Hmm, Just read something that made me think twice - Page 1

What is the general opinion of a white german shepard?  I know they are not accepted in the AKC and I know they are a genetic abnormality.

My girl has white german shepard in her breeding tree.  This was not an issue to me and actually I was hoping if she had a white, the temperment would be one I am looking for to add to my personal group.

Now.... I have read that white german shepards have a very unpredictable temperment and are generally quite agressive.  Is this true?  Or is it like all dogs, depends on the treatment and training from the beginning?

I don't agree, I don't think whites are any different in temperment than the colored one. I think it's all in their treatment, training, etc.

"Shepherd" not Shepard :)

The white color is not an abnormality, it's actually a very natural color to the GSD.  The sire of the very first registered GSD was a solid white. 
The solid white masking gene is not connected with any health or temperament issues.  Some bloodlines are more prone to health and temperament issues simply because the breeder(s) was more concerned about pumping out white puppies to sell than selecting dogs with good temperament and health. 
The White color in the GSD was not "disqualified" in the breed standard until after the breed founder Stephanitz was ousted by the Nazi party (and died a year later.) 

The whole issue about dog's color is a personal opinion thing (which thus turned into a political issue in the breed)

There are white Shepherd breeders out there who do breed healthy dogs with good temperaments.  You'll find many of these dogs now being called American White Shepherds or Swiss White Shepherds. 

I used to be one of those people who was biased against dogs based on their color.  Not anymore.  No good dog can be a bad color (a quote from the breed founder himself)

Have known quite a few white GSDs over the years; I feel CMills is entirely right, you can't ascribe any one personality type to them, they are just as much a product of their individual genetics and their upbringing / training as any other GSD (any other dog, even).  They are not a genetic rarity either - they don't usually get bred from because the Standard (s) generally fault them in view of
Von Stephanitz's not liking them, so they dont get shown. However they are like long coats - the
breed has the genes,  anyone can choose to bring them out if they want to; and they do, but for the pet (and quick buck) market, mostly.  Whatever the SWiss White Shepherd etc etc etc people
choose to say and think,  they are just a GSD. Breeding generations of white to white-carriers, or even phenotypical white to white,  to continue getting white puppies to sell,does not alter that.
You probably lose out a lot on the breed's good structural  and working ability points eventually
but hey, as long as you throw up a good one now and again, who cares?
Having said all that, one of the nicest dogs I know (though he wouldn't win a conformation class
anywhere) is an all-black dog sired by a (well known in UK) white dog I wouldn't give house-room to, out of a lovely all-black mother who is fairly accidentally a product of a direct cross between Show line and Working line. Go figure. :-S

Thank you all.  I hard not heard anything especially negative about white sheperds until today and I thought I had missed something.

A mutated gene.

  THE white shepherd had genetic problem way back a few years ago as everyone and his neighbor jumped on the paverbial BAND wagon to breed the white shepherd.

SOME of them had wonderful personalities, were very smart, kept the kids in line, killed snakes, and were very much DIFFERENT.

Pink noses, health issues, skin problems and many of them very much sickly in digestive problems/but finally some good breeders in Eastern USA started researching the WHITE gene and they did testings and bred the correct dogs without the problems inherent to WHITE Resessive Mutated gene make ups..

MANY of those kennels have entered the WHITE shepherd in Schutz events and have had some very well trained, service, and rescue  and titled parents of litters by these kennels.

I too, do not want a white gsd to show up in any breeding I do, but that is my choice.

YOU can get a nasty temperament in a pup from the TOP WUSV OR USA champions as well as a White Shepherd also.

YR

As someone who has actually trained quite a few whites- my take on them is not overwhelmingly positive. I think many of the better/more correct modern lines have bred whites out, leaving the color prevalent in primarily lower quality, BYB type lines, with only a smattering of WGSD breeders who want to uphold the standard, simply in white. Most of the ones I see are lacking in drives and confidence. I can think of two I worked with that had acceptable temperment, and only one that had the ability that any working dog lover would be proud to own. What a joy that dog was to work. If they were all like him I bet people wouldn't be as hard on whites- but he was one out dozens, for me, anyway.