White Shepherd Dog

The White Shepherd is the American and Canadian white German Shepherd, registered separately after the colour was excluded from the German standard.

History

White shepherds were present in the founding German Shepherd stock and were disqualified in Germany from the 1930s. North American breeders kept them, and registries there recorded them as the White Shepherd; Swiss breeders took the same dogs down a parallel path that produced the White Swiss Shepherd. The two are close relatives separated by registry rather than by type.

Temperament

The breed is known for being attentive, sensitive and closely bonded to its family, generally softer than the working German Shepherd lines and reserved rather than sharp with strangers.

Care and training

It needs substantial exercise and mental work, and responds well to reward-based training. The double coat sheds heavily and needs regular brushing.

Health

Known tendencies include hip and elbow dysplasia and, in some lines, degenerative myelopathy. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.