White GSD

So there was a white GSD at puppy kindergarten last night. Very pretty, but I wondered if it was against breed standard, and it is. I looked it up. But what's disturbing about it is that there are TONS of people breeding and selling them.

So my question is, why is it against breed standard? What is it about a white coat that is undesirable? Why is this coat considered a genetic defect even though tons of variation in coat color is acceptable?

I'm not trying to start a big 'ol war or anything, I just want to learn these things.

I dont know exactly why white is unacceptable. a lot of breeds can only be specific colors and have certain markings. Personally, i like all white or all black german shepards the best. I remember knowing someone who had a white GSD named Cocaine.

I dont know, I know that a lot of breeds say that a pure white color or white more than such & such amount of white is a disqualification.

this is from the germanshepherd.com site:

"White supposedly adversely affects a dog's working abilities. A white dog blends in with sheep or goats, lessening its visibility and herding effectiveness. Also, a white coat stands out against a grassy or brushy hillside, making the dog an easy target for prey animals."

So that could be why a white GSD is not up to the breed standard.

ok that sounds like a very good reason why

Unfortuantely this is true and people will try to pass them off as rare, there is nothing rare about these dogs...

GSD's were originally bred as herding dogs, it was felt that the white coat would cause the dog to blend in to much with sheep and not allow the dog to be seen by the animals it was trying to herd, it was also felt that a white dog would be too difficult for the Shepherd to see and give direction to.

The white coat color is not a genetic defect, however the knowledge of genetics back then was not what we have today and it was thought the gene that causes a white coat was the same gene that was linked with albinoism.

That makes perfect sense, Serena and Dan!