Wide area of distribution of a German Shepherd is the result of activity of two influential companies: Breed Dog-Fanciers Club (SV) and World Union of German Shepherd Dog-Fanciers (WUSV). Since 1968 the management of SV Club in Germany began to call upon all the German Shepherd dog-fanciers for uniting into one global organization - die Weltunion der Schaeferhundvereine (WUSV), explaining this initiative by the necessity to unite the principles of German Shepherd dog breeding.
The creating of the Global Union of German Shepherd Dog-Fanciers let the management of the SV Club propagandize and spread world-wide methods of work accepted in Germany and in addition to watch the development of the breed in different countries. At first, in 1968 there appeared the European Union of German Shepherd Dog-Fanciers (EUSV), but soon, in 1974, for the account of its successful activity and joining on it new members from the countries of all the five continents, it was reorganized into World Union of Clubs - WUSV. Nowadays this organization counts more than 500 thousands and takes the leading position in the international dog breeding.
In fact, since the moment of these organizations appearance there are the following championships held according to the international training program (IPO), that is created as popular sport and breed test on the base of German Standard "Shutzhund", that means "Guard Dog". In the rules of this complex training there are specified a test of a dog according to three characteristics: "A" - trace work, "B" - obedience, "C" - guardian work.
1900 was the year of the Union of German Shepherd Owners birth, it brought changes of great meaning for German Cynology, and specifically, there were formed and decided the possibilities, behavior of German Shepherd and other notions about the breed: there was created a pedigree book.
Holding of pedigree books of other breeds was began since1878 according to English example. The voted members should make the notes. These books contained notes only about those dogs, that took first three places at the world exhibitions and proved with this fact the breed purity. In this way, it was held about so called pedigree book that should contain only special dogs. In addition, the committee proceeded from the wrong opinion that a dog should prove its breed origin only with an exterior, and its documentary proves are not important. On the opposite to this opinion, that was leading for a long time, the management of the new union, the Union of German Shepherd Owners, took a law explaining, that only a breeder who provides both the parents of a pregnant bitch and origin of the banded to it dog can announce about the purity of breed. The innovation of the Union insisted on the main importance of the blood purity and on guaranteed the registration of the registered dogs descendants without delays. This became enough prove for modernization of pedigree documents and demanded more attention than the previous principles of pedigree books holding. In order to follow these rules, they began to introduce information about achieved posterity and breeders who shared together with the management of the Union the responsibility for introduced data and rightness of the general characteristics of their breeding. Thus, the information about total number was regularly fixed, positive results became evident and the unions of other breeds recognized the rightness of such approach to holding of pedigree books. And for German Shepherd the creating of these documents became the base for great success. Step by step WUSV, gathering and effectively using information, for the period of 100 years created outstanding population of 2 millions of shepherds. For praise of specially distinguished breeders in 1900 the Union instituted the first awards.
In December 1900 co founder of WUSV Arthur Mayer fell ill with a hard disease and all activity of the Union and plenty of its problems lay down on the shoulders of the first founder, Max fon Shtefanits. In 1901 the placing of the Union moved from Stuttgart to Munchen and the founder settled not far from it. On the third year of existence the Union of German Shepherd Owners counted 275 members. At the same time with the work for growth of population the management of the Union introduced special customer features of German Shepherd for society and concentrated its attention on especially on them (the common work of Shepherd - "sheep" dog, was the work with a flock, that was taken by the laws of the Council). The Council also took the offer that was proposed and upheld by the common meeting of WUSV, that told, that a breeder had no right to represent his dog at exhibition out of ring or to talk to a judge before examination, as well as nothing must influence on objectivity of the expert decision. In addition, the wrong method of judges to establish the purity of dog breed on the base of external features was distinguished false and was denied.
The number of the Union members and the total number of shepherds grew up fast, all the dogs of this breed should work but there were not enough sheep flocks for all. That's why there was the necessity to find other ways of use. At first fon Shtefanits, with he help military relations, planned use of German Shepherds as medical orderly dogs, military assistant dogs. Then he came to the conclusion, that these dogs can be used as guardians as well. With the help of the other members of the Council there was accepted a decision about use of German Shepherd as a working dog. It was a very important step, that had a great meaning for the future.
At the same time there was published the first publication "German Shepherd in Words and Pictures". For that time it was just a humble book that had to go through a lot of stages of development until it became the look of the recent monthly magazine. The first chairman perfectly knew the educational role of this edition, and, gratefully to his literary skills, it became the most important boundary link between the Council and the ordinary members of the Union of German Shepherd Owners.
