Story of a Visionary Man Who Gave Birth to One of the World’s Most Admired Dogs
Max von Stephanitz was born in 1864 in Dresden, then part of the Kingdom of Saxony. In 1871, Saxony and Dresden were incorporated into the German Empire. His parents – Friedrich Wilhelm von Stephanitz and his second wife, Maria Münch (or Mänch) – were described as well-off, with Friedrich Wilhelm living off his private means.
Young Max attended the Vitzthum Gymnasium in Dresden, where he notably learned to speak fluent French. Although he wished to study agriculture, his mother decided that he would pursue a career in the military, as was the case for many members of the German nobility at the time.
During his military service, Max studied at the Berlin Veterinary School, where he gained valuable knowledge in biology, anatomy, and kinetics. He would later put this expertise to use in the breeding and evaluation of dogs.
A few years later, in 1898, von Stephanitz was promoted to the rank of Rittmeister (cavalry captain) and then retired. According to the official version, he was forced to leave the army because of his marriage to actress Maria Wagner, deemed unworthy of his social standing. However, other sources mention health issues. It is also possible that, in his late thirties, he simply seized the opportunity to leave without regret, his promotion being merely a formality to exit active service honorably.
According to Herta, von Stephanitz’s daughter, it was during his military service that her father had a decisive encounter with shepherd dogs. While serving as an adjutant in the cuirassier regiment Graf Gessler, a Prussian cavalry unit stationed along the Rhine, von Stephanitz once stood on a hillside overlooking the riverbanks. There he saw a shepherd with his flock and his dog.
He observed the dog for a long time as it guided the sheep while the shepherd napped. Impressed, he immediately decided he wanted to own such a dog. From that moment on, he knew what his ideal shepherd dog should look like and what it should be able to accomplish: to perform all the tasks required to manage a flock.
After his retirement, he purchased an estate near the town of Grafrath in Bavaria, 25 kilometers west of Munich, in southern Germany. There, he began actively working to structure and promote the German Shepherd breed, choosing “von Grafrath” as his kennel name. The first dog recorded as belonging to him was a female named Freya von Grafrath, purchased in 1897. Neither the original breeder nor Freya’s lineage is known, and there are no records of any descendants.
The true turning point came at an all-breed dog show in Karlsruhe in April 1899. Von Stephanitz and his friend Arthur Meyer attended a dog show in Frankfurt. Watching the ring for shepherd dogs, von Stephanitz spotted a dog that perfectly matched his ideal. Without hesitation, he bought him. This dog, born on January 1, 1895, was Hektor Linksrhein, of Thuringian and Frankfurt bloodlines, bred by Z. Sparwasser. Before that, Hektor had already changed hands several times. One of his previous kennels was called “von der Krone.” Following the custom of the time, Hektor received a new name: Horand von Grafrath. This purchase would make history: Horand became the founding dog of the modern German Shepherd breed, the very first registered in the breed club von Stephanitz was about to establish.
Little is known about von Stephanitz’s personal life, except that he had two children: a son, Otto, and a daughter, Herta. Herta continued her father’s legacy by also writing a book on the German Shepherd. In an interview with American author Winifred Gibson Strickland, Herta explained the reasons behind her father’s withdrawal from the club in 1935. Throughout his life, von Stephanitz had fiercely defended the principle that the German Shepherd must remain a working dog. But in the 1930s, with the arrival of members affiliated with the Nazi Party, priorities shifted. They wanted to emphasize beauty and appearance, pushing working ability into the background. Tensions arose, along with threats. After 36 years of dedication, von Stephanitz chose to step aside.
Max von Stephanitz passed away on April 22, 1936, at the age of 71, just a few days after the death of his faithful dog Egga. He left behind an immense legacy: a world-renowned breed and a vision that remains relevant today — that of a dog that is above all functional, loyal, and intelligent.
Max von Stephanitz and Horand von Grafrath, the No. 1 German Shepherd.
Max von Stephanitz Quotes: Visionary of the German Shepherd
Here is a selection of Max von Stephanitz’s quotes, taken from his book The German Shepherd Dog in Word and Picture. All of them bear witness to Stephanitz’s love and respect for this exceptional breed.
🐕 Nature and Purpose of the German Shepherd
For Stephanitz, the German Shepherd had to remain a working dog — balanced, resilient, and driven by the joy of serving.
“The German Shepherd Dog is a working dog, born for this purpose, and only in this way can it remain a true herding dog.”
