the Breed
The White Shepherd
The White Shepherd is a real natural beauty. It is a robust, agile, well proportionate dog with outstanding features like strong nerves, attentiveness, impartiality, alertness, loyalty and incorruptibility. Each White Shepherd should be characterized by a heart of gold, fearlessness and self-confidence.
With lots of love to his owner and a touching fondness for kids the WS is an ideal family-dog who wants nothing more than to be a fully accepted member of his family. The WS loves to work and likes sportive activities. Nervousness and aggressiveness are to be refused and doesn´t comply with our goal of breeding.
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FAQs
• Are the White Shepherd & White Swiss Shepherd Dog the same breed?
Yes, but the breed is registered under different names depending on the club. In the european FCI the breed is named White Swiss Shepherd (Berger Blanc Suisse), in the UKC the breed is now called White Shepherd Dog. In the AKC/CKC the whites are still listed as (White) German Shepherds. AWSA (American White Shepherd Association) and the White Shepherd Club of Canada (WSCC) however search for breed recognition in the AKC/CKC. Our kennel supports this breed-separation from the German Shepherd.
• Is the White Shepherd related to the German Shepherd?
Yes, the first registered German Shepherd was Horand von Grafrath, born January 1895 – his father Greif was white.The english judge George Horowitz writes that two dogs participated in the exhibition in Hannover in1879, one was Greif (born the same year) who´s fur was pure white. Due to this the color was identified as geneticially expected in the breed.
• What is the difference between White Shepherds and German Shepherds?
Besides the colour, in white shepherds the straight backline is preserved and there has not been bred a sloping backline as among the German Shepherds. German Shepherds and White Shepherds has the same qualities and as startingpoint the same temper, the White Shepherd however is said to have a more mild temper, this may be due to breeding.
• Is the White Shepherd an albino?
No, a purebred White Shepherd is NO albino. The breed just has a white coat.
• How about the temper of White Shepherds?
The WS has a good, loving and very soft temper. It is very important that the puppy gets the right socialization to preserve and develop the good temper.
• Does a White Shepherd need a lot of exercise?
As all dogs the WS requires regular exercise and mental challenges. Daily walks, a garden to play in and exciting mental tasks tributes to a calm, contend and well ballanced dog.
• Is the breed suitable for training?
The WS is extremely suitable for training and can achieve excellent results with the proper training. The WS is intelligent, coorporative and a very easy learner.
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The history of the White Shepherd
Former names:
American-Canadian Shepherd (in Europe), White German Shepherd —
The official name since 2004: White Swiss Shepherd (Berger Blanc Suisse)
UKC: White Shepherd
Utilzation:
Family and working companion dog with distinctive friendly nature to children; attentive watchdog, cheerful and quick to learn
Brief historical summary:
White shepherds have a long history – it goes back into the late 1800s. The grandfather of all German Shepherds (Greif) was white – he was the one, who passed on the white gene to his coloured offspring. So it was no surprise, that there were always white puppies in GSD-litters.
Berno von der Seewiese (picture) was the first white shepherd who got registered by the german SV (SchäferhundVerein = GSD-breeder club). Later (1933) the SV considered white dogs as atypical and the colour white became a “fault” in Germany and Europe. Due to breeders in Canada and the US the white ones “survived” and build up the cadre for pure breeding the White Shepherd worldwide.
The first dogs of this breed were (re-)imported into Europe in the early 70ies. The American male “Lobo”, whelped on 5th March 1966, can be considered as the progenitor of the breed in Switzerland. The descendants of that male registered with the Swiss Stud Book (LOS) and other white shepherd dogs imported from USA and Canada, gradually multiplied. There exists now a big number of white shepherd dogs, pure-bred, over several generations, distributed throughout Europe. For that reason, since June 1991, these dogs have been registered as a new breed with the appendix of the Swiss Stud Book (LOS).
Since 2004 the White Swiss Shepherd is a breed officially recognized by the FCI. Also the UKC accept the White Shepherd as a separate breed. Only AKC and CKC still don´t regognize the whites as an independent breed.
Yet they are called “White German Shepherds” – in most cases mixed with coloured ones. Despite the fact, that the GSD motherclub SV doesn’t allow Whites to be part of the “German Shepherd”-family since 1933, AKC & CKC still stick to that old scheme, although the rest of the world already recognize the Whites as a seperate breed.
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