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Welcome to the website of the White German Shepherd Dog
Alliance of Victoria
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Breed Information Lifespan White German Shepherds have the same lifespan
as their coloured brothers, which is around 13 years. Health White German Shepherds can suffer from the exact same hereditary
diseases as standard coloured German Shepherds. All animals should be hip and
elbow x-rayed before breeding and should only be bred with if results are
acceptable. There are no extra health problems (such as skin cancer or
sunburn susceptibility) due to them being white. Males – Size and Weight Height at the wither 60 cm to 65 cm (23.62 inches - 25.59 inches) Weight 30
kg to 40 kg. (66.14 pounds - 88.18 pounds; Midrange = 77 pounds) Females – Size and Weight Height at
the wither 55 cm to 60 cm (21.65 inches - 23.62 inches) Weight 22
kg - 32 kg (48.5 pounds - 70.55 pounds; Midrange = 59.5 Utilisation The German
Shepherd Dog was originally bred as a versatile utility, herding, guard and service
dog. Originally bred for with sheep herding, the breed further developed into an all-purpose working
dog and companion. This includes, but is not limited to protection, tracking
(search and rescue and drug detection), police work, seizure-alert and
assistance dogs. As a multi-purpose working dog, they excel in every kind of
dog sport that exists, i.e. agility, flyball, obedience, endurance, herding,
schutzhund, dancing with dogs, dock diving and rally-o. It would
be nice to see more German Shepherd Dogs working in these disciplines of what
they were bred for, in addition to them being family pets. They surely have
the innate ability for all these things! Breeders should also take working
ability into consideration in their breeding program. Temperament The temperament of a White German Shepherd dog is that of a very good natured
companion and ultimate working dog. Early (and consistent) socialisation and training is of the utmost
importance if the owner wishes for it to be a well-balanced and good
companion. They should be confident, loyal and protective dogs in the right
situations. They should not be overly timid, overly reactive or aggressive. They enjoy running, playing fetch, or any activity with their family
or pack and are an active breed. They are very good with children, especially when raised with them.
Remembering, at all times, young children should never be left unsupervised
with any breed or size of dog. They can learn various tricks (depending on the dog and the training
given), but are usually very intelligent animals. White German Shepherds love being with their owners and involved in
all their activities. They have an active mind and must be stimulated,
trained and socialised, if the owner does not want the dog to develop
behavioral problems. History of the Whites and the start of
Discrimination The White German
Shepherd has had a very long history, filled with misconceptions and
discrimination. For too long, this colour has been seen as faulty, in
comparison to their coloured counterparts. The white coat was not always
considered a fault; in fact, it was one of the original colours of the German
shepherd dog, and a very important part of creating the breed itself. It is a well
established fact that whites have been in the German Shepherd Dog breed, ever
since the start of when the breed was developed. The first ever German
Shepherd Dog, Horand von Grafrath (owned by Captain Max von Stephanitz,
creator and founder of the breed), had a white sheep dog as a grandfather
named Greif. View Horand’s pedigree here.
German newspaper from
1906 published this photo of a dog out of Greif Captain Max von Stephanitz wanted to
breed such a dog and make it available to sheepherders all over Germany.
During the last decade of that century, Captain von Stephanitz experimented
with breeding dogs, taking the best of the shepherd dogs across the country
to get the qualities he desired. During the early
days in establishing the German Shepherd Dog breed, Horand von Grafrath was
extensively line bred and inbred on to concrete in his type and qualities.
This inevitably passed on his grandfather’s white gene to his progeny, who in
turn, produced whites. Out of
Horands offspring is for instance Berno von der Seeweise, born 1913, his
photo was found on the first edition of Stephanitz book “Der Deutsche
Schaferhund in Wort und Bild” 1921.
Berno von der Seeweise, born 1913 On April 22, 1899 the Verein fur Deutsche
Schaeferhund (the SV) was founded, with Max von Stephanitz as the first
president. Horand became the first dog entered in the Stud Book. As German Shepherds grew in numbers and increased
in popularity, the SV held dog shows and Max continued to perfect the breed.
He wrote and distributed newsletters discussing which dog gave certain
qualities and which dogs to breed together. During that era, white-coated
German Shepherds were the same in stature and status as a dark-coated German
Shepherd. Repeatedly, Max pounded the issue that the German Shepherd was a
working breed first and foremost. The beauty is in the working abilities of
the dog. He diligently worked to keep the SV (and as such the breeders) on
that focus. In the 1930’s Nazism started to spread throughout
Germany rapidly. They were the "elite" and they had power. At the
same time, breeders of "luxury" breeds disputed Max’s unyielding
position that this was a working breed. Many SV members were Nazis and
intervened in the SVs affairs. During Winifred Strickland’s interviews with
Herta Von Stephanitz (daughter of Max), she learned some history on why Max
gave up when the Nazis started to control the SV. The Nazis wanted to focus on
beauty and less worry about function. The views of the Nazis was
totally opposite to the views of Max von Stephanitz when it came to what the German
Shepherd should have been. They continuously attempted to rid Max of his
work. They even threatened him with a concentration camp. After thirty-six
years of managing the SV, he gave up. He died one year later on April 22,
1936; ironically this was the anniversary of the conception of the SV. The Nazi Party took over all aspects of the SV
and aimed to further “standardise” the breed, which included the outcast of whites. They said that the whites were to blame for
all weaknesses in the breed, such as poor health, temperament and
trainability. As with many ‘scientific’ proclamations made by the Nazi Party,
this was also incorrect. The whites were also blamed for albanism,
deafness, and colour fading of the standard colour shepherds coat. All and has been proven wrong by
many scientists, geneticists and breeders. Whites can produce all colours in
the breed, even solid black and sable, when bred to Shepherds of other
colours. Breeders of the standard coloured German
Shepherds were instructed to drown any whites that were born in litters. It
was (and is still) a very taboo thing for a white to be born, and many
breeders still do hide the fact that their lines have produced white. Why is discrimination still
present today? Where do we go from here? What do we do to rectify this discrimination?
First and foremost is education. Not Bible-thumping, yell in their face type
of education. Stand proud and be noticed in the public - get out there and
work your dog. Then, with respect and love for your dog, state the facts.
Show them your passion of this breed. Let that passion convey the message!
Friendship will always overcome prejudice. So get out there in the dog world,
socialize, and make friends - changes in attitude will follow! From the Australian National Kennel Council German Shepherd Dog Breed
Standard (adopted in Australia 01/01/1994) COLOUR - Black with reddish tan, tan, gold to light grey markings. All
black, and all grey; in greys with dark shadings, black saddle and mask.
Unobtrusive, small white markings on chest as well as very light colour on
insides of legs permissible but not desirable. The nose must be black
in all colour types. Lacking mask, light to piercing eyes, as well as
whitish markings on chest and inner sides of legs, light nails and red tip of
tail are to be rated as lacking in pigment. The undercoat is of a light
grey toning. The colour white is
not permitted. White German Shepherd acceptance (United States, Canada, United
Kingdom) The American Kennel Club (USA), Canadian Kennel Club (Canada) and
Kennel Club (England) continue to fully register them as German Shepherd Dogs
on the main register. European countries accepting whites as a new breed Purebred White German Shepherds in many European countries overseas
have (and are being) recognised as a new breed, called the White Swiss Shepherd Dog or Berger Blanc Suisse. Many overseas
kennel clubs registered white German Shepherds into the new breed, providing
they had sufficient generations of white dogs in their pedigree and also
comply with the Breed Standard. Dogs that were registered as white German
Shepherds were simply transferred to the new registration. White German Shepherd Dogs in Australia At the current point in time, the Australian National Kennel Council
(ANKC) refuses to register white German Shepherd Dogs on the main register
and allow them to be bred from. Registrations from white stock ceased in
1995. In 2005, the ANKC resolved not to issue main register papers for dogs
whose colours are disqualifications within breed standards (ANKC regulations Part 6, The Register &
Registration 6.2). This means in all breeds accepted by the ANKC,
colours that are not acceptable in the show ring, will only be issued limited
register pedigree papers which means they cannot be bred with and offspring
registered normally. We have lobbied the ANKC for many years to also have whites
registered. For decades, white fanciers in Australia and overseas have
lobbied for equality for their whites, also for breed separation (re-naming
as a separate breed like Europe), with neither avenue being successful. The ANKC advises that Australian-bred White German Shepherds are NOT a
separate breed to the German Shepherd Dog. Only imported dogs, officially
registered as White Swiss Shepherd Dogs overseas, will be eligible for
registration as White Swiss Shepherd Dogs, providing they comply with the new
ANKC regulations. Anyone claiming
to own a White Swiss Shepherd Dog in Australia, must have an imported White
Swiss Shepherd Dog with an FCI or ANKC affiliate kennel club pedigree with no
dogs in the pedigree being registered as German Shepherd Dogs. The latest in the recognition saga, is that
the ANKC has instructed that ALL Australian whites residing in Australia are
considered German Shepherd Dogs of white coat colour and are
NOT White Swiss Shepherd Dogs, unless imported and registered under ANKC
regulations. Beware of non-ANKC registered ‘kennels’ selling “White Swiss
Shepherd Dogs”. These dogs usually have questionable purebred lineage and
some are known to carry serious hereditary defects due to bad breeding. Our club has strict policies in relation to what lines we accept for
registration and breeding. Even though some of these ‘White Swiss Shepherd
Dogs’ may be very beautiful, the knowledge of what is behind them, renders
them useless to the purebred breeding program and un-registrable with the
WGSDAV. |
