# White German Sheperd?



## Asgardfox (Jan 27, 2011)

Are white German Sheperds the same breed as the normal black and tan German Sheperd? Do they have different temperments and a difference in inteligence or protectiveness? Are they the same dog just in the color white? Thanks for all of the help, everyone has been so helpful here.

Jon


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## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

White German Shepherds are German Shepherds just a different color. Some people are trying to make them a separate breed so they will be allowed to show in conformation because white is not an acceptable color according to the breed standard. 

There are not a lot of white GSDs being worked and tested to the same standard as a GSD should be. Most are being bred for their "rare" color without regard to temperament or working ability.


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## DolphinGirl (Nov 5, 2010)

I have read mixed reviews. I am not one to talk. I do have a 6mo old and he has the same issues, nerves that some of the other GSDs we have come across. Personally, I think he is the same as other shepherds, just his coloring is white.


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## kimbinhhoanvn2002 (Nov 30, 2010)

Some pics of White vs Black GSD

Akando




































Play with 3 Malamutes


















With Lab

















With Daschund



























Meeting Black Shepherd




































I think white Shepherd is same as a standard GSD.


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

Cute pup! Looks like she (he?) does a lot of socializing! Love the pictures with the Dachshunds, they look like they were holding their own! Are any of the other dogs yours too?


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## kimbinhhoanvn2002 (Nov 30, 2010)

Whiteshepherds said:


> Cute pup! Looks like she (he?) does a lot of socializing! Love the pictures with the Dachshunds, they look like they were holding their own! Are any of the other dogs yours too?


Oh!
That guy is not of mine.

Here's he.




















more of white guy.




























with friend


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## ZebsMommy (Dec 4, 2010)

Love the pics!


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## Marshmallows (Jan 28, 2007)

sagelfn said:


> There are not a lot of white GSDs being worked and tested to the same standard as a GSD should be. Most are being bred for their "rare" color without regard to temperament or working ability.


 
I keep reading this same sediment over and over again and it a misconception. There are a lot of WGSD breeders who do all the health tests and they do show their dogs in conformation just not AKC. There are also a lot of WGSD breeders who are involved in herding and agility. Did you know there is a web site called the White Shepherd Genetics project where breeder actually share information about the problems they have seen come up in there lines. Whites don't have the corner on poor breeders or breeders who breed for "color". If someone wants a GSD weathers its black and tan, sable or white it comes down to research. 

As to the temperament and health of a white vs. colored; a German Shepherd is a German Shepherd. A white from a reputable breeder would have the same temperament you would find in a show line German Shepherd. As to there health they have the same genetic issues colored German Shepherds have, no less no more.


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

Marshmallows said:


> As to there health they have the same genetic issues colored German Shepherds have, no less no more.


I'm trying to stay out of this conversation but I did want to say that the White Shepherd Genetics project has identified 57 genetic diseases in the white lines. The standard shepherd has 138 known genetic diseases. (info from the WSGP, not sure how up to date it is) It would be nice to think that responsible breeding is part of the reason we see a decline.


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## MikeyMerciless (Jan 15, 2011)

I've heard different things too. For the most part, I've heard they ARE the same, just different in color (like black from tan). But if you look carefully, they look a slight bit different in the face.


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

White German Shepherds who are just white. Just like Black German Shepherds, that are just black.

But there are people who think the white color is "rare" when it isn't and using to get people to buy their dogs and make $$$. But there are good breeders of White German Shepherds out there, you just have to do your research just like with any other German Shepherd.


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

MikeyMerciless said:


> I've heard different things too. For the most part, I've heard they ARE the same, just different in color (like black from tan). But if you look carefully, they look a slight bit different in the face.


Just for those who really don't know. They are most definitely the same dogs/breed of dog, and have the same ancestry as any other GSD. They all go back to the original lines started in Germany. 

The differences are in the structure, obviously the color and sometimes the temperament depending on which line you compare them to. 

When you have only one color the faces will look different if compared to a dog with a mask. A black nose sticking out from a white face is going to make the dog look different than when you have a black nose on a dark sable face. Part of it is an illusion and part of it is simply because the dogs aren't from cookie cutters...you're going to have variations in head shapes, ear sets etc. 
The American whites closely resemble the show lines from the 1920's through the 1950's and actually look more like the first GSD's than some of the other lines.


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## Judahsmom (Mar 2, 2011)

*White German Shepherds*

Hi All -
I am new to this site but am glad to have found it. I am the proud owner of a White German Shepherd named Judah. He is 7 months old, 80 lbs. As far as differences between the black/tan and the whites, the one thing I notice is that the WGS do not have the slanted backs. 
A question to any of you, is have you noticed a change in GS at this age as far as reaction to people? Judah is being trained as my diabetic alert service dog and he has had lots of socializing and training. He's very friendly and then last weekend I took him to the mall for walking and he barked at people for the first time. One man started to come up to us saying how beautiful he was. Judah had been laying down by my feet and he got up, and then sat in front of me and barked at the man. I had not seen this reaction before. Anyone else notice this? Thanks, I appreciate feedback. Also, I loved the pictures of the WGS that were posted. Thanks for sharing.


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## tierra nuestra (Sep 8, 2010)

There are some beautiful long coated white dogs coming from the uk.calmholme has some beauties as well as nicolee.they have an older type and i thnk they are quite lovely.their black gsd's males are gorgeous too.


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## valreegrl (Nov 11, 2009)

Judahsmom said:


> Hi All -
> I am new to this site but am glad to have found it. I am the proud owner of a White German Shepherd named Judah. He is 7 months old, 80 lbs. As far as differences between the black/tan and the whites, the one thing I notice is that the WGS do not have the slanted backs.
> A question to any of you, is have you noticed a change in GS at this age as far as reaction to people? Judah is being trained as my diabetic alert service dog and he has had lots of socializing and training. He's very friendly and then last weekend I took him to the mall for walking and he barked at people for the first time. One man started to come up to us saying how beautiful he was. Judah had been laying down by my feet and he got up, and then sat in front of me and barked at the man. I had not seen this reaction before. Anyone else notice this? Thanks, I appreciate feedback. Also, I loved the pictures of the WGS that were posted. Thanks for sharing.


Sounds like he is entering the "fear" stage of development. Continue to socialize and build his confidence, do not reward the reaction. Reward meaning tightening of the leash, pulling him away, etc. Meeting new people should be a positive experience, maybe sit at the mall and allow people to calmly approach your dog, treat/pet him calmly and then move away. Do the same thing at a local park, etc.


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## valreegrl (Nov 11, 2009)

Here is my boy, 1.5 yr old WGSD

At 13 weeks









About 7-8 months









10 months









At his lowest weight, 65 pounds 









2 weeks ago, up to 74 pounds










Timber was diagnosed with HOD at 13 weeks, Pano at 9 months, and malnutrition/SIBO at 14 months. He has been our problem child since the very beginning, when I pulled him from a horrible situation complete with a cast on his leg "treating" or should I say "not treating" his HOD. 
He is a poster child for what comes out of a bad breeding program. But I wouldn't trade him for the world. He is the most gentle loving dog and adores every child he meets!


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## BluePaws (Aug 19, 2010)

I miss my white shepherd ... I'd love to have a black shepherd, and a white one ... but I don't know if I could have another white, my Willow was so special to me. I have trouble looking at other WGSDs ... but they -are- beautiful, accepted breed standard or not. 

But is there a color that isn't? I want them all ... :crazy:


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Yeah, its the same dog. When I started doing my research I did read about some genetic issues, like they can be missing a few teeth sometimes, which is probably a sign of the breeding program and not the WGSD overall. I think they are usually a little bit taller than the standard, but that might also be part of the breeding program, and I've talked to many people that have owned very oversized ones, at about 30" and 130lbs. Again this is just my experience, I'm pretty sure there are plenty that fit the standard.

It would be cool to own one, they are beautiful dogs, but I wanted a standard GSD that everyone would be able to know is purebred, so I got a sable lol.


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## tierra nuestra (Sep 8, 2010)

speaking of white gsd's,has any one heard of Catty Pacheco - Artica Shepherds?


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## VegasResident (Oct 4, 2006)

I am going to jump on board also and say they are GSDs like any other, just white. Temperament, health, stability, etc is a matter of the breeder and lines and not really the color unless the pool is small and the work to breed a specific color increases the health problems.

As a long coated GSD owner I can attest of hearing many things about my own boy, including people who ask what kind of dog he is.

He is a German Shepherd.

In fact my boy came from standard coat parents and they came from standard coat parents, some fantastic line breeding from some Champions such as VA (CHINA) Xab aus Agrigento and his dad is incredible (VA Jaeger vom Haus Munsinger Dunn (SchH3, KKL1 | HD-ED a1 normal | HD-ZW:74) )

He is just a long coat because both parents carry a genetic trait that has existed as long as the GSD has been around.

He has an incredible temperament and the vet said his hips were outstanding. 

Breeding. It is breeding and after that raising and socialization.

White, black, black and tan, black and red, sable...they are GSDs exhibiting certain genetic traits much like your children do.


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## Marshmallows (Jan 28, 2007)

Valreegrl, Timber is a beautiful boy; he looks like he has a sweet soul. Thank you for taking him in and loving him.


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## Rott-n-GSDs (Jul 7, 2010)

Because white is not an accepted color in the AKC, I think you will find a lot of BYBs breeding specifically for the "rare" white color. As someone else said, many breeders who are just looking for color tend to ignore things like health and temperament.

I own a white GSD named Nova. He does not have what I would exactly term a "stable" temperament. I am not sure if it is genetics or how he was raised before I got him, however. He apparently was kept in an outdoor kennel almost all the time, except when he was boarded (which was A LOT). He was then surrendered to a shelter and went a bit crazy there... he did NOT do well in that environment.

When I adopted him, Nova had been put on Prozac by the behavioral trainer who pulled him from the shelter. For the first week or so that we had him, he refused to lay down if we didn't leash him and give him the "down" command. He paced ALL the time. Being around the two stable doggie members of my pack helped him tremendously... he eventually learned how to relax. He is still prone to separation anxiety and will pace back and forth between the door and the window when the time for one of his humans to return home draws near. He thrives on a schedule and if that routine is interrupted, is prone to go off his food or revert back to pacing. He needs a tremendous amount of exercise to wear off the excess mental energy... he is also incredibly intelligent. 

He also is very adept at reading humans and if one of his humans is upset/nervous about something, the mood IMMEDIATELY manifests in him. If Nova is panting nervously and there doesn't seem to be a reason, you can bet that one of his humans is upset about something.

As I said, his upbringing was less than stellar before we got him (we got him at 2.5 years old), but I can't say for sure whether it was upbringing, genetics, or a combination of both that cause his current temperament issues. I do know that I have a couple of friends with white GSDs that have similar temperaments as Nova does, despite having much different backgrounds.

If I was looking for a puppy from a breeder, I wouldn't go for a white. If I was looking for another dog to adopt, I certainly wouldn't overlook a white, but I would be prepared for temperament issues (just as I would in any pup with poor breeding).


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

I won't make any assumptions but there are bad breeders, and even the good ones have a very limited gene pool to work with. Since you don't want to cross any standard gsds into the bloodline to keep it all white you have very few dogs to breed. I turned down a few breeders in my search for a pup because they had black, black and tan, and white pups all in one litter. Even though the parents weren't white. Just didn't trust those genetics, maybe I was ignorant and clearly don't understand the way the genes work, but I guess my thoughts were to be better safe then sorry.


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## valreegrl (Nov 11, 2009)

Marshmallows said:


> Valreegrl, Timber is a beautiful boy; he looks like he has a sweet soul. Thank you for taking him in and loving him.


Thank you  

He has a great temperament. Just a moment ago my daughter came trotting into my office in her Dorothy (from Wizard of Oz) costume dragging Timber behind her on leash. He was her Toto! 
He truly enjoys his "role" as the dog to dress up, play with and use as a pillow


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## lrandf (Nov 3, 2009)

Rott-n-GSDs said:


> I own a white GSD named Nova.


I got a white GSD named Nova, too. :laugh:


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## DolphinGirl (Nov 5, 2010)

So far...I havent notice any difference in him compared to other GSDs. I have socialized him, taken him to training and we even go to shutzhund. Aspen is coming around to that, but the other white GSD there is kicking some serious arse.


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## DolphinGirl (Nov 5, 2010)

Aspen....just getting into OB....tring to get im to fuss w/out taking my fingers off.









And the other WGSD at 6mo....


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## Katzel (Feb 27, 2011)

Jon, in my opinion, white German Shepherds are very similar in temperament intelligence and protectiveness as an American Showline GSD. There are very few of either lines in Schutzhund, Mondio Ring or police work. The white GSD doing Schutzhund in the previous post is a rarity and it's very nice to see a white German Shepherd with the courage, nerve and drive to do so well. Kudos!


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## Ben & Virginia Canfield (Jul 7, 2011)

DolphinGirl said:


> I have read mixed reviews. I am not one to talk. I do have a 6mo old and he has the same issues, nerves that some of the other GSDs we have come across. Personally, I think he is the same as other shepherds, just his coloring is white.


WE too have a beautiful Wgsd . She's almost 2 now and we are looking to breed her one time then have her neutered . We have found however that there seems to be a lack of White GSD males available. Could be we just dont know where to look. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks , B&V


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## Ben & Virginia Canfield (Jul 7, 2011)

The pacing habit you mentioned about your WGSD is a very common issue due to the lack of attention and being constantly caged. It of course has nothing whats so ever to do because of breed or color.I'm sure there is a solution for this issue and will no doubt require some work on your part to right this wrong. Sounds like a good question for the "Dog Whisperer"


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

Ben & Virginia Canfield said:


> WE too have a beautiful Wgsd . She's almost 2 now and we are looking to breed her one time then have her neutered . We have found however that there seems to be a lack of White GSD males available. Could be we just dont know where to look. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks , B&V


What health testing have you had done on your girl? OFA?CERF? Any titles? Are you ready to care for the mom and pups?Are you prepared incase your dog dies in the pregnancy? What if the pups die? What if the mom eats the pups? Are you willing to take back ANY pup for ANY reason at ANY age?What does your girl have to offer to the WGSDs? The German Shepherd breed?Why do you want to breed her? What if people say they want a puppy but back out at the end and your are stuck with all the puppies?Do you know how to screen buyers?Will make sure the puppies don't end up in rescues or shelters?

There is ALOT more to breeding than just having a pretty dog.


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## AutismDogGirl (Oct 7, 2010)

I have a white gSD and a black and tan pup. Icant rightly compare them 100 percent as their childhoods (being 8 years apart and me having signifacantly more experience about dog care then whe I was 16) and both being of opposite gender. However die Nim black and tan and she would look like your traditional black an tan no structural difference. nOTE she is working bloodlines. Temperament. Nim is my full time service dog this should speak to her IQ too. Encase it doesn't tjough she is very intelligent and even self fought herself 1 of her major task inturputing self injury during a severe meltdown. She also managed to figure out the school bugler was where water came from. She is very intelligent and despite CHD due to a bad breeder she is very agile. She goes to hydrotherapy and part of it is a muscle building coarse and they always say how amazingly agile she is and good onu her feet. She had 1 year agility carreer before he diagnosis and she LOVED it.white GSDs are as everyone said GSDs that are solid white that is about your only difference. Oh and she does have a wee character flaw you see this sweet angel of mine is overly loving. Lol if she likes you she really wants to kiss you when you come over! Her brother wants to jump on every stranger to greet them and kiss them lol he is 5 months old and it is important I point out that this is not an acceptable behavior and one we work very hard to train out. He is getting a lot better. When he was 2 months old he was alot worse and threw a fit every time a stran.ger walked away lol. Yeah he is an odd boy but he is turning into a great dog it takes a lot of time and work though!


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## AutismDogGirl (Oct 7, 2010)

Jessiewessie99 said:


> What health testing have you had done on your girl? OFA?CERF? Any titles? Are you ready to care for the mom and pups?Are you prepared incase your dog dies in the pregnancy? What if the pups die? What if the mom eats the pups? Are you willing
> to take back ANY pup for ANY reason at ANY age?What does your girl have to offer to the WGSDs? The German Shepherd breed?Why do you want to breed her? What if people say they want a puppy but back out at the end and your are stuck with all the puppies?Do you know how to screen buyers?Will make sure the puppies don't end up in rescues or shelters?
> 
> There is ALOT more to breeding than just having a pretty dog.



I have to agree here! Breeding is a HUGE responsibility. Please think VERY carefully before breeding. I second all these questions and this statement!


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

And also since she is planning on breeding a WGSD I would be extra careful. Too many people breeding their "rare" white GSD.


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## AutismDogGirl (Oct 7, 2010)

Jessiewessie99 said:


> And also since she is planning on breeding a WGSD I would be extra careful. Too many people breeding their "rare" white GSD.


Have to agree if you have everything set and good with the butch all good OFA hips eye elbows and are prepared for the senarios listed you MUST also hold the male to extreme Health testing standards and should do a test for the disorder I keep forgetting the name of but it causes the dogs to go lame in the back end

Degenerative malagia? No clue the name but someone here will know what I am referring to.breeding is an extreme few in ability and EXPENCIEVE! 


I advocate hard for proper breeding because Nim is a victim of poor breeding. Her breeder failed to do these test. All her siblings have epilepsy but we lucked out we got jovenial CHD! Nim suffers everyday because of it. She had to get special clearance to work and must have regular visits with our vet to make sure she is still ok to work! She needs special exercise and therapeu to maintain her quality of life and supplements. She is an amazing girl but her health issues are do to poor breeding.


I wished her vet too k me seriously cause she would have been diagnosed at 1 and not 3 and we would have never had the year of agility with her. But past is past changed vets twice since.


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