The White German Shepherd is a direct descendant of the German Shepherd Dog, and the two breeds share common roots and are similar in appearance.
The White German Shepherd dog has endured a long and challenging battle to earn its place as a purebred dog breed worldwide. This breed was able to be developed and grow as a separate and unique breed of dog.
White German shepherd content overview
- History
- Different names
- Appearance and Characteristics
- Personality and Temperament
- Health & problems
- How to take care
- Puppy Information
- Puppy price
- Things to consider adopting a puppy
- Advantages & Disadvantages
- Questions related to White German Shepherds
- Photo gallery
History of White German shepherd
The White German shepherd originated in the United States, Canada and Europe. It has considered a fault and has yet to be recognized or accepted as a type of White German Shepherd.
Switzerland was the first country to officially recognize the White German Shepherd as a distinct breed which is why it is credit as the country of origin, and the name changed to White Swiss Shepherd in many countries to reflect this.
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 German Shepherd is registered independently with the American White Shepherd Association in the United States of America. White coats made a disqualification in the German Shepherd Dog Club of Germany breed standard in 1933.
Since White German Shepherds are now disqualifying from the CKC & AKC show rings and many German Shepherds breeders refuse to breed the white dogs.
The United Kennel Club officially recognized the White German Shepherd on April 14, 1999. In 2002, the FCI recognized the White Shepherd as a separate breed – the “Berger Blanc Suisse”.
Different names or Types
Other names
- American White Shepherd
- White Canadian Shepherd
- Pastor Aleman Blanco Suizo
- Pastor Blanco Suizo
- Schäferhund
- Weisser Schweizer
- Weiße Schäferhunde
- American-Canadian White Shepherd
- White Shepherd Dog
- White GSD
How are they different from Regular German Shepherd’s?
The most obvious difference is color. Another is the structure; typically, White GSD breeders strive to maintain the “original” sound structure of the German Shepherd Dog. Most white shepherd breeders shy away from the extreme rear angulation found in so many German Shepherds today.
Recognized Names
Recognition
- American Canine Association Inc – ACA
- American Pet Registry, Inc – APRI
- Dog Registry of America, Inc – DRA
- American White Shepherd Association – AWSA
- National Kennel Club – NKC
- White German Shepherd Dog Club of Victoria – WGSDCV
- White Swiss Shepherd Dog Club of Australia – WSSDCA
Appearance & Characteristics
The White Shepherd, as recognized by UKC, is a medium-sized, well-balanced, muscular dog, slightly longer tall with a medium length, pure white coat, erect ears and a low-set natural tail that usually reaches.
Breed basic characteristics
| Origin | Germany, Austria, and Switzerland |
| Group | Herding Group |
| Size: | Medium-sized |
| Lifespan: | 12–14 years |
| Trainability: | Easy Training |
| Exercise Needs: | Daily |
| Grooming: | Constantly |
| Barking: | Occasional |
| Shedding: | Heavy shedding |
| Protective Ability: | Natural protective |
| Brushing: | Once a week |
| Hypoallergenic Breed: | NO |
| Space Requirements: | Okay in an apartment |
| Compatibility With Other Pets: | Good |
| Average Puppy Price: | Average $700 to $1,500 |
| Height | Male: 25 in (64 cm), Female: 23 in (58 cm) |
| Weight | Male: 75–85 lb (34–39 kg), Female: 60–70 lb (27–32 kg) |
| Litter size | 5–10 puppies |
Sound
Behavior
The White German Shepherds can be quite vocal, tending to whine, mumble, and grumble.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Size: Adult males are about 24 to 26 inches, and Females are 22 to 24 inches, weighing between 77 to 85 pounds when they’re healthy adults.
Proportion: The White German Shepherd Dog is more extended than tall, with the most desirable proportion as 10 to 8 1/2. The proportional length measurement took from the prosternum or breastbone point to the pelvis’s rear edge, the ischial tuberosity.
Substance:
Head
The head is proportional to the size of the dog. Males appear masculine without coarseness, and female’s feminine without being overly friendly.
Skull & Muzzle: The skull and muzzle are of equal length, parallel to one another and joined at an intermediate stop.
Eyes: Eyes are of medium size, almond-shaped, set a little obliquely and not protruding. The color is as dark as possible. The expression is keen, intelligent and composed.
