German Shepherd Ddr
What does DDR stand for?
Its something to do with old line, Working German Shepherds and I cant find anything obvious on google.
Thanks.
Don’t worry about it – the DDR is ancient history, and only fanatics cling to the term when talking about GSDs.
It stems from when Germany was split up between the Allied nations at the end of WW2. Even the city of Berlin (which was in the Soviet sector) was divided up, with a wall built between the British & Yank sectors and the Soviet territory that surrounded them (for a while, the Allies had to load food & fuel into their planes & fly EVERYTHING into “West Berlin” so that the Germans there could survive). But it ended on 9 November 1989, when the Berlin Wall was broken up: http://www.google.co.nz/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=berlin+wall+comes+down&meta=&btnG=Google+Search.
DDR GSDs:
Because the Soviets set up an “Iron Curtain” separating themselves & their area of Germany from the rest of the world, by VE Day (8 April 1945) breeders in “East Germany” (DDR = Deutsche Demokratische Republik) had no access to bloodlines from the rest of the world. Also, because of the way the USSR’s soldiers behaved after conquering the eastern part of Germany, and because the Soviets kept civilian food supplies scant, most of the GSDs in Germany were killed at the end of WW2 – many were cooked & eaten. Those that remained were mostly used as Guard Dogs, and so GSDs that were interested in being friendly were eliminated. My discussion group has a rather lengthy thread discussing DDR dogs: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD_Friendly/message/20465?var=1&l=1 Some parts are frivolous, but most parts are serious.
• To ask about GSDs, join some of the 400+ YahooGroups dedicated to various aspects of living with GSDs. Each group’s Home page tells you which aspects they like to discuss, and how active they are. Unlike YA, they are set up so that you can have an ongoing discussion with follow-up questions for clarification. Most allow you to include photos.
Les P, owner of GSD_Friendly: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD_Friendly
“In GSDs” as of 1967
DDR / WEST GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG