August 13, 2008
Can a German Shepherd be white?
I got this dog from a friend that was giving it up and it looks like a german shepherd but smaller and it's white, they are never white, are they?some people have asked me if it's half wolf because of its whiteness, and others tell me it looks like a shepherd, but I thought they could never be white.
Yes. My Dad's Friend has a full blooded White German Shepard. VERY RARE. And Very Expensive.
Filed under White German Shepherd by Jan

Comments on Can a German Shepherd be white? »
yes
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maybe they can be white, if the mom or dad is a different kind of dog hahahhaha…would be kinda cool..lol
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yes, theres is a breed called white german shepherds
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yes
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they can.
i have one named bailey
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they can. they are called white german shepards. they usualy have to have one or both of the parents white in order to breed them that way though.
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it is possible that it is an american eskimo dog…??
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Yes they can. My cousin had a white GSD. Besides black and tan, they can be pure white or pure black. Look at my avatar…that's my black GSD, Titan.
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Yes. My Dad's Friend has a full blooded White German Shepard. VERY RARE. And Very Expensive.
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yes! i had a white german shepard named luna..the are so pretty and the best dogs in the world. But they get dirty easily
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ME
albino maybe?
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Blonde hair and blue eyes… yeah sounds German..
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Yes, there are white German Shepherds. My cousin has one.
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That is true, i was also surprized when i frist saw the white german shephard.
Im a vet student and i have seen a couple. It is true!
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it is probably a mixed breed of a german shepherd and something else. or its a mutation in its genes.
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Yes, they are considered to be a lot calmer than other shepards and are great family pets, easy to train, and energetic pets. They also have a softer coat
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Looks liek they can be.
GOOD LUCK
……………………………..
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Yes they can. Usually if they are they're black and white.
Some German shepards are pitch black too.
Oh, and heres a picture: http://www.whiteshepherdsaustralia.com/-%20New%20Folder/Alpenwolf.jpg
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Oh yeah ! german can be white
here look
http://homepage.usask.ca/~schmutz/WhiteGSD.jpg
http://www.whiteshepherdsaustralia.com/minka3.JPG
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Yep, it's all about selective breeding. I used to own one.
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of course a germaan shepard can be white if they couldnt that would be retardede becuz some dogs are even blue and red!!!!
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yes there are white german shepherds.there are also albinos which are totally white no pigment such as it will not have a black nose,black eyerims or blck pads.white german shepherds are considered pure they are just not accepted in the AKC standard and are considered a fault.
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15 yr german shepherd breeder
Yes they can be white, however I believe the breed standard says the white ones don't meet the breed standard… so in theory the white ones will never be bred, so in theory are always a genetic "accident" so to speak.
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yupp!=)
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Here's a site I found about them:
http://www.whitegermanshepherd.org/
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if their albino
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Yes, but it is a disqualification
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maybe its a mix w/ like, a Siberian husky or something.
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Yes… but that color is considered a fault in breed standard by the AKC. The white coat is considered undesirable as a guard dog ( they stand out in the dark) and as a herding dog they are easily not seen among the sheep they are herding. Many GSD breeders will cull a white pup. I see nothing wrong with the coat color as long as the dog is not being bred. As a good household pet, coat color shouldn't be an issue. I just don't agree with people charging a ton of money under the guise that it is a "rare" dog. They can be registered with the AKC, but will fail in any type of AKC show… The UKC, however, does not disqualify the white coat. Here are some more links. I answered a similar question last week =)
#1 - http://www.quickoverview.com/overviews/german-shepherd.html
A white (or very light), but not albino, version of the German Shepherd has also always occurred, but was designated a disqualifying fault in the AKC in the late 1960s. The white coat is considered a fault by International (FCI) Fédération Cynologique Internationale breed standards in most parts of the world.
