White German Shepherd Dog

White Shepherd

Other names	American White Shepherd, White Canadian Shepherd
Origin	Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
Traits Weight Male 75–85 lb (34–39 kg) Female 60–70 lb (27–32 kg) Height Male 25 in (64 cm) Female 23 in (58 cm) Coat double coat that is straight and dense Color White, off white Litter size 5–10 Life span 12–14 years
Classification / standards UKC Herding Dog standard
Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris)

Traits
Weight	Male	75–85 lb (34–39 kg)
	Female	60–70 lb (27–32 kg)
Height	Male	25 in (64 cm)
	Female	23 in (58 cm)
Coat	double coat that is straight and dense
Color	White, off white
Litter size	5–10
Life span	12–14 years

Classification / standards
UKC	Herding Dog	standard

The White Shepherd emerged from white-coat lines of the German Shepherd dog in Canada and the United States and from European imports.

The German Shepherd and the white German Shepherd are the same dog, though their coat colours vary.

The White Shepherd breed was officially recognized by the United Kennel Club on April 14, 1999.

In German Shepherds the recessive gene for white coat hair was cast in the breed gene pool by the late 19th and early 20th century breeding program that developed and expanded the German Shepherd Dog breed in Germany. A white herding dog named Greif was the grandfather of Horand von Grafrath, the dog acknowledged as the foundation of all contemporary German Shepherd bloodlines.

Information provided in early books on the German Shepherd make mention of Greif and other white German herding dogs, with upright ears and a general body description that resembles modern German Shepherd Dogs, shown in Europe as early as 1882. The early 20th century German Shepherd breeding program extensively line bred and inbred "color coat" dogs that carried Greif's recessive gene for "white coats" to refine and expand the population of early German Shepherd Dogs. White coats were made a disqualification in the German Shepherd Dog Club of Germany breed standard in 1933 after the breed club came under the control of the German Nazi party that took over all aspects of German society in February 1933 when Hitler declared a state of emergency. The German breed standard remained unchanged as German breeders repopulated the breed in the years after the conclusion of WWII.

In 1959 the German Shepherd Dog Club of America (GSDCA) adopted the exclusively colored breed standard of the parent German breed club. White-coated German Shepherd Dogs were officially barred from competition in the American Kennel Club conformation ring in the United States starting in 1968. AKC-registered white German Shepherd Dogs may still compete in performance events.

During 1969, white dog fanciers in the United States and Canada formed their own "White German Shepherd" breed clubs, breeding and showing their dogs at small specialty dog shows throughout North America.

The White Shepherd Club of Canada (WSCC) has been dedicated to the promotion and preservation of the White Shepherd since 1971. Originally formed as a Chapter of the White German Shepherd Dog Club of America, the club was renamed White Shepherd Club of Canada in 1973. Its first conformation show was held that year with 8 dogs entered and 25 people in attendance.

In Canada, the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) is incorporated under the Animal Pedigree Act, a federal statute under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, which is the governing body that sets down recognition and standards for all pure animal breeds. For a long time, Agriculture Canada had protected white German Shepherds from the many attempts by the German Shepherd Dog Club of Canada to have white dogs disqualified from the CKC conformation ring, as had long been the case in the USA. Some brave members of WSCC had shown in the CKC breed rings and had even accumulated points toward their dogs' CKC Championships. That all changed in 1998, when the color white was officially disqualified from the CKC German Shepherd breed standard.

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Wikipedia