The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-26
German Shepherd

The German Shepherd Dog, although it has made great strides in popularity. and is now widely known, very few people have any real knowledge of it's charac- teristics, as breed, disposition or it's es- sential points. The great majority of peo- pie know it's appearance in general way and have a hazy idea that it is called police dog, but just what a German Shepherd Dog really is, or what its work consists of very few people have any real knowledge.
 From the standards and the pictures of typical dogs which are to be found on this page, an exact knowledge of their appear ance and requirements for perfect dog may be obtained, therefore nothing fur ther will be said concerning them in this respect, but a few words might be added in regard to their origin, disposition and work
 The German Shepherd Dog is not a new breed as many people in this country suppose, but rather as extremely old one having been known and used in Germany and other countries on the continent for hundreds of years as a shepherd dog. It is a native of Germany and is close kin to the Belgian, Holland and other va- rieties of Shepherd Dogs found in Flu
 
 German dogs having been bred scientific ally and carefully, with a definite object i'll view, are today probably second to no other breed of dogs in the world for pur- ity of Strain and fixity of type.
 Their characteristics and disposition are combination of most of the best quali- ties of all large breeds of dogs They are gentle obedient and faithful to the last degree. Absolutely fearless. Possess q Wonderful memory, are unusually fond of children, and their almost human ntelli- gence make them a perfect companion for child or woman, or as a guardian for either a town or country house, while their aid to the police forces, armies and Red Cross departments has been proven so conclusively by actual use that nothing need be said concerning it.
 In Monclair, N. J., Louis de Winter trains German Shepherd Dogs for the po- lice. He imports the animals from Ger many when they are puppies, and care fully accuStoms them to their work When he is through with them he has made sleuth more unerring than Sherlock Holmes or Dupin, and afraid of neither man nor devil.
 The German or Belgian Shepherd Dogs are the animals best fitted by nature for this work. They are somewhat larger than a Scotch collie. They are either steel gray or black. They are exceedingly leang of flank, strong and long of leg, with a deep chest and large head, and triangular, outstanding ears. Their eyes are deepset and brown and the sensitive nose is continually quivering. They bound rather than leap. To see one of them, his nose to the ground his tail stuck straight out behind him like a bayonet flying with great gliding bounds across field, is to see one of the most ex- hllaratlng sights in the world They are what one might call a very conservative dog-gentle with their mas ters, or with their masters children, but beyond these recognizing no one. You might coax until you are blue in the face, and they would remain as unresponsive as a cow
 The German Shepherd Dog is highly in tellgent, but it requires patience and skill to train him. false step, certain thing introduced to him too soon-and your an- imal is ruined as a police dog The first thing a dog is taught is to jump. MT. De Winters method is sim pie, quick, sure.
 In the runs leading from the kennels he has built number of hurdles As the dogs go out to the training field they must jump over these hurdles. The hrst hurdle is about a foot and half high, the next d little higher and the next higher than that while the highest Is about four feet. When the dogs are re- leased, they naturally make bee line for the field, but to get there they must jump all the Intervening hurdles And this they all do-trained and untrained, lean old dogs and chubby puppies. Grad ually they become accustomed to the Jumps and it is not long before they can scale an eight or 10-foot wall The next things is to attack criminals The criminal" dressed in heavy pad ded suit. runs across the field The trained animals immediately give tongue and start in pursuit. The green" dogs. taking their cue from their trained com panions, dash off with them The older dogs rush at and atatck the criminal" Ihe green dogs do likewise. Despite the shouts, the kicks, the blows of the criminal" the trained dogs grasp him by leg or arm and hang on So, there Tore. do the green" dogs. The instinct IS in them; it merely needs development.
 The most ticklish part of the trainers work IS to accustom the dog to the firing of pistols. Guns are fired near him until ne ceases to be frightened at the sound or them. If man were to fire pistol In the face of an untrained dog, the ani- nal would take to his heels instantly, and would never go near f1rearm again. That dog would be spoiled irretrievably. But when the animal learns that shot is not to be feared you may fire a pistol before his face all day
 He IS taught also to stand guard over bundle of goods or a man. When the man remains perfectly still the guard is quiet, but let the man move ever so lit- tie and in twinkling the dog has him.
 The scent of these dogs is marvellous. bloodhound is a clumsy amateur com pared to them. As an example of their scent Mir De Winters took a hankershlef from stranger walked a distance of four blocks across the field and hid the handkerchief under a tuft of grass, where it was absolutely out of sight. Meanwhile one of the dogs was held, a sleek, black fellow, Renz von Boron by name, behind a a hurdle where he could not see what direction had been travelled. Then, at a nod from De Win ter the dog was off like shot. followed the trail to the handkerchief and brought it back in less than a minute.
 But this was only a simple test Here is one which really proves what these dogs can do:
 A girl was murdered in Ridgewood N. J.. about two years ago. She had been struck on the head with a piece of iron pipe and dragged across the road about 200 feet into a wood. Bloodhounds were put on the track of her assailants, but without avail. Finally De Winter volun- teered to put one of his dogs, Herta von Ehrengrund, on the case. The dog was