The Breed

The Breed

As the grandfather of the FIRST registered "German Shepherd Dog" was a white dog, the gene for white coats has been a part of the German Shepherd breed since it's beginning in 1898. Despite efforts in Germany and many countries around the world to eliminate the white-coated German Shepherd Dog, it remains a popular - indeed "desirable" - dog worldwide, with hundreds of whites registered every year in Canada, and thousands registered every year in the United States.   Since white GSDs are now disqualified from the CKC & AKC show rings and many German Shepherd breeders refuse to breed to the white dogs, White Shepherd clubs in North America have been pursuing the goal of breed separation for the white dogs for several years now, in hopes of attaining the proper recognition that these dogs deserve. Through careful study of the breed worldwide, it has been determined that there is a sufficient gene pool to support a separate breed: the White Shepherd. In 1999, the UKC (in the USA) recognized the White Shepherd as a separate breed. In 2002, the FCI (a European registry) recognized the White Shepherd as a separate breed - the "Berger Blanc Suisse". We hope to achieve breed separation in Canada (CKC) and the US (AKC) within the next few years as well

Frequently asked questions

• IS THE WHITE SHEPHERD AN ALBINO? No, an albino animal has pink eyes and is totally devoid of pigment (ie. pink eyelids, lips, nose, pads). • HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT FROM "REGULAR" GSD'S? The most obvious difference is colour. Another is the structure; typically, White Shepherd breeders strive to maintain the "original" sound structure of the German Shepherd Dog. Most WS breeders shy away from the extreme rear angulation that is found in so many German Shepherds today. • WHAT ABOUT TEMPERAMENT? As with any dog, breeding and environment have the most influence on a dog's temperament. At a recent Temperament Test (conducted by Temperament Test Associates of Ontario), 80% of the White Shepherds tested attained their Temperament Test title. We'll stack that up against the "regular" GSDs any day! • IS THE WHITE SHEPHERD A PUREBRED? Yes, they are actually registered as German Shepherd Dogs by the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) and the American Kennel Club (AKC). • IS THE WHITE SHEPHERD ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN CKC/AKC EVENTS? Yes. They are eligible to participate in all CKC and AKC events EXCEPT conformation shows. White Shepherds can and do earn titles in Obedience, Tracking, Herding, Flyball and Agility. • ARE THEY ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN CONFORMATION SHOWS WITH OTHER CLUBS? Yes. White Shepherds may be shown at WSCC, AWSA, UKC, WGSDCI and FORB conformation shows. They can and do earn Championship titles at these events.

Health and Genetics of the White Shepherd - The Science of Genetics

May your White Shepherd have a long happy, and healthy life!

That

being

said,

please

know

that

most

dogs

who

are

properly

cared

for,

loved

and

socialized

will

live

long,

healthy

lives.

There

are

some

dogs

in

every

breed,

however,

that

can

suffer

from

health

problems.

Each

breed

of

dog

has

its

own

set

of

specific

health

issues,

some

are

minor

or

cosmetic,

and

some

are

more

serious

and

costly

to

treat.

The

White

Shepherd

is

no

exception

and

unfortunately

as

seen

in

other

breeds,

the

problems

tend

to

increase

as

the

White

Shepherd

becomes

more

popular

and

there

is

an

increase

in

indiscriminate

breeders.

Failure

to

screen

for

health

problems,

and

failure

to

share

data

with

other

White

Shepherd

breeders

often

results

in

the

"doubling

up"

of

unfavourable

genes.

The

results

can

be most unfortunate, not only for the dog owner and the individual dog, but also for the entire breed as a whole.

If

a

breeder

tells

you

they

don’t

have

any

diseases

in

their

lines,

it

may

be

very

comforting

to

hear,

but

beware,

it

simply

cannot

be

true.

EVERY

dog

of

every

breed

carries

genetic

diseases,

and

it’s

the

breeder’s

responsibility

to

keep

their

puppy

buyers

informed,

and

run

their

breeding

program

with

honesty

and

integrity.

If

a

breeder

tries

to

tell

you

they

don’t

have

any

diseases

in

their

lines,

or

the

diseases

they

list

are

all

cosmetic

and

very

minor,

then

you

know

they

are

not

being

100%

honest,

and

perhaps

it

would

be

in

your

best

interests

to go elsewhere.

A

good

Breeder

of

White

Shepherds

should

be

willing

to

discuss

the

health

of

their

breeding

stock

and

what

steps

they've

taken

to

reduce

the

likelihood

of

problems.

They

should

be

willing

to

guarantee

against

genetic

health

problems

and

be

willing

to

offer

either

a

replacement

puppy

or

a

refund

if

your

dog

does

become

ill.

They

should

also

want

to

keep

track

of

anything

that

might

show

up

later

in

your

puppy.

No

breeder

wants

to

breed

a

dog

with

a

genetic

disease,

but

genetics

is

a

tricky

science

and

can

be

hard

to

predict.

That

is

why

meticulous record keeping is so important, and remember, knowledge is power.

If

your

White

Shepherd

should

develop

a

genetic

health

problem,

you

should

tell

your

breeder

about

it.

This

way,

White

Shepherd

breeders

can

remain

informed

about

potential

problems in their lines, and use the information to breed healthier dogs in the future.

That

is

the

whole

focus

of

the

genetics

project,

to

breed

healthier

dogs.

Many

of

our

breeders

test

their

breeding

stock

for

good

health,

and

the

results

have

been

very

encouraging.

We

have

also

been

very

proud

of

our

White

Shepherd

breeders

who

have

come

forward

and

revealed

the

genetic

diseases

in

their

lines,

so

that

we

can

all

work

together

to

breed

the

healthiest dogs possible. It takes time, but we sure feel that we’re off to a great start!

Go to the White Shepherd Genetics Project