HISTORY

In 1974, Tina Barber began developing a unique line of German Shepherds at Shiloh Shepherd Kennels in New York State. Her goal was to preserve the type of dog she remembered from her childhood in Germany; dogs who are good family companions, exceptionally intelligent, mentally sound, big and beautiful – similar to Chuck Eisenmann’s dogs from The Littlest Hobo. After years of breeding and training German Shepherds, she chose to start reviving the breed by using the Thuringer lines for intelligence and the mountain shepherd lines for size and soundness. After years of selective breeding, Ms Barber separated her foundation stock from the AKC in 1990. When it came time to choose the name for the new rare breed, the FIC pointed out that most people knew her lines by the kennel name, and thus Shiloh Shepherd was chosen.

Today four main lines are recognized, named for the bitches who were instrumental in developing the breed. Kari brought considerable intelligence and fluid movement, Ursa had a beautiful and sound body, Ria contributed the broad head and softer temperament and Sabrina added in the heavier bone structure and plush coats. Knowledge of these dominant lines along with their faults and virtues is paramount when breeding Shilohs; just as crossing these lines correctly can create sound, well formed Shilohs, crossing them incorrectly can result in hip, back or temperament problems.

Starting in 1990, Shilohs were registered through the FIC as a separate breed. At this time, Ms. Barber formed The Shiloh Shepherd Dog Club of America (SSDCA, Inc.). After the FIC showed some difficulty with standards verification, Ms. Barber and the SSDCA decided to open their own registry in 1991, The International Shiloh Shepherd Registry (ISSR). After some documentation issues became evident, The Complete Computer Place (TCCP) was contacted in 1992 to design a program to process registry data for the ISSR. They also maintain an ancestry database to assist in calculating health and temperament factors within this limited gene pool.

The SSDCA was dormant during part of 1997 to support the opening of a new breed club, The International Shiloh Shepherd Dog Club (ISSDC). When the ISSDC stopped working with the ISSR and opened their own registry, the ISSDCr, the SSDCA reactivated and has been maintained as the breed club for the ISSR. The ISSDC and its registry closed in 2001. The Shiloh Shepherd Breed Association (SSBA) was opened shortly after to assume its registry functions. The National Shiloh Breed Registry (NSBR) was established in 2001 with an emphasis on shared knowledge and giving more control over breeding to the individual breeder. The Shiloh Shepherd Registry (TSSR) was opened in 2002 with a focus on health requirements. The ISSDC was reorganized in 2004 as a unifying breed club for the SSBA, NSBR and TSSR registries.

NOTE: This information above regarding the history of the Shiloh Shepherd is taken directly from WikiPedia and is not an original quote or article by anyone involved in this website.

The Fabulous Four

  • Kari (Shiloh’s Kara Lobo Of Emmview), b. 6/22/1979
    • The first and most prominent foundation dog that would set the cornerstone for this breed’s future generations. Per Tina Barber, her influence was indispensable. She is reported to have provided awesome hips, super size, and almost human-like intelligence and gentleness.
    • Kara was bred at least 3 times from 1983 to 1987
    • Notable progeny that moved forward include Shane (Shiloh’s Easy Rider) & Kari (Shiloh-Kari’s Steel Saber)
  • Ursa (Shiloh’s Ursa Von Ensomhed), b. 7/28/1977
    • Ursa added the best of the “old world” German bred lines and passed on the beautiful stallion heads as well as huge size.
    • Ursa was a 1/2 sibling to Kari’s sire.
  • Ria (Portrait Of Fabrena), b. 9/3/1979
    • Ria’s line was an important, yet minimally influential line.
  • Sabrina (Super Sweet Sabrina Selah), b. 3/30/1987
    • AKC Registered German Shepherd Dog, from the “Texas Woolies” line.
      • Bred by Don Baker; the Baker Lines
      • alleged to be 10% Sarplaninac (heavy ears, soft backs, hook tails); however this is unverifiable and unproven; her first 5 generations are registered AKC German Shepherds Dogs.
      • A large contributor to the foundation of the breed, she often accounts for almost 20% percent of blood of the modern Shiloh.
    • Bred to the Ursa line with Smoke (Shiloh-Guardian Still Smokin’) in 1988, 1990, and 1991
      • These breedings produced heavy ears, loss of movement, some overly sharp temperaments; only a few dogs from these breedings were selected to move forward.
      • Notable progeny that moved forward include Luke (Lucas von Shiloh Special) and Mona (Morris’ Good Morning Mona)
    • Bred to Kari lines with Shane (Shiloh’s Easy Rider) in 1989
      • Notable progeny that moved forward include Captain (Shiloh’s Captain-Caliber Baker) and Zurk (Zurk Von Sentz)
    • Bred to MAW lines with Samson Woo in 1991
      • Samson Woo was a “specially designed outcross”.
      • This line has strong potential for gay/hook tails, faded muzzles, and snow noses.
      • The entire litter from this breeding moved forward with the Mountain Dogs (Goliath, Bria, Sheba, and Snow)

Tina Barber’s Kennel Names:

  • Konigin Kennel 1962-1974 (königin is German for “queen”)
  • Shiloh Kennel 1974-1992
  • Zion Kennel 1992-2000
  • New Zion Shilohs 2000-

  • The Origins of the Shiloh Shepherd {www.shilohshepherds.info/originsOfTheISSRShilohShepherd/origins1.html} Presented by the SSDCA, Inc., 1992, designed and printed by the Warsaw Penny Saver
  • The Shiloh Shepherd Story -Against The Wind, A Breed is Born, Tina M. Barber with Cinnamon Kennedy, 2006
  • Pedigree Examples {www.shilohshepherds.info/pedigreeExamples.html}, Presented by the SSDCA, Inc.