HISTORY OF THE BREED AND CURIOSITIES

To find the origin of the Swiss White Shepherd, and to understand what kind of dog it is and what was it developed for, we have to go some centuries back in time, and to the geographic zone of what nowadays is Germany and its surroundings.

Due to the importance of the dog in the shepherd labours, various kinds of dogs start being developing and they could be differenced attending to the zone they came from. Its hair could be very varied in texture, tength and color, being many examples completely or partially white-coloured. So in the southern mountains a heavy, strong and compact dog developed, while in the Northern plains they were of a smaller, agiler kind . In the center, it could be said that both kinds were mixed and the result was a long haired dog.

Even though, all these dogs, regardless of their exterior appearance, had something in common. They were intelligent dogs, qualified for making their job, solid and very resistant.

Later, amateur groups start to be formed. They even took their own breeding register and they collaborated with other similar groups. When a dog specially stood out, it was widely used to breed, selecting the pups that were more alike their father. This way, with the pass of time, there ended up being a slight Shepherd dog homogeneity, which showed itself capable for working hard under any condition.

A glance back on those first books of origins, already show