Shepadoodle

The Shepadoodle is a younger dog breed that was created around the 1960s for the specific purpose of being a military police dog for the United States Army. While it may seem odd for such a combination to be used as a work dog, in reality, if we take a look at the background of the German Shepherd and the Poodle both we get a pretty good idea of why the Shepadoodle may have been created. For example, the German Shepherd has been used as a military and police dog for generations thanks to their intelligence, loyalty, and courageous nature.

Created sometime around the 19th century, the German Shepherd hail from Germany. The genius behind the dog breed, Captain Max Von Stephanitz, wanted a dog that could be used specifically for work in the field and he got exactly that with the intelligent and handsome German Shepherd. People everywhere soon fell in love with this beautiful dog breed and the first dog of this type made their way to the United States around 1906. A few years later in 1912, the American Kennel Club registered the dog breed and the German Shepherd grew in popularity. Unfortunately, when World War I hit,  the dog took a step back as people associated them with the enemy. Even despite the distaste that now followed the German Shepherd, they pushed on and continued to do what they do best; help those who need them. Working through the war as delivery dogs and scouts for things like landmines, they proved their courageousness through and through.

Once the war was over, German Shepherds began to rise in popularity again as their bravery carried them onto the big screen for films such as Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart. Ever since then, they have been a favorite in the United States and continue to work as companions, showmen, military, and police dogs. 

While the Poodle may be known best as the fancy man's best friend, their elegant nature and grace were actually used for something very different at the beginning of their creation. These dogs come in three different sizes, miniature, toy, and standard, all of them very intelligent and excellent companion animals. The Poodle is thought to have been created in Germany and was used primarily as water retrievers for hunters. In fact, the extreme haircut that is associated with Poodles actually began as a way to keep their torso and joints warm in cold water, without the rest of their fur bogging them down. The miniature and toy dog breeds were even used for working jobs, specifically sniffing out truffles in the forest or entertainers in the circus. The Poodle developed into the dog breed that we know and love today thanks to the French. While this dog breed was popular in a lot of places, they were most adored in France. King Louis XVI's favorite was the Miniature Poodle and it was through this that Poodles became primarily companion dogs. Ever since then, the Poodle has been a showman (accepted by the American Kennel Club) and family pet, beloved by people all over the world.