White GSD

[Lizmo]

Are the white GSD's, basically, acceptable?

They're BEAUITFUL dogs. Definitely I breed I would consider owning.

[bubbatd]

They used to be culled at whelp ... but some are actually breeding them today . No , white is not accepted .

[FoxyWench]

grammy covered it...
it is an undesirable trait and most have MANY health issues (more than gsds are prone too, especially since the ones breeding them are byb's)

however they occasionally show up in shelters...in which case, give one a good home

[Lizmo]

Thats too bad. I knew a lady who had two. Sweetest dogs. Lizzie loved to play with the female. Gorgeous too.

[Tankstar]

They are beutiful And are registerd as a german shepherd, although not allowed in the conformation ring. the FCI does recognize them as a seperate breed called "Berger Blanc Suisse". Tehy are just german shepherds that are white. Many people are working any making them a seperate breed.

I'm not sure if she is on these boards (I dont think so) but there is a lady that has a service dog that is a white GSD. Normally uses the username NicoleJ I think. She knows TONS on the white GSD.

[PWCorgi]

Aren't they recognized by the UKC?

My American Lit. teacher has one and he's gorgeous and has a great temperment.

[Tankstar]

Originally Posted by PWCorgi

Aren't they recognized by the UKC?

My American Lit. teacher has one and he's gorgeous and has a great temperment.

Yes they are, just not allowed in the conformation ring.

[drmom777]

Actually the UKC doubly recognizes the White German Shepherd. They register it separately as the White Shepherd, and it has its own classes at conformation shows. In addition this is the section of the official UKC German Shepherd Dog breed standard relating to color.

Color
The German Shepherd Dog comes in many colors and white. In evaluating colored dogs, strong, deep colors are preferred. Nose, lips, and eyerims must have dark pigment, regardless of coat color. Color faults are minor in comparison to defects of type and structure.

Serious faults: Pale, washed-out colors; blue; liver.

Disqualification: Albinism.

So, you see, it's just the AKC in its infinite wisdom that has decreed that German Shepherd dogs can't be white. It's just that some people take the AKC as the be-all and end-all of dog information and conclude that if the AKC says it is true it must be true.

[Romy]

Originally Posted by FoxyWench

grammy covered it...
it is an undesirable trait and most have MANY health issues (more than gsds are prone too, especially since the ones breeding them are byb's)

however they occasionally show up in shelters...in which case, give one a good home

This isn't necessarily true. There are some very good breeders working on white GSDs. As a whole, if you get into the white GSD community, the animals tend to have better health and temperaments than the general GSD population as there are a lot more BYBers that work with standard colors. Beware of people who claim what whites are "Smarter", "more trainable", and "wolf-like". These are the BYBers.

People that breed whites that I have met, place a huge emphasis on temperament, and health, and are very serious about health testing. As with any breed or strain of dog there are BYBers, so you do have to be cautious. Some police departments are beginning to turn to white shepherds for police work, as most police dog fatalities are from friendly fire. They are also required to announce to a suspect that they are releasing a police dog, and so having a highly visible white animal is a good thing. I think because the number of people seriously working with these dogs is still pretty limited, it is easier to find a healthy stable animal.

Because of their visibility, they are getting to be really desirable as service animals as well.

An interesting note, white was not made a disqualifying color in the AKC until the 1970s. Not entirely sure of the politics of it, but it was a pretty recent decision.

Edit: Here is a link to the website of the awesome folks working to preserve/improve the genetics of white german shepherd dogs. http://www.wgsdca.org/thebreed/index.asp

[bubbatd]

A friend of mine's son breeds them ...... really not a true BYB but has gotten to the point where all are white . I just don't like playing with Mother Nature .