Dog Applause WRITTEN BY Piper Welsh
Level: M Word Count: 600 Words 100th word: still page 7 Content Area Vocabulary: Read the list. What do these words mean? athletic brave Germany guard handsome herd human imported obedient wolfdog Building Background Knowledge Before reading a book, it is important to tap into what your child or students already know about the topic. This will help them develop their vocabulary, increase their reading comprehension, and make connections across the curriculum. 1. Look at the cover of the book. What will this book be about? 2. What do you already know about the topic? 3. Let s study the Table of Contents. What will you learn about in the book s chapters? 4. What would you like to learn about this topic? Do you think you might learn about it from this book? Why or why not? 5. Use a reading journal to write about your knowledge of this topic. Record what you already know about the topic and what you hope to learn about the topic. 6. Read the book. 7. In your reading journal, record what you learned about the topic and your response to the book. 8. Complete the activities at the end of the book.
Dog Applause Let s Hear It For Written by Piper Welsh rourkeeducationalmedia.com Scan for Related Titles and Teacher Resources
2014 Rourke Educational Media All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher. www.rourkeeducationalmedia.com PHOTO CREDITS: Cover, Bonzami Emmanuelle; Page 4: Aleksandr Ugorenkov; Page 5, 17: Isselee; Page 6: Monika Wisniewska; Page 7: Viktor Cap; Page 9: Jens Scheider; Page 10: Dmitry Kalinovsky; Page 11: AnetaPics; Page 12: Nikolai Tsvetkov; Page 13: Amidala76; Page 14: Anna Utekhina; Page 15: Wikipedia; Page 16: Lynn Stone; Page 18: Katarzyna Mazurowska; Page 19: Zoran Orcik; Page 20: lsantilli; Page 21: Michha; Page 22: Eric Isselee Edited by: Precious McKenzie Cover design by: Renee Brady Interior design by: Ashley Morgan Library of Congress PCN Data Welsh, Piper. Let s Hear It For German Shepherds / Piper Welsh. p. cm. -- (Dog Applause) Includes index. ISBN 978-1-62169-8685 (hardcover) ISBN 978-1-62169-7633 (softcover) ISBN 978-1-62169-9699 (e-book) Library of Congress Control Number: 2013936479 Also Available as: Rourke Educational Media Printed in the United States of America, North Mankato, Minnesota rourkeeducationalmedia.com customerservice@rourkeeducationalmedia.com PO Box 643328 Vero Beach, Florida 32964
Table of Contents German Shepherds... 5 Look at Me!... 8 History of the German Shepherd... 10 Special Abilities of the Breed... 14 A Loyal Companion... 18 Doggie Advice... 22 Glossary... 23 Index... 24 Websites to Visit... 24 Show What You Know... 24
4 German Shepherds are very loyal dogs known for their courage and devotion.
German Shepherds A few kinds of dogs can be taught to do amazing things. Those dogs almost seem part human! They are not, of course, but they seem too bright to be, well, just dogs. One of the most remarkable dog breeds is the German Shepherd. German Shepherds are big, handsome, athletic dogs. German Shepherd Facts Weight: Height: Country of Origin: Life Span: 75-95 pounds (34-43 kilograms) 22-26 inches (55-66 centimeters) Germany 12-13 years 5
Most German Shepherds live as home and family companions. But some of them work as service dogs. Others are police dogs and guard dogs. 6 German Shepherds are able to learn and remember multiple skills and services.
German Shepherds work best when they have something to achieve or a job to complete. Some are used to sniff out drugs, explosives, or rescue lost or injured people. Some are trained for obedience trials. A few are still used as herd dogs, or shepherds. 7
Look at Me! German Shepherds have a wolfish look. They are large, like wolves, and they share similarly shaped heads. They also have pointed, upright ears like wolves. Most German Shepherds are shorthaired. A few have long, silky hair. German Shepherds may be black and tan, black and gray, or all black. Some are creamcolored or white. The American Kennel Club (AKC) does not accept these light-colored dogs. 8
The German Shepherd has a noticeably intelligent and serious expression on its face. 9
History of the German Shepherd Many hundreds of years ago, wolf-like dogs were known in the area that would become Germany. They weren t exactly German Shepherds. However, they may have been among the shepherd s first dog ancestors. UNITED KINGDOM FRANCE GERMANY 10 German Shepherds were bred to be courageous so they could protect and herd flocks of sheep.
The German Shepherd was first presented at Hanover, Germany in 1882. The modern German Shepherd is the result of work by Max von Stephanitz and other German dog breeders. Their work began in the late 1800s. They used a variety of shepherd dogs from Germany to develop the modern German Shepherd. 11
Those first German Shepherds had three different types of coats: shorthaired, long-haired, and wirehaired. Dog clubs in most countries now show only shorthaired shepherds. Early in the 1900s the breed spread rapidly from Germany to other countries. 12 The intelligence and strong will of the German Shepherd make it a great competitor.