“Tireless, always eager in his duty, always attentive, always ready to serve — such is the character of our shepherd dog.”
“Like man, the dog can express the different emotions of the soul not only through the voice, but also through his eyes, the changes in expression of his head, the position of his ears, and finally through his tail, which replaces the movement of arms and hands, serving as a reliable ‘barometer’ of the soul to express every nuance of feeling.”
“Few of us can surpass him in loyalty and in unconditional willingness to sacrifice.”
“I cannot recall a single shepherd dog that did not love children.”
🐾 Breeding the German Shepherd
Stephanitz condemned the chase for show prizes and large-scale breeding motivated by money, which led away from the original goal.
“When breeding becomes a commercial enterprise, the dog is nothing but a product, raised and treated as such. Here again we encounter a danger to the breed: the dog is no longer bred for his service qualities, but solely for his market value.”
“Large-scale and kennel breeding is the ruin of all healthy shepherd dog breeding.”
“Working ability must count more for the shepherd dog breeder than the honors of the show ring.”
“We abhor overbreeding, for it renders both body and soul unfit for work.”
“It is this modest stock of workers that holds the blood, the life, the fire, and the soul of the shepherd dog.”
🌱 Raising and Training the Young
The watchword: freedom and activity. The young dog must spend time outdoors to develop properly.
“Keeping a dog confined in the kennel must remain the exception; freedom must be the rule. The growing dog can only develop properly when given exercise outside the kennel, regardless of the size of his indoor pen — the same applies to the adult dog.”
“Work is an indispensable necessity for the shepherd dog; keeping him in the kennel will be a curse for him, both mentally and physically.”
🏆 Judging the German Shepherd
According to Stephanitz, the German Shepherd should never be judged by purely aesthetic standards.
“Beyond a good shepherd dog expression, he must have a lively temperament, a long, strong body, well-proportioned for service, neither soft nor heavy, whose form ensures great freedom of movement and a quick gait, with endurance — all of these are among the very first qualities.”
“Oversize is an unusable trait for breeding, as it harms endurance, speed, and agility of movement. Giants are never agile… These dogs tire quickly when excited, but are usually lazy and placid, which already makes them unfit for service.”
“We have already agreed that our shepherd dog is a service dog, and he must be bred only as such. Therefore, he must be judged solely as a service dog. For service dogs, working ability takes precedence over beauty.”
“Even the best-constructed dog is useless if he does not have the drive to give his best.”
“Color has no significance for service; our shepherd dog is therefore not bred for color. This is merely a whim of amateurs, subject to the caprices of fashion.”
🎯 Training and Education
Stephanitz viewed training as a balance between discipline and freedom. The goal: a dog obedient by choice and joyful in work.
“Good training does not aim to produce fearful, broken slaves without their own will, nor machines dependent on external stimuli. It remains measured and, while correcting faults, it sets aside personal preferences to reach a higher goal: obtaining dogs whose service, springing from the joy of work, is complete freedom. This training must awaken innate abilities, develop them, correct what is superfluous, strengthen what is weak, and guide what is wrong onto the right path.”
“No training can be accomplished without compulsion, but the art of the good trainer lies in making this compulsion imperceptible, and in making the result appear as voluntary service. Compulsion is not punishment; and when it must be used, to make the dog reliable or to help him, the trainer must make him understand the difference through tone of voice and expression.”
“To achieve good results, the trainer must have a balanced temperament, be firm and clear in his commands, understand and love the animal and its nature.”
“The dog can read in the trainer’s gaze everything he needs to know about his state of mind: he knows whether he is joking, serious, or displeased.”
“The dog believes only in his master, who must therefore approach his work with the right feelings, and know how to awaken and nurture them in the one who is now his pupil, but who will later become his partner.”
“You cannot comb all dogs with the same comb — in other words, each dog requires his own method.”
“Trust is indispensable; obedience is its finest expression.”
“Nothing tires and paralyzes the mental faculties as much as constant repetition of the same exercise.”
“The trainer must learn to master himself before he can master the dog.”
“He who finds the way to speak to his dog has won the game.”
“Every lesson must end with a caress, so that the dog retains his joy in working.”
“Let us all ensure that no German Shepherd is ever trained or kept in a manner unsuitable or contrary to his nature. On the contrary, let us help him obtain the opportunity to work and to receive an education. Let masters not degrade their dogs into mere sports equipment, but rather raise them to the rank of family members.”