Historical
The history of the noble White Swiss Shepherd has long been fraught with difficulties and is, to some extent, written by the political environment in which it took place in changing from a white-coated German Shepherd to a White Shepherd . By the strength of several people and by the very factors that risked extinction of the white-haired German Shepherd breed, the White Shepherd breed was able to develop and evolve as a breed of dog in its own right.
The White Shepherd is a shepherd dog whose origins can be traced to the United States, Canada and England. Its heredity comes from Germany because this dog comes from the white lines of the German Shepherd. The White Shepherd is therefore a direct descendant sharing a common ancestry with the German Shepherd. Switzerland, although not the original country of this breed, is the first country to have officially recognized it as a distinct breed. This is the reason why the Berger Blanc today bears the name “Berger Blanc Suisse”.
The development of the White Shepherd therefore began in Germany at the same time as the establishment of the German Shepherd breed. At the end of the 1800s, Max VON STEPHANITZ took on the challenge of creating the ideal dog. This dog would be gifted, intelligent, healthy in body and mind, with a noble and elegant appearance. He set out to marry farm dogs, often with different coat colors or body shapes, mainly “Old German Type” shepherd dogs, and this is how the most versatile working dog was born: the German shepherd.
The development of the White Shepherd therefore began in Germany at the same time as the establishment of the German Shepherd breed. At the end of the 1800s, Max VON STEPHANITZ took on the challenge of creating the ideal dog. This dog would be gifted, intelligent, healthy in body and mind, with a noble and elegant appearance. He set out to marry farm dogs, often with different coat colors or body shapes, mainly “Old German Type” shepherd dogs, and this is how the most versatile working dog was born: the German shepherd.
With other enthusiasts, he created the breed club for the German Shepherd: the “Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde - SV” in 1899, in which the dog named Horand Von Grafrath was registered first, as well as Luchs von Sparwasser. The story goes that these two German Shepherds had a maternal grandfather with an entirely white coat named GREIF. Both Horand and Luchs were widely used and bred in inbred lines thus producing many litters, and leading to many offspring being registered in the SV. Their genetic code, which possessed the recessive gene coding for white coat color, was passed on to many of their offspring, and since then, the white coat has been part of the German Shepherd's genetics.
The worldwide reputation of the German Shepherd grew rapidly and the dogs were imported to many countries. This is how, for the first time, in the United States, the first German Shepherd dog was registered in 1908 at the American Kennel Club (AKC) of which Ann Tracy was one of the founders.
She continued her work with judicious matings, and registered the first White German Shepherd with the AKC in 1917.
Until the 1930s, the white-coated German Shepherd continued to be widely registered, but in 1933 the German SV, which had a strong influence on the standard throughout the world, declared that the color white was a "defective" trait. of the breed and refuses the registration of white-coated dogs unless they are old-style German Shepherd dogs. It was in its 1960 revision that the SV, fearing that this pigmentation was linked to infirmities, banned the registration of all White German Shepherd dogs. As a result, any puppies born with white hair are considered undesirable for breeding and are eliminated at birth. Many countries around the world that adhered to the strict standard of German SV also participated in the elimination of Berger Blanc. However, some countries, including the United States, Canada and England with their own dog regulations, have continued to register white-coated puppies, allowing the breed to flourish.
Thus in the United States, many breeders continued to import and include lines carrying the white coat in their breeding program. The White German Shepherd was even destined to become a family dog in certain regions.
But in 1968, the German Shepherd Standard of America revised its standards and declared that it could continue to register White Shepherds as German Shepherds with the AKC but that the white coat would henceforth be considered a disqualifying fault. Confirmations therefore become impossible for white-haired German Shepherds. Said dogs continue to be bred separately, and maintain purebred privileges within the AKC.
It is thanks to the unifying efforts of the White German Shepherd Clubs of the United States and Canada, founded in 1964, that the breed thrives outside of the traditional imagination of the German Shepherd. Their type becomes more uniform both in the aspect of their morphology and in their behavior, their size and their health. So, despite still being under the umbrella of the AKC, these dogs are beginning to take on their own identity.
In the 1970s to 1990s, efforts to preserve and erect this white-haired dog were strongly deployed.
It is in Europe, where the white-haired German Shepherd is almost extinct, that Lobo With Burch, registered with the AKC, was imported to Switzerland, the native country of its owner Agatha Burch. Along with other dogs called "American-Canadian White Shepherd", he was used as the foundation dog to establish the new breed in Europe. The identity of this new breed and the establishment of these dogs as their own breed was made easier because they were not allowed to be registered as German Shepherd dogs. It was therefore in 1991 that the Berger Blanc Suisse was registered as a new breed in the appendix to the Swiss StudBook (LOS) and in 2002 that it was provisionally recognized by the International Cynological Federation (FCI). The breed was also recognized a year later by the SCC.
In 2011, the provisional status of the Swiss White Shepherd was changed to official recognition by the FCI and the breed became eligible for the CACIB during dog exhibitions. Since then, its popularity has skyrocketed throughout Europe and even returned to Germany where the breed will be recognized by the SV as a breed distinct from the German White Shepherd.
Conversely, in the United States and Canada, the effort that had been made to have the white-coated German Shepherd recognized within the German Shepherd breed ultimately evolved towards the establishment of a distinct breed. It is ANEPA and the White Shepherd Club of Canada (WSCC) founded in 1971 as well as the American White Shepherd Association (AWSA) founded in the 1990s which work jointly to promote the global recognition and acceptance of the Shepherd White as its own breed of working and herding dog distinct from the German Shepherd. The UKC (United White Shepherd Club) was then created and officially recognized the White Shepherd as a breed of herding dog in 1999. Owners were able to transfer their dog's papers to the new breed, but this commitment meant invalidation German Shepherd champion titles, with dogs having to earn their titles again according to the White Shepherd breed standard. Since the birth of the White Shepherd, in just ten years, the breed has continued to flourish, ranking 47th best breed out of 300 (2009) in the United States.
All things considered, whatever its name or location, White Swiss Shepherd or White Shepherd lovers continue to appreciate the versatility of this dog. Their temperament allows them to become excellent family companions and their natural ability to work allows them to compete at all levels with other older breeds.
Breed standard
CHARACTER
The Berger Blanc Suisse is distinguished by its character of exceptional softness and suppleness. His loyalty, his fidelity and his intelligence are beyond doubt. He is not aggressive, but he can be reserved towards strangers or new situations. His shepherd instinct gives him undeniable watchdog abilities. Calm and calm, playful and teasing at the same time, very receptive and always looking for contact with his masters, he is the ultimate FAMILY dog. He gets along wonderfully with children and will instinctively protect them as long as he is respected. Its social nature allows it to coexist without difficulty with its peers and other animals.
The White Swiss Shepherd stands out in several disciplines: tracking, agility, obedience, defense, utility, etc. His work skills make him a versatile dog.
The Berger Blanc Suisse is undemanding. His family at his side, a quality diet, regular physical/intellectual activity and weekly brushing are the minimum he needs. It is possible to accommodate a White Swiss Shepherd in an apartment provided you are prepared to devote several hours of outings and daily physical exercises to it.
STANDARD
The White Swiss Shepherd is a medium-sized, robust, well-muscled shepherd dog with a slightly elongated shape, erect ears and a double coat of medium or long length. Its color is solid white.
Health and Tests
Thanks to technological progress in the field of genetics, we have been able to carry out specific health examinations for several years. health tests on breeding animals make it possible to limit bad genetic mixing and even, sometimes, to eliminate individuals at risk of transmitting hereditary diseases.
We therefore have all our breeders tested for diseases whose incidence is known for the Berger Blanc Suisse breed in order to ensure the quality of the marriages and therefore the litters.
Overview of diseases tested
>> Drug sensitivity MD R 1
>> Degenerative myelopathy DM
>> Pituitary dwarfism NAH
>> Since 2023, all breeders must have their DNA card, a genetic identification, in order to guarantee descendants and allow the registration of puppies in the LOF.
All our breeders are identified by their DNA and registered with the SCC.
Exhibitions and Competitions
We timidly started beauty dog shows a few years ago.
These exhibitions make it possible to classify the canine participants mainly according to the criterion of the dog's morphology. The dog's rankings at the different exhibitions determine access to different titles; like the title of Show Champion for example. Each country governs its own criteria for approval of their title.
We continue to present ourselves in the rings of these competitions, but we would soon like to move towards other more sporting disciplines where the physical performance of the dog prevails.
Some of our dogs show an atavism for tracking, others for herding work. This is an area that we have yet to discover. However, all our dogs receive obedience training, and are able to take the CSAU tests (certificate of sociability and fitness for use).
