The History of the
White German Shepherd Dog

Looking at the beauty of a white German Shepherd Dog (wGSD), you wouldn't know the complicated history of these dogs. Although many people aren't even aware GSDs come in white, white is actually one of the original colors of the GSD and can be traced back to Max Von Stephanitz, the developer of the GSD. The grandsire of Horand (Hektor, the first registered German Shepherd Dog), Greif, was white. Ann Tracy's Stoneihurst Edmond, whelped March 27, 1917, is believed to be the first registered white German Shepherd Dog born and bred in the United States. This beautiful color is not new to the GSD breed, nor is it a mutation.

For many years in the United States, the wGSD enjoyed the same status as their colored counterparts. In the 1960's the German Shepherd Dog Club of America (holders of the AKC GSD Breed Standard), made the color white a disqualification in the breed ring. This was largely in response to the movement by the SV (the German Shepherd club of Germany) which also excluded white dogs. wGSDs are still fully registerable with the American Kennel Club, and can compete in all other AKC events (obedience, agility, herding, etc.), but can no longer compete in the AKC conformation ring. Many other clubs such as the United Kennel Club allow whites to compete in conformation.

The decision to make white a disqualification was made largely because of a lack of information and an abundance of misconceptions. White dogs are exactly like colored GSDs. They are not albinos and have no additional health problems. The only difference is that the white gene masks the actual color of the dog, making them appear white. They are otherwise genetically identical to colored dogs. Many people believed that breeding white dogs along with colored dogs caused the colored dogs to become pale and washed out. The white gene does not cause paling and whites were unfairly blamed for the color paling.

Today, the controversy surrounding these beautiful dogs remains. In some other countries (mostly in Europe), white German Shepherds have been seperated from colored dogs and are considered a seperate breed - the Berger Blanc Suisse. In the United States, some wGSD fanciers also support breed seperation and are working towards this goal. Other wGSD fanciers feel that the gene pool is to small for seperation and that color is not a valid reason for seperation. Atlas Kennels believes that the wGSD needs the vast gene pool of the colored GSDs in order to improve structure, movement, pigment and temperment. We also believe that the color of a dog's coat is a trivial difference and does not constitute a seperate breed.

Regardless of this controversy, White German Shepherd Dogs can be found in police forces across the country. They're found in bomb detection squads, drug interdiction units, tracking, attack work, community activities, and other activities required of a dog on any police force. The dogs are also actively involved in search and rescue units, keeping an eye on the family children, herding flocks, guiding the blind, assisting the handicapped, working as therapy dogs, guarding the home, appearing in movies and on television, and doing everything else that the wonderfully versatile German Shepherd Dog is famous for doing.