Panda Shepherd Dog Names

Born on January 1, 1895, Horand von Grafath was the very first German Shepherd dog and is the genetic base for all modern German Shepherd dogs today. In 1891, there was a group named Phylax Society in Germany who were planning to standardize dog breeds, but they had disbanded in 1894, right before Horand was born. The group had disagreements between whether the breeds should be show dogs or working dogs. The man who was credited to be the “father” of all German Shepherds was Captain Max von Stephanitz, who was a member of the Phylax Society. 

He (von Stephanitz) was still looking to create a German dog breed that would be a loyal working dog and intelligent enough to train for anything. In 1899, von Stephanitz was at a dog show and saw a sheepdog that looked similar to a wolf that he found appealing. He liked the dog so much, he paid 200 German gold marks for him and changed his name from Hektor Linksrhein to Horand von Grafath and formed the Society for the German Shepherd Dog.  

Horand was immediately registered under a new breed registry, which made him the first German Shepherd dog. Many dog breeders realized that Horand was the goal of what all German working dogs should be and he later went on to sire many pups. His most famous pup was Hektor von Schwaben, who produced three more celebrated pups, Pilot, Beowolf, and Heinz von Starkenburg. These three were used to create a breeding program that is thought to be the ancestors of all of today’s German Shepherd dogs. 

According to von Stephanitz, Horand was large for that time, about 24 inches tall and had a powerful frame, beautiful lines, and a perfectly formed head. He was extremely obedient and was able to follow directions with just the slightest nod of von Stephanitz’s head. Horand had a zest for life, was always on the go, and was a natural at herding any type of animal. His offspring were the same, only more refined and well-behaved since Horand had no official training before von Stephanitz got him. 

K9 Pines, an AKC preferred breeder in Saluda, NC breeds and raises German Shepherds. They have extensive experience with and information on the Panda Shepherd. They raise variations of this fantastic breed to include the Panda, Brindle, White, Blue, and more! The first recorded Panda Shepherd was Franka, born in the Unites States in 2000. She has many descendants, one being Dare, who is an American Kennel Club registered German Shepherd. The interest in the Panda and other types of Shepherds is such that UCDavis has developed a genetic test that can determine if your pup has the Panda gene.

From the very beginning, dogs were a part of man’s life. Even back during caveman times, there is evidence that man had always kept several dogs at their encampments to be used for protection, hunting, and guiding. It is lucky for us that von Stephanitz took the time and interest in developing and keeping records of the German Shepherd breed that we all love today.