2. German Shepherds By Cooper Zimmer

3. Appearance They have long bodies, pointed ears, and long, bushy tails. Most adults weigh 75 to 85 pounds, and measure 22” to 26”. Some German Shepherds have black and tan, black and gray, all white or all black coats.

4. Behavior German Shepherds are smart, loyal, energetic, and have lots of courage. They work well with others and are safe to be with. Not enough play time can cause messes and trouble.

5. History Max Von Stephanitz bought the first German Shepherd. His name was Horand, and Max Von Stephanitz wanted more dogs like him. A female German Shepherd had babies and Max Von Stephanitz was very happy. It is now the second most popular dog breed in the United States. Max Von Stephanitz with Horand

6. Popularity In 1919, the Kennel Dog Show had 54 German Shepherds registered, and then seven years later in 1926 there were over 8,000 German Shepherds registered! The first registered dog in the United States was Queen of Switzerland.

7. Popularity Continued Q ueen Of Switzerland’s babies had birth defects, which was caused by poor breeding. S ince that occurred, their popularity dropped in the late 1920s.

8. German Shepherds Today Even though about 100 years has passed, few changes were made to German Shepherds. Now they work in K-9 units (which is an officer and a dog paired together). They help blind, disabled, sick people, and are alert, easy to train, and have a great sense of smell.

9. Bibliography Schuh, Mari. German Shepherds. Minneapolis: Bellwether Media, 2009. Print. “German Shepherd.” Wikipedia. Web. 16 April 2015.