White Coat Newsletter

September 12, 2010 Newsletter
Why are White German Shepherds White?

Hi folks!  I hope all is well in your worlds.    Before I write the newsletter – I wanted to mention I still have 2 female puppies for sale – this from Gracey/Samson litter.    They are almost 14 weeks old.  They are two awesome little puppies.   Smart and learning every day.   Almost totally house broke too.   {No accidents in the house now for over 2 weeks – however their time in the house is limited.}  They are very social with all age people and other dogs.   Give me a holler if you are interested in one.  Snowflake should be going into heat in October.  I will be breeding her to Bravo.  So hopefully will have Christmas puppies again this year.  

Do you wonder why the white German shepherd are white?    I’ve done some research and this is what I’ve found out. 

The white shepherd can be traced back to the beginning of the German Shepherd Dog breed. The first registered GSD was Horand von Grafrath SZ1.  His maternal grandfather was a white German sheepdog named Greif, born in 1879, owned by Baron von Brigge.  {Baron von Brigge was the Master of Hounds of Beyenrode.}  Horand von Grafrath was bred to 35 different females.  These breeding’s produced 53 litter’s of puppies.  Grafrath was also mated with his daughters three separate times.  This fixed the genetic code into the breed and the gene for the white coat was well-established.  Therefore – the white coat has been part of the GSD history since the breed’s inception.  The white coat comes from a recessive gene.  Both parents must carry the gene to produce white German shepherds. (It is also a recessive gene that produces solid black German shepherd dogs).  The white coat is its own gene – it is totally apart from the genes that create the sable, two-tone, or solid patterns that happen in colored dogs.   It is possible for two colored GSD to produce white puppies.  (If both carry the white coat gene).  The white gene is a masking gene, which means it covers up the dog’s true color.  {Please note this gene does not affect skin pigment.}

What are the characteristic of a good white German shepherd dog?   Both eyes should be dark.  They should have black lips and nose.  Sometimes a white shepherd will have a cream or blond tint to their coat, in places.   Again, since the white gene is a masking gene – it covers up or hides patterns and colors, showing only the white coat.  (This is why the cream or beige color may sometimes be visible.)  I’ve also noticed (and read) that the beige/cream color can be more predominate at some times, more than others.   This has also been attributed to extreme weather conditions.  I am not sure how accurate that is however.  I do know that my dogs – Gracey and Bravo – will sometimes have the cream color on their backs, and then other times it is snow white.  So maybe this is accurate.   Snowflake tends to stay white, all over, all the time.  (Well unless she has been playing in the dirt.)   None of my adult dogs like bathes…. so they don’t get them very often, unless I am feeling full of energy!  Some folks think the white shepherd is an albino.  This is simply not true.  Albino dogs have pink skin and pink (or blue) eyes.  The black skin, dark eyes, black lips & nose disprove the albino theory.  

I’ve been asked, if breeding a white to a black shepherd, if you would get puppies that were both black and white.  One of my buyers, who also owns a black shepherd – wanted to know if she would get white with black dots or black with white dotted puppies!  LOL I told her I didn’t think so but if she did – I wanted one of those puppies!     I’ve also been asked if you breed a black and white would you will get a gray puppy.  My dad said this wouldn’t happen.  He said a breeding like this would produce white puppies and/or black puppies.   I’ve read that breeding a white shepherd to a solid black shepherd can produce sables or two-tone colored German shepherd dogs.   I guess it would depend on which genes were more dominant in those particular dogs being bred together.  Since the white gene is a masking gene and the white coat covers up the colored markings on a shepherd – I guess this is possible.   I have a friend who has done a lot of research on genetics in dogs (and horses) I will have to ask her about this someday.   She will be able to explain it to me in simple English!  J 

I’ve also been asked if the white shepherds have tendency towards deafness.   It is said that it is common with white dogs to be deaf.  This is not true of the WGS dog.    A lot of the ailments in the German shepherd breed have been blamed on the white coated German shepherd dog.  However I am pretty sure this has been disproved by leading WGS dog breeders and geneticists.  (By my readings)

That’s about it for my knowledge of the white German shepherd and how it evolved.   I am sure some of the other breeders on my mailing list have much more knowledge – if they share it with me (as they sometimes do), I’ll share it with you. 

Enjoy the cooler weather – I know my dogs and I are.  They are enjoying staying outside all day again.  ß I enjoy them being outside all day too!  

I hope you all have a great week! 

Cindy McCord

Missouri & Arkansas White Shepherds

www.arkansaswhiteshepherds.com

www.missouriwhiteshepherds.com

479-966-7654

 This is a picture of one of the available puppies.  Taken last week before we got any rain and the grass was all turning brown.  Bravo in the background.