I want to research the origins of the GSD because I love studying history and I love our dogs. I'm pretty sure there are books out there that go into detail on the GSD beginnings. Maybe even some biographies on Max von Stephanitz. If you have any recommendations, please let me know so I can check my library or purchase them online.
Also, I checked back on Wikipedia (I know you can't trust anything on Wikipedia, which is why I'm running this past you guys: the expert historians!) and found the below quote that mentions some of the original stud dogs were wolf crosses. Does that mean a small percentage of every GSD or some of our GSDs might be the slightest bit wolf? Just curious. I know when watching wolf documentaries, they always compare the wolf's body/size/shape to be most comparable to a GSD out of all of the domesticated dog breeds.
Quote:
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Horand was declared to be the first German Shepherd Dog and was the first dog added to the society's breed register. Horand became the centre-point of the breeding programs and was bred with dogs belonging to other society members that displayed desirable traits. Although fathering many pups, Horand's most successful was Hektor von Schwaben.[8] Hektor was inbred with another of Horand's offspring and produced Beowulf, who later fathered a total of eighty-four pups, mostly through being inbred with Hektor's other offspring. In the original German Shepherd studbook, Zuchtbuch fur Deutsche Schaferhunde (SZ), within the 2 pages of entries from SZ No. 41 to SZ No. 76, there are 4 Wolf Crosses.[9] Beowulf's progeny also were inbred and it is from these pups that all German Shepherds draw a genetic link. It is believed the society accomplished its goal mostly due to Von Stephanitz's strong, uncompromising leadership and he is therefore credited with being the creator of the German Shepherd Dog
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Thanks in advance for any and all help on the books and the quote/question!