I thought I would do a biref post on my own breed – partially because I really do like blathering on about them, but also because there are a lot of misconceptions about White Shepherds, White German Shepherds and White Swiss Shepherd Dogs. LOL – and I am also sort of practicing for writing a pamphlet for puppy buyers in the future – so I figured I get my ideas down and then spend a couple of weeks researching.
First though I will start with the history of the white coat in the GSD. The Father of the German Shepherd – CPT Max v. Stephanitz – chose a male named Horand v. Grafrath to be the ‘first’ German Shepherd. Horand had all the qualities he was looking for in a dog – and as a result of being that first sire he was heavily bred and bred and bred.
What many don’t know is that Horand had a white grandfather – a dog named Greif, and he was a carrier for the White Allele. Through the extensive breeding on Horand, the white coat became a fixture in the breed (it was not a mutation). During the early years of the breed many colors and coat types exhisted that we do not see today – brindle, wire coats, piebalds, tiger strips on tan points, etc…and while the CPT may have prefered one color over another, he did not advocate for the removal of a dog based on their color. His words regarding the white coat were that it was dull, lackluster, and unexciting (essentially) and that he didn’t much care for it (he prefered the Sable). He also didn’t much like the solid black either. (side note : I have the 1924 edition of the GSD in Word and Picture – which is where I draw my information from on this topic).
In the early to mid-30’s the white coat became a disqualification under the SV. No one really knows for sure who did it or why – but the most widely accepted theory was that Hitler didn’t much care for the white coats and thus disqualified them. We do know that it was around this time that the common misconception that the white was linked to hereditary diseases such as deafness and blindness started being circulated. After this time the whites and their carriers were so efficiently culled from the population that today the allele is all but nonexistent in the European populations.
However – the situation was greatly different in America. One of the founding members of the SDCA - Ann Tracy – brought German Shepherds from Europe who were either white or carrying for the white allele. There are several historical pictures that can be found of her and her white dogs – one such example is a full page dedicated to a picture of her and a helper training a white – Stonihurst Bero – in protection (J.Hered; 1924; The Origin of the Shepherd Dog).
Throughout the years the whites flourished in the United States. In addition to Ann Tracy’s dogs, Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge was also a proponent of the whites. White GSDs appeared in comics, on TV and in movies.
First though I will start with the history of the white coat in the GSD. The Father of the German Shepherd – CPT Max v. Stephanitz – chose a male named Horand v. Grafrath to be the ‘first’ German Shepherd. Horand had all the qualities he was looking for in a dog – and as a result of being that first sire he was heavily bred and bred and bred.
What many don’t know is that Horand had a white grandfather – a dog named Greif, and he was a carrier for the White Allele. Through the extensive breeding on Horand, the white coat became a fixture in the breed (it was not a mutation). During the early years of the breed many colors and coat types exhisted that we do not see today – brindle, wire coats, piebalds, tiger strips on tan points, etc…and while the CPT may have prefered one color over another, he did not advocate for the removal of a dog based on their color. His words regarding the white coat were that it was dull, lackluster, and unexciting (essentially) and that he didn’t much care for it (he prefered the Sable). He also didn’t much like the solid black either. (side note : I have the 1924 edition of the GSD in Word and Picture – which is where I draw my information from on this topic).
Greif :
Horand :
Horand :
In the early to mid-30’s the white coat became a disqualification under the SV. No one really knows for sure who did it or why – but the most widely accepted theory was that Hitler didn’t much care for the white coats and thus disqualified them. We do know that it was around this time that the common misconception that the white was linked to hereditary diseases such as deafness and blindness started being circulated. After this time the whites and their carriers were so efficiently culled from the population that today the allele is all but nonexistent in the European populations.
However – the situation was greatly different in America. One of the founding members of the SDCA - Ann Tracy – brought German Shepherds from Europe who were either white or carrying for the white allele. There are several historical pictures that can be found of her and her white dogs – one such example is a full page dedicated to a picture of her and a helper training a white – Stonihurst Bero – in protection (J.Hered; 1924; The Origin of the Shepherd Dog).
Throughout the years the whites flourished in the United States. In addition to Ann Tracy’s dogs, Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge was also a proponent of the whites. White GSDs appeared in comics, on TV and in movies.
) – which has lead to a certain water down of drives – but it by no means has affected the entire population…and there are several breeders in the US maintaining working drives and a good solid temperment also suited to working. No for other things – there are whites active in Narc, SAR, and Service – and there are also whites who have gone onto Canine (though I see more whites in K9 in Europe than here). There are two FEMA whites in the Canine Hero’s of 9/11 book (there might actually be more) and my own Leo is from a line that has produced K9s and SAR dogs in the past.
