Origin, Early History and Geneology 21 
tinctive type of the French Shepherd is the Chien de 
Beauce, a handsome large Dane-like form. In Aus¬ 
tralia we find a pronounced form in the Kelpie, a 
very highly developed working strain. Here in 
America we have an original type that is found 
throughout Mexico and as far south as Peru. The 
Shepherd dogs of Germany are the heavy Rottweiler, 
a cattle driver; the old German Sheepdog that is 
almost synonymous with the Old English type, and 
the German Shepherd Dog who has in the last few 
years leaped into a well-deserved popularity. All 
these dogs are true Shepherds so far as their work is 
concerned, and even though they may be dissimilar 
in type they are nevertheless a related family. 
The German Shepherd is primarily a shepherd 
dog. His ancestors were performing these duties 
hundreds of years ago and, while his superior in¬ 
telligence makes him a dog that is particularly well 
suited for police work, for Red Cross duties and 
also as a wardog, the German Shepherd is still used 
principally in Germany as a shepherd dog. Many 
of our late importations have the HGH (Herde 
Gebrauchs Hund) affix, showing that they have 
passed a rigid test in herding work. At the same 
time the strains that are used entirely by the shep¬ 
herds for their working qualities furnish a very 
virile influx into the closely bred show type and 
thereby contributing greatly to the stamina of the 
breed. 
The first systematic effort to improve the dog was 
made by the shepherds of the preceding century, the 