The white coat, however, does not prevent the white-coated German Shepherd Dog from being registered in the AKC as a German Shepherd Dog. White Shepherds hold champion titles in the UKC (United Kennel Club). Now, some breeders selectively breed White Shepherds for their beautiful snowy white coats and physical stature, striving for a Shepherd that closely resembles the original dog; less angular than today's German Shepherd breed. See the WGSDCA or American White Shepherd Association for more detail. However, the white German Shepherd has been recognised by some organisations under the name Berger Blanc Suisse (or White Shepherd Dog).
#2 - http://www.wgsdca.org/thebreed/gsdvswgsd.asp
The Nazis, including Hitler, saw the white coat as an undesirable trait, and further assumed that the white coated dogs' genes paled the darker coated dogs' colors. With little knowledge of science, they blamed the whites for many diseases as well. Germany soon barred white German Shepherds from the conformation ring and the breeding pool. The United States followed suit in the late fifties, early sixties. (The exact date is unknown due to lack of finding correct historical documents) While Shepherd enthusiasts in the USA wanted to remove them also from the breeding pool, the AKC refused to withhold them from registration. Hence, the color white is in the top number of colors of GSD’s registered with the AKC today!
#3 - http://hometown.aol.com/heisstwessen/page14.html
why is the color white a fault & not allowed in all recognized registries ?This breed was created to have darker coloring & strong pigment as set forth in its standard .Its purpose is a herding /guarding breed . A white dog has several disadvantages in trying to do what it was created and bred to do .1st its proven sheep respond and move better for a darker dog .So a darker dog can get sheep moving with less nips from the dog & less pain/ damage to sheep .2nd , a shepherd often attends his flock from a distance using the dog which he commands primary by hand signal to move the sheep . A white dog is hard to spot & easily lost in a flock of white sheep .As a guarding breed ,a white dog really stands out in the wrong way , for a policeman a white dog can be a death sentence as its color screams to the bad guy -here i am just shoot me or my partner .White dogs are not used often in sport , protection , herding or breeding , therefore the best whites are not put forth to demonstrate their abilities. Since the white GSD is not used by serious fanciers of the breed whom work/show these dogs the gene pool is smaller on this color.That fact explains why white GSD are unproven /untested for brains/structure & workability .I have yet to see a schutzhund titled white GSD .
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OK, the links work now =)
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The can be, but it's not very PC these days.
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~ Yes
German shepherds can be white. These dogs are known as White German Shepherds, or White Shepherds. and grow up to be very beautiful. (imo)
Your dogs coat colour is not an abnormality but at the same time is a disqualifying characteristic. As long as you don't plan on showing your dog this shouldn't be a problem
Read up on the breed standard here. http://www.akc.org/breeds/german_shepherd_dog/index.cfm
Here are some more pics of White Shepherds
http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=white%20shepherds&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi
Enjoy your new dog!
~Newfienut
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Yes, there are white German Shepherds, but don't forget there are other shepherds out there as well. In fact, the Australian Shepherd is known for it's white markings. They resemble the physical characteristics of the German Shepherd and come in many colors. The fact that you say the dog is smaller than the German Shepherd is another strong characteristic of the A.S. because they are medium sized 40-50 lbs at full adulthood.
There's also the English Shepherd. Another medium sized cousin of the German Shepherd. It can also be white in color.
English Shepherd and Australian Shepherds are also very common *mutt* dogs and if your friend got his dog as a stray or from the pound or a shelter, then it is more likely to be a cousin of the German Shepherd and not a white German Shepherd.
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yes but AKC does not recognize them. The UKC does however. Incidentally, they are not called white anymore as it is not PC. The proper term is "non-colored".
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Ok can a GSD be white? NO. They cannot be white. The Germany GSD admin called the"SV" refuses to recognize a white German Shepherd Dog as an actual German Shepherd Dog. The AKC and GSDCA also will not recognize a white GSD as an actual GSD.
A friend of mine with the GSDCA was stationed in Germany when they decided this YEARS back and said the SV declared a white GSD was 1) hampered by major inbreeding and 2) was impractical for herding sheep considering you couldn't tell the difference between the sheep and the dog.
Therefore, all breeding of white GSDs are uncontrolled and semi-rebellious.
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