German Shepherds participate in many different competitions, such as agility trials. 13
Special Abilities of the Breed German Shepherds have a long list of abilities. Those abilities are among the reasons for the dogs great popularity. They are the second most popular purebred dog in the United States. Their popularity had a boost many years ago from television and movies. Both Strongheart and Rin Tin Tin were German Shepherds. 14
Rin Tin Tin was rescued from a World War I battlefield and turned into a major movie star. 15
16 German Shepherds were once bred with wolves in the early years of the breed and they still have many wolf-like features.
German Shepherds were once called Alsatian Wolfdogs in Great Britain. German Shepherds do look more wolf-like than most dogs. But the wolfdog name frightened people, so it was dropped. Are German Shepherds closely related to wolves? The wolf was the common ancestor of all dogs. But German Shepherds are no more or less closely related to wolves than other dogs. German Shepherd Grooming 17
A Loyal Companion Choosing a German Shepherd for a pet is not easy. German Shepherds come in many different personalities. Those bred by wise, careful breeders are usually wonderful dogs known to be handsome, brave, and obedient. Because of their loyalty, German Shepherds can make very good companions. 18
German Shepherd puppies should spend time with other people and dogs so they do not grow up to be aggressive or mean. But like most popular purebred dogs, German Shepherds may have problems if their parents aren t chosen carefully. Some German Shepherds, for example, are overly nervous or even timid. Some are very aggressive toward other dogs. 19
Dog breeders in North America have generally chosen easy-going German Shepherd dogs to be parents. Many North American German Shepherds are good-natured and calm. German Shepherds used for police work in North America are often imported from Germany. These dogs are usually more aggressive than their North American cousins. 20 German Shepherds make good police dogs because they listen to and carry out commands easily.
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Doggie Advice Puppies are cute and cuddly, but buying one should never be done without serious thought. Choosing the right breed of dog requires some homework. And remember that a dog will require more than love and great patience. It will require food, exercise, grooming, a warm, safe place to live, and medical care. A dog can be your best friend, but you need to be its best friend, too. For more information about buying and owning a dog, contact the American Kennel Club at www.akc.org/index.cfm or the Canadian Kennel Club at www.ckc.ca/. 22
Glossary aggressive (uh-gres-iv): to act forcefully ancestor (AN-ses-tur): one in the past from whom an animal has descended; direct relative from the past breeders (BREE-duhrz): people who raise animals, such as dogs, and carefully choose the mothers and fathers for more dogs breeds (BREEDZ): particular kinds of domestic animals within a larger group, such as the German Shepherd breed within the dog group obedience (oh-bee-dee-ehns): the willingness to follow someone s direction or command purebred (PYOOR-bred): an animal of a single (pure) breed 23
Index American Kennel Club (AKC) 8, 22 breeders 11, 18, 20 breeds 5 Germany 10, 11, 12, 20 guard dogs 6 herd dogs 7 police dogs 6 purebred dog(s) 14, 19 Stephanitz, Max von 11 wolves 8, 17 Websites to Visit www.akc.org/breeds/german_shepherd_dog www.dogbreedinfo.com/germanshepherd.htm www.dogster.com/dog-breeds/german_shepherd Show What You Know 1. From what country was the modern German Shepherd developed? 2. What special abilities or jobs are German Shepherds sometimes used for? 3. How much can an adult German Shepherd weigh? 24
Comprehension and Extension Activities After reading the book, work on the following questions with your child or students in order to check their level of reading comprehension and content mastery. 1. Describe the German Shepherd s appearance. 2. Describe the types of work German Shepherds perform. 3. Who was responsible for developing the German Shepherd breed? 4. How do German Shepherds from Germany and German Shepherds from America differ? 5. Why is careful breeding of German Shepherds so important? Extension Activity Breeders spend a lot of time and money in order to create the best possible dogs. If you could develop a new breed, what would your new breed look like? What would its personality be like? What types of work could humans use it for? Illustrate your new breed and write about its qualities.
Dog Applause The German Shepherd of today continues to be a superlative companion dog and is the working dog of choice by many agencies. The breed is suitable for herding, police work, guiding the visually impaired, search and rescue, drug and bomb detection and tracking to name a few. They are highly active both indoors and out, and are vigorous and energetic. This title will allow students to determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details, providing a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments. Books in this Series Include: Let s Hear It For Golden Retrievers Let s Hear It For Labrador Retrievers Let s Hear It For Bulldogs Let s Hear It For Yorkshire Terriers Let s Hear It For German Shepherds Let s Hear It For Boxers Let s Hear It For Poodles Let s Hear It For Beagles rourkeeducationalmedia.com