red, grey, blue merle, or
brindle. Ears are semi-erect, erect, or sometimes folded close to the
head. Some have natural bobtails. Old German Shepherds are
characterized by their hardiness, endurance and easy-keeping qualities.
They can be found throughout Germany working flocks and herds.
One notable strain of the Old German Shepherd is the Westerwälder
Kuhhund (Cowdog), first mentioned in the late 13th century. This dog
has a natural heeling tendency (nipping low at the heels of the animals) and
typically has a medium-long, hard coat of red-brown with black shadings.
Used for herding large groups of cattle, taking them to and from the villages
and keeping them together on unfenced pastures, it has also been employed in
sheepherding .
When itinerant sheepherding and open-field cattle
herding declined in Germany, the Old German Shepherd varieties diminished in
numbers. The German Society for the Preservation of Old and Endangered
Domestic Animal Breeds has listed them as critically endangered. But
numbers are now beginning to grow again.
Below are some examples of German herding dogs from early in the century.
Dogs like these, registered by the SV, figured among the ancestors of the modern
German Shepherd Dog. For pictures of present-day Old German Shepherds,
visit the AAH website, linked above.