The German Shepard Dog

Small chip on right edge of front cover (see picture). First few leaves have a small crease at the lower fore-corner. The front hinge is starting, with slight separation between the spine and the text block at the first and second leaves. The binding is otherwise sound and the text block is firm. Pages lightly toned, commensurate with age. No markings noted. This is the foundational work on the German Shepherd Dog, written by the man who created the breed. Captain Max von Stephanitz co-founded the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (SV) in 1899 and registered Horand von Grafrath as the first German Shepherd. His book traces the breed’s descent from early dogs and the herding dogs of Germany, and describes how he and his colleagues shaped it into a working breed. He then covers breeding principles, rearing, care, conformation and gait, and training. The book also describes the dog’s uses in herding, police work, war service and as a guide and companion. Hundreds of photographs and drawings illustrate the text. Breeders, trainers and historians of the breed still treat it as the essential reference, and it is the source of many ideas about the German Shepherd’s character and purpose.…