Ears: Ears are moderately pointed, in proportion to the skull, open toward the front and carried erect when at attention.
Teeth: Teeth number 42 with 20 upper and 22 lower. Teeth vigorously develop and meet in a scissors bite in which part of the upper incisors’ inner surface meet and engage part of the lower incisors’ outer surface.
Neck, Topline, Body
Neck: The neck is solid and muscular, clean-cut and relatively long, proportional in size to the head and without loose folds of skin.
Topline: Top Line of the back is straight and very strongly developed without sag or roach.
Body: The whole structure of the body gives an impression of depth and solidity without bulkiness.
Forequarters
Shoulders: The shoulder blades are long and obliquely angled, laid on flat and not placed forward. The upper arm joins the shoulder blade at about a right angle.
Forelegs: The forelegs viewed from all sides are straight, and the bone oval rather than round.
Feet: The feet are short compact with toes, well-arched pads thick and firm, nails short and preferably dark.
Hindquarters
The hindquarters deliver a powerful forward thrust that slightly lifts the whole animal and drives the body forward. The upper thigh bone parallels the shoulder blade, while the lower thigh bone parallels the upper arm.
Tail: The tail is set on low in a natural extension of the sloping croup and usually extends at least to the hock joint and below.
Coat
The White German Shepherd has a weather-resistant double coat. The outer coat is dense, straight, harsh, and close-lying and The undercoat is short, thick, and fine in texture.
Winter Coat:
Summer Coat:
Shedding: White Shepherds shed constantly. Long haired individuals “appear” to shed less because much of their shed hair gets caught in their long wavy outer coat.
Color and Markings
Coat Color and Markings
Whitecoat color is entirely independent of agouti genes, two-tone or solid patterns in other “colored” dogs.
Gait:
Personality and Temperament
Personality
The White German Shepherd is a beautiful and often misunderstood breed. They are often to have a softer, mellower and more sensitive personality. This breed is a high energy dog that is to work. It would help if you were committed to giving those lots of daily exercises, or else they might start to terrorize the house.
White Shepherds are often to have a softer, more mellow, more sensitive personality. Because of this sweeter temperament, White Shepherds seldom used as police dogs, guard dogs, or to participate in protection dog sports such as Schutzhund.
Temperament
The White German Shepherd has a distinct personality marked by self-confidence. The breed is poised, but when the situation demands, they are eager, alert and ready to serve in any capacity. This breed is a joyful, active, intelligent, and easy-to-train working dog with the ability to adapt and integrate to all kinds of social events and situations.
White GSDs tend to have a well-poised demeanour, but if a situation arises that requires their protective services, they will react instantly. They are cheerful, obedient and eager to learn. Tranquil, confident, serious and clever, White Shepherds are incredibly faithful and brave.
Activity Requirements
White German shepherd dogs are capable of adapting to a variety of social situations and events. They also have a playful nature and are highly interested in expressing themselves. The White Shepherd craves human interaction and is very trainable.
Expect to spend at least 30 minutes a day playing games or going for brisk walks to keep him happy. He can also learn how to run on the treadmill efficiently when the weather is not conducive to outdoor activities.
Behavioral Traits
White German Shepherds seldom used as police dogs, guard dogs, or protection dog sports such as Schutzhund.
Trainability
A White German Shepherd can undoubtedly be an excellent watchdog, but his “watching” limited for alerting you that someone is coming. White Shepherds are not typically aggressive. They require positive reinforcement and do not react well to aggressive training practices.
Health & problems
Health
The most common health issue GSDs are known for are hip and elbow dysplasia. These illnesses are usually hereditary and can become apparent at any age. The symptoms are most often noticed in older dogs, though.
Health Problems
Like other German shepherds, some White German shepherds can develop problems with hip dysplasia and shoulder dysplasia. Also, the genes that contribute to white coloring are sometimes associated with deafness. A good breeder will be able to certify that your dog has checked for these problems.
Feeding Plan
Food is the number 1 foundation for good health. The best diet for feeding your dog is real food. Real chicken, turkey, beef, fish are not just “people foods”, This is the best food for any dog.
Puppies have seemingly endless energy stores. It means they need a constant supply of calories, the appropriate types of calories to keep their energy levels high and help them develop into happy, healthy adult dogs.
White German Shepherds are incredibly high energy dogs and should feed with a high-quality variety of dry kibble to supplement all their nutritional needs. Please provide them with ½ to 1 cup of high-quality dry kibble every day split into at least two or three meals.
Their food should contain more amounts of calories in comparison to large dogs to provide balanced energy levels. As long as you feed high-quality food, you do not have to add anything to your diet. We usually recommend Orijen, Acana, Evolve or Blue Buffalo.
Living conditions
These types of dogs can live happily in an outdoor or indoor environment as long as they got proper nourishment and exercise. White German shepherd love to live in an area dedicated to it, whether indoors or outdoors.
They need to have attention and praise from their owners every day. If you choose to keep your dog outdoors, you’ll need to make regular visits to keep them from getting lonely, developing depression and anxiety or worse, becoming aggressive.
How to take care?
Exercise
White German Shepherds do not need plenty of physical and mental exercise. This intelligent breed should not relegate to at home that wants a casual pet to walk around the block. They need to be taken daily, brisk, long walk, jog or run alongside you when you bicycle.
Grooming & Bruising
White German Shepherds have medium-length and thick coats that are white. White Shepherds are direct descendants of standard German Shepherds and thus have the exact grooming needs. Sometimes called the White German Shepherd, grooming requirements for this breed are moderate.
So they’ll need brushing 4-5 times per week if not daily. They only require baths after every 3-4 months, as bathing a dog of this breed too frequently will remove the water-repellent oils from its coat.
Brush your white shepherd frequently using the slicker brush to go over the coat section by section in the hair growth direction. Once or twice a week, use the rake in the same fashion.
Dental Health check up
Proper dental health care is essential for every dog; similarly, it is essential for the White German shepherd dog. Brush your pet’s teeth at least 2 or 3 times a week. You get special toothpaste and toothbrush for dogs, and your vet can guide you on how to use them. If you don’t attend to your pet’s teeth, he can experience tartar build-up. It can lead to gum disease and tooth loss. Not only that, bad teeth can affect other parts of the body too.
Love & affection
Love and affection are beneficial for every dog. Suppose you give love and affection to your White Shepherd, then the dog will love you back. Your White German Shepherd puppy will be a member of your family, So Give lots of love and affection to your cute puppy. Most importantly, spend time with your dog because that your dog needs love and affection.
Feed Healthy food
Feeding a healthy meal in the dog’s life is the most important. These days, there are many healthy foods available on the market so that you can choose any healthy food for your dog. Because healthy food is the most important for dog health cares. The young White German Shepherd dog is not more eater, has most breeds his size. He must often encourage meat juices or bacon grease mix in the food to entice him to eat.
This dog will eat between 6 to 14 cups of good to excellent quality dry dog food a day, split into at least two meals or even 3 to avoid bloat problems.
The following items should never be feed to White German Shepherd
- Alcohol, beer, wine or liquor
- Chocolate, coffee, or tea
- Grapes or raisins
- Moldy or spoiled food of any kind
- Onions, chives, and garlic
- Poultry bones
- Salt & salty foods
- Tomato leaves stem or unripe fruit
- Yeast dough
White GSD puppy training
White Shepherds should not be left alone for long periods. They must be thoroughly socialized and firmly obedience trained from an early age and throughout their lives. There are many ways to train your dog efficiently. Here are some of the tips to train your dog.
Crate training
The crate is an important training tool for almost every dog but especially for families with young children. Crate training is essential for any owner for trips to the vet, travelling, boarding etc. Crate training your dog can be a painless process if you follow the steps in this guide and provide lifelong benefits to your dog.
Most owners wonder how long should a puppy be in a crate. See the table below to determine how long you can Crate your dog based on their age.
| Dog’s age | Maximum time in a crate |
|---|---|
| 8-10 weeks | 30-60 minutes |
| 11-14 weeks | 1-3 hours |
| 15-16 weeks | 3-4 hours |
| 17+ weeks | 4-5 hours |
| Adult healthy dogs | 8 hours |
Socialization
The White German Shepherd is a dog you can get along with very well quickly. Still, basic training in a harmonious environment from an early age and constant socialization is essential. The first step in puppy socialization is learning essential but straightforward habits. It is essential to feel comfortable when held on a leash, when its master makes it a bath or when the master touches its food.
Behavioral training
Before teaching the basic commands, it is essential to establish a close emotional relationship between the dog and the owner. Behavioral training is essential for any dog. All of us, dog owners, need to administer some dog behavior training at some point in time. Behavioral training is beneficial for taking care of the dog. If you want to train your puppy to Behavioral training, find out some common behavioral issues like breaking, aggression, food guarding, howling, mouthing and chewing, separation anxiety, etc. and stop these behavioral issues and train your dog efficiently.
Obedience training
Obedience training usually refers to a dog’s training, and the term most commonly used in that context. It ranges from fundamental training such as teaching the dog to reliably respond to basic commands such as “sit,” “down,” “come,” and “stay,” to high-level competition. Training a dog in obedience can be an ongoing and lengthy process depending on the dog, methods used, and skill and understanding of both the trainer and the handler.
White German Shepherd puppy price
The cost to buy a White German Shepherd varies greatly. It depends on many factors such as the breeders’ location, reputation, litter size, lineage of the puppy, breed popularity, training, socialization efforts, breed lines and much more. Review how many White German shepherd puppies for sale sell for below.
Find a dog or puppy
The average price for white German shepherds is $750 to $1,000. When purchasing a White German Shepherd puppy, consider the conditions where the puppy was in and the price second. Buying puppies from puppy mills, or poorly kept kennels, for a cheaper price increase the chance that your dog will have poor health, bad temperament and behavioral problems. It’s best to buy from reputable breeders to avoid these problems.
Find a breeder
Selecting a respected breeder is the key to finding the right puppy. Finding a breeder in the US requires careful research and consideration. A trustworthy breeder should be able to provide you with detailed answers to all of your questions regarding temperament and health.
List of White German Shepherd Breeders
- ARIZONA
JoKay’s Sedona White German Shepherds
email: jokaysedona@commspeed.net - PENNSYLVANIA
Sugarloaf Shepherds
email: Lindalessler@comcast.net - FLORIDA
Ivory Kennels
email: ivorystar@worldnet.att.net - MINNESOTA
Di Da GSD Companions
email: didaGSD@Gmail.com
Things to consider adopting a White German shepherd
If you’re seriously considering adopting a White German Shepherd, you should know.
- Before you adopt a White Shepherd, consider how much time your new family member will spend alone. Remember, a puppy requires constant attention.
- Before you adopt a puppy, ask yourself if you are available to walk with your dog several times throughout the day.
- You also have the advantage of knowing that your dog is physically able to “hold it” for several hours at a stretch.
- Ask anybody who has adopted an adult dog, then adopts an adult dog.
- If you ensure that the new dog you’ve chosen is right for your family and lifestyle, consider fostering before committing.
Advantages of White GSD
- White Shepherd is a healthy animal that is full of energy.
- They are intelligent and at the same time, they are mischievous.
- They are athletic, good-looking dogs.
- They are loving with family and kids.
- They are highly adaptable.
Disadvantages of White GSD
- White Shepherds can never be left alone for a very long span of time.
- They are naughty.
- Not good for first time dog-owner
- Not suitable for apartment living family.
- Needs much amount of exercise.
Questions related to White German Shepherds
1. Do White German Shepherds Shed?
The White Shepherd has a double coat that is resistant to the elements. The outer coat is straight and harsh, and the inner coat is thick and fine. The fact that White German Shepherds shed a lot won’t surprise you! Additionally, Ash cautioned prospective White German Shepherd owners to anticipate dog hair!
2. Are White German Shepherds a Good Dog for the Family?
They are eager to learn and please. They have an intelligent and brave personality. They are wonderful family pets due to these characteristics.
3. Is it hard to train White German Shepherds?
According to The Intelligence of Dogs, the German Shepherd ranks third among dog breeds in terms of intelligence. Therefore, it is highly probable that a White GSD will be intelligent. White German Shepherd doesn’t think training these dogs is hard.
4. Does a White German Shepherd have separation anxiety?
Chronic separation anxiety in dogs can affect any dog, regardless of breed or mix. Most of the time, it happens when a dog owner leaves their dog alone at home. Because they love their owners, White German Shepherds are prone to separation anxiety.
5. Is White German shepherd good for the Apartment?
They are not the best dog for you if you live in a small apartment.
White German shepherd Photo gallery
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