German Shepherd

The German shepherd dog, haaaa... one of my favorite breeds of dogs, and indeed I have owned a few of them. All being white. And why would I go for the German shepherd.  Maybe it is the wild streak in

Well in a fact I was.......

 Their characteristics are not that much different, the only other breed I can think that are also near to the wolfs characteristics, would be the husky.

Lets have a look at the general breed firstly, than I have to go over  the white German Shepherd with you. Cant help it... its going to happen...

The German Shepherd Dog , (German: Deutscher Schäferhund) is a large breed of dog which originates from Germany, originally bred for herding sheep. They are skilled working dogs due to their intelligence, strength and obedience, and are the most used dog in the Police Force and also as military attack dogs. Despite their potential ferociousness, due to their loyal and protective nature the breed make good house pets and guard dogs. They seem to de good all rounders  as dogs go. Being a loyal companion, family pet and also protector.

Of course some are more intelligent than others, this is mostly caused by the parents intelligence, and breeding. Yet it does not always say just because they are pure bread, that this is the highest success, when it comes to intelligence, if the breed becomes over bred.  Well... you only have to see what has happened to people in history. Best examples are ancient royalty, and the factors of inbreeding to keep their blood line pure.

Origins

The original idea of the breed dates back to 1891, when the Phylax Society was formed with the intention of standardising German dog breeds. This society disbanded in the year of 1894, and was superseded by the Society for the German Shepherd Dog (Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhunde) in German, founded in 1899.The chair person of the society was Max von Stephanitz, the man now credited with being the creator of the breed.  The first known dog was Horand v Grafeth, which von Stephanitz purchased at a market, after being impressed by the dogs intelligence. Grafeth was later used as the basis for all future Society breeding programs.

 Popularity

The English Kennel Club first accepted registrations for the breed in 1919. Originally 54 dogs were registered, this number inflated to over 8000 in 1926. They are currently the third most popular breed in America.

 Name

After World War I there was belief that the popularity of the breed would diminish given the anti-German sentiment of the era. There again; why should the dogs be blamed or connected with what the Germans did in the war.  The breed was officially renamed to "Alsatian Wolf Dog", this name remained until 1977 when the British Kennel Club allowed Alsatians to be registered as German Shepherds.

The modern breed

The modern version of this breed is criticized for straying away from von Stephanitz's original ideology for the breed. It is believed that careless breeding has promoted disease and other defects. Under the breeding programs, overseen by von Stephanitz, defects were quickly bred out, however in modern times without regulation on breeding, genetic problems such as colour-paling,monorchidism weakness of temperament and missing teeth have been common.

Characteristics and Appearance

Exact standards for the breed vary by country and organization, but the following criteria are generally part of the definition.

The German Shepherd Dog is a large and strong dog, typically between 65 and 100 lbs, but have been known to reach 130+lbs, more like my German Shepherd as he was just a big boy.....

 The height for males is typically 24 - 26in (60 - 65cm); for females it is 22 - 24in (55 - 60cm). The fur is a double-coat (under coat and outer coat). While some organizations accept long-haired German Shepherds, short-haired dogs are typically, and historically, preferred. I

German Shepherds are easily identifiable by their large head, ears which stand straight up, wedge-shaped muzzle and compact legs. They also have a distinctive gait, which is low set and graceful when they move, presenting an undercarriage of their back legs which also distinguishes the breed to others, as well as other breed-specific features. Their jaw strength ranges from 250-1200 pounds.

You will also find that with the puppies, they do not have proper control over their ears at this point in their life, so they seem to flop everywhere, which is quite quite I think.......

Disqualifications for conformation-line dogs in the show ring, include white nails, a nose which isn't all-black, a muzzle which isn't predominantly black, non-erect ears, and very light-toned eyes.

White German Shepherd

Upon first impression of a good white German Shepherd Dog is that of a strong, agile, well-muscled animal. It is well balanced, longer than tall, deep-bodied and presents an outline of smooth curves rather than angles. Secondary sex characteristics are strongly marked, and every animal gives a definite impression of masculinity or femininity, according to its sex. Often seen in the males larger and wider head, and well muscled body.

Their eyes are dark as possible, medium sized and not protruding. Black eyelids are eyes (wolf eyes) are to be considered a blue eyes almond-shaped, set a little obliquely to be preferred. Light eyes, yellow fault. Disqualification in the show ring are pink or blue eyes. I am sure that white German Shepherds were not allowed in the show ring, though, it looks like this has changed.  Please don't quote me on this....

The nose may possibly be totally black, though brown or pink streaked is acceptable. Color of nose may change with estrus, cold weather and age.

Their double coat can be a problem with fleas in a more tropical climate, and of medium length, will need to be cared for more, due to this while colouring they tend to get dirty when not washed to often, and lets face it when you have a white dog such as this you want to show them off as best you can. The outer coat should be as dense as possible with hair straight, harsh and lying close to the body. A slightly wavy outer coat, often of wiry texture, is permissible.