Hello all - I thought since it seems like we have a small explosion of White Shepherds I would share some info - it was written by a friend of mine but I added and subtracted some things.
I hope you enjoy
The color white is one of the original colors of the German Shepherd Dog (GSD). Max Von Stephanitz, the creator of the breed chose a Shpherd named Hektor to be the first registered German Shepherd Dog and he had a grandsire, Greif, who was was white. Ann Tracy's Stoneihurst Edmond, who was whelped in March 27, 1917, was the first registered white German Shepherd Dog who was born and bred in the United States.
The white coat because a disqualification in Germany around 1935. There were many reasons stated for this but amoung other things health issues and the fading of the touted red coat color were blamed on the whites....There is a little more about this later.
The white color became a disqualification in the GSD Standard by the German Shepherd Dog Club of America in 1968. Before that time the white German Shepherd Dog also competed in conformation events along side its colored counterparts. They were not - as some people might tell you -
added to the Standard - they were always there, right from the beginning. - they just became a disqualification in the conformation ring after much pressure by SV supporters in the US.
The White Shepherd can still be registered with the AKC as German Shepherd Dogs but because of the color disqualification, they can not be shown in the AKC conformation ring - however they still qualify for registration with the AKC as German Shepherds (coat color white) and they can still preform in preformance events. The inability to show is one of the main reasons White Shepherd fanciers wish for breed seperation. So that we can enjoy the same rights that the colored German Shepherd Dog fanciers enjoy. However in addition there are many of those that feel they can gain recognition by the GSDCA and hope to prevent seperation and there are others still who support seperation but breed Colored dogs to White Dogs to add genes while they feel they still can.
There are many falsehoods that still exist today about the genetics of the white gene in the White Shepherd. Some like to say it is an albino trait or that it causes deafness or blindness. Other say it is the cause of fading or health problems. All this has been proven to be untrue. Many of the falsehoods about the White Shepherd happened before modern genetics research. Even though these rumors have been proven to be false, the rumors have been hard to correct. Another rumor that was passed was that all White Shepherds are predisposed to temperment problems - this is also untrue as I have met several of them and they all seem like perfect shepherds - aloof at first but very loving of their owners and playful!
The falsehoods about the White Shepherds and the gene that causes their coat color are many. First White Shepherds are NOT albinos. Albinos have no pigment and usually pink or blue eyes. The White Shepherds have brown eyes and black pigment on their noses, mouth, paw pads, eye rims,sometimes a black dusting in their ears and sometimes have darker skin and nails.
Color paling was another rumor that has since been proven false. The white gene is a masking gene, not a dilute gene (such as liver and blue). A masking gene hides the real color and pattern of the dog. A White Shepherd can be any color found in the German Shepherd Dog like black, black and tan, black and red, black and silver, black and cream, blue, liver, sable, saddled and bi-colored. The only time dilution could occur is when a White Shepherd is masking a diluted color like blue or liver. The white gene is a recessive gene at the Extension Locus. The only thing the gene expresses is coat color. It does not cause poor health, temperament or any other. The Intensity of the red is caused at the Intensity Locus - and is also a recessive gene - which is probably why there is paling - any time they mate with a dog with the dominant gene there will be a degree of paling.
For over 30 years, white German Shepherd Dog fanciers worked to change the German Shepherd Dog standard to allow them to once again show in the AKC conformation ring as they had in the past. This has not worked, and shows very little chance of actually coming about. Hence the reason for breed seperation.
In the UKC the White Shepherd can compete as a German Shepherd Dog or a White Shepherd. The White Shepherd has also succeeded in becoming a seperate breed with the FCI as well (Berger Blanc Suisse)
White Shepherds can perform in and excel at AKC performance events like obedience, tracking, agility, flyball, Bitework and herding trials. White Shepherds can be police dogs, bomb detection dogs, drug sniffing dogs, and Search and Rescue dogs just to list a few. They are also great family pets, service dogs, farm dogs, therapy dogs, and they have also apeared in many movies and tv shows. The ablities of these dogs have no end...the rumor that the sheep dont respect a white dog is one of the funniest I have heard - at the time someone responded with they must not respect teeth then
Here are some great links to check out and learn more about this beautiful breed.
White Shepherd Club of Canada
http://www.whiteshepherdclub.ca/
United White Shepherd Club
http://www.unitedwhiteshepherdclub.org/
American White Shepherd Association
http://www.awsaclub.com/
White Shepherd Genetics Project
http://www.wsgenetics.org/
Berger Blanc International
http://www.berger-blanc-internationa...ish/index.html
AWSA Breed Standard :
http://www.awsaclub.com/standard.htm
UKC Breed Standard ("White Shepherd Dog" attachment Below)
FCI Breed Standard ("347a2002_eng" attachment below)
I hope you all enjoyed
~Cate
