History of the DDR German Shepherds
40 Years of Closed Breeding
DDR Dogs ? What is this ? Another
New Breed ?
The popularity of the German Shepherd Dog (GSD) has
been growing in numbers since their origin by founder Rittmeister Max von
Stephanitz. Little did anyone know what an impact both World Wars would impart
on the German Shepherd breed. The German Shepherd was much sought after by the
military for their profound working abilities, loyalty , trainability, and
their dedication to their owners or handlers. One of the greatest impacts to
astound the working dog world and the German Shepherd breed was the onset of
the Cold War.
Before the onset of the Cold War, Germany was one
nation. Great Britain, France, The Soviet Union, and the USA were allies
during World War II. As World War II was coming to an end, all 4 Allies
occupied Berlin. At the end of World War II, the city was split into 4
sectors. A large dispute arose over the boundaries. Thus began the Cold War
with the Soviet Union closing borders; hence the two nations for Germany were
formed, West Germany and East Germany ( Deutsches Demokratische Republik the
DDR ).
Many of us remember what communist controlled
countries were like. They were not allowed free trade or contact with the
outside world and were dominated by their government over decisions most of us
take for granted everyday. So was it also for the breeding kennels in East
Germany. With the border and Berlin Wall up, closed breeding within the DDR
kennels kept the dogs at their standards without outside influence.
Germany now divided became a satellite state of the
communist regime on October 7th, 1949, East Germany is now
officially the Deutsches Demokratische Republik - DDR. It didn’t take long for
“The Partei” to quickly confiscate and gain control of the German Shepherd
pedigree registration and financial administration offices. With the
government’s hand and control over breeding and registration, strong criteria
and tests were set forth as many of the dogs would be used for their military
purposes.
Consequently only the best of the best would be
suitable for their new duties. Strong bones were needed for the great distances
of walking they would endure, exposure to the most ruthless of harsh elements
also played a part in the development of structure. Thus they were very
athletic with straight lines and a large intimidating look with large heads,
broad shoulders and large chests. Other breeding criteria that differed from
West Germany was the DDR dogs could only be bred if they were completely free
of HD. Dogs that had “fast normal hips or lesser could not be bred. Dam’s had
to appear with her whole litter for an inspection of teeth, ear set, temperament,
coat, total overall appearance and males naturally had to have both testicles
descended by I year of age.
Major differences in the working abilities skills
tests included a straight wall of 1.5 meters and 1.8 meters instead of the
inclined wall now used. They also had to go walk a balance beam, 10 blinds to
search instead of 6, the tracking tests include more corners and angles; the FH
3 contained 16!
The Border Patrol Dogs
In 1946, the Soviet Union formed the Grenzschutz
Polizei or Border Police. They were in charge of guarding 1,378 kilometers of
East German Border and also responsible for patrolling 165 kilometers of the
Berlin Wall. At the end of their first year of forming there were over 3,000
soldiers comprising the entire unit. In 1951, their name changes to Deutsches
Grenz Polizei. And again in 1974 the name is changed to Grenztruppen or border
troops. Usually 100-160 dogs were assigned to each Grenztruppen battalion.
The Diensthundefuehrer ( Dog Team Leader ) was in
charge of the overall care and training for the border patrol dogs and their
handlers. 50% of their training was spent during the night for night maneuver
exercises. The K9 leader had to have basic veterinary knowledge and background
in animal handling. They were also non-commissioned officers. The handlers
had 3 different skill levels. Level -1 the highest and level-3 being a basic
skilled handler. They wore qualification badges or patches on their uniforms.
The Grenztruppen and their dogs watched over
minefields, border fences; many people will remember Check Point Charlie and
the watch towers. Many dog runs or fenced pens also were set up throughout the
border. These runs or pens measured about 5 kilometers. Dog runs covered 97
kilometers of the border deploying approximately 1,000 sentry dogs. The area
fluctuated between 90- 120 kilometers. 200-250 dog runs or pens were in
Berlin alone! The dog run comprised of dogs being leashed to a suspended
line. The dogs in the runs or pens were fed only once in a 10 day period to
retain their ferociousness.
More than just a sentry dog, they served as tracking
dogs, and attack dogs. The border patrol also deployed a special dog pack to
find deserters of their “cause” in large area searches such as buildings,
timber / woods, or fields.
The end of the Communist Regime
In 1989, the border was opened. Germany begins it’s
initial stages of becoming a unified nation once more. No longer needed, many
of the DDR border patrol dogs were sold, put to sleep, and many abandoned. The
Grenztruppen were officially disbanded on July1,1990.
There are only a handful of DDR breeders left in the
world today. It would be a shame to see this incredible breed of the working German
Shepherd Dogs disappear. With the closed breeding, it has given us the
opportunity to preserve the DDR GSDs in it’s most closest form to the standards
set forth by the GSD founding father; with their natural defense drive,
tracking abilities, temperament and structure. The DDR border patrol dogs no
longer exists, but their great courage, loyalty, working abilities, and
devotion to their owner or handler survive throughout their lineage.
We at ddrledends.com, seek to preserve this
magnificent animal. We hope more people would follow suit, as they are a dying
breed; and one we can not afford to lose.
Pam Cyrene
