Question for white German Shepherd owners and supporters - Page 1

I've seen the terms;

White Shepherd
White German Shepherd
American Shepherd
White American Shepherd

Is one more widely accepted than another? Would a website using the term "White Shepherd" be addressing only one faction, or is everybody pretty accepting of that term generally? Thanks,

Gary

It's all fairly factional.

There are the White German Shepherd folks -- which are the folks that want to remain a part of the GSD breed.  These dogs tend to me more angulated.

There are the White Shepherd folks...which are folks that want to seperate into a new breed.  These dogs tend to be a little less angulated.

Aaand there are the Berger Blanc Suisse / White Swiss Shepherd Dog folks which have already seperated them into a new breed,  These dogs tend to be the least angulated.

~Cate

Angulation or no angulation, they're GSDs and theyre white.  They come in all shapes and sizes, degrees of angulation.  (although from what I"ve seen, they have straighter backs - didn't get caught up in the roach back phenomenon)..  You can call them white shepehrds, like you can say "black shepherds" or "sable shepherds" - or you can say german shepherds.  Once they're registered as swiss shepherds, they're swiss shepherds.  I don't think you have to use the term "white" - but perhaps you do....  I don't have a registered swiss shepherd, so I don't know what is culturally correct for the term.  White Swiss Shepherd seems as redundant as German Shepherd Dog, LOL!

They're not all GSDs dear.  My female is a White Swiss Shepherd Dog...and the WSD and WSSDs have a standard different from the GSD as well.  The WSSDs are registered and recognized as a seperate breed...and NO registry will re-register them as a GSD.  It's pretty final that way.

~Cate

If (perhaps I should ask, can) a white GSD was born to a regular litter, would that be registerable a a White Swiss Shepherd? I am not knowledgeable about the genetics, can whites crop up from dark parents ( like a throwback?), or do you need a white or white carrier within x number of generations to produce white? Just curious, thanks. jh

Nope -- some FCI nations will register White Shepherds with three generations of only white and an AWSA pedigree, but most of the FCI nations wont even look at whites born in the US.

Whites can crop up in colored litters, it's a recessive allele and both parents need to carry for it (Extension Locus).

~Cate

Hi Ceph - well, you answered my question....  the name white swiss shepherd  seems as redundant at the german shepherd dog, LOL!  (unless there are other color swiss shepherds....)

On the other hand, in my view - three generations of white german shepherds, regardless of where they come from in the world, still results in a german shepherd.  The fact it can be registered as a different breed doesn't make it any less of a german shepherd - it just means it's registered as another breed....   I just can't get my head around the creating a new breed out of a color.

unless there's a piece of the puzzle I'm missing... 

BTW, my white babies come from more than 3 generations of whites...  even if I could register than as another breed - I don't think I would - I adore them but I like the fact they're german shepherds, too.  I am not one that agrees with breed separation on the basis of color.