Did Max von Stephanitz breed wolf into the German Shepherd Dog?
No. Max didn’t use any wolves. Indeed, in his book he tells other breeders NOT to use wolves. But before the creation of the GSD in 1899 zoo-wolf genes had been used by some Thuringian sheep farmers. Look at photos of early GSDs, including the very first, the Thuringian dog Horand von Grafrath SZ1, and you will see several resemblances to wolves. However, any farmer who used wolf-genes very quickly back-crossed to herding stock, aiming to combine the wolf-strength & intelligence with the sheep dog willingness. If there were any wolf-genes in Horand they must have been well back, as he was a mere 61-62cm/24-24¼” tall. And those who’ve used wolves in more modern times know that the cross is not suitable as a herding breed, nor as a pet. • According to Horowitz (1924), the breed’s second Sieger (Supreme Champion is a rough interpretation), Hektor v.Schwaben SZ13 was descended from a zoo-wolf (zoo, because by then wild wolves were extinct in Germany), via his dam, Mores Plieningen HGH SZ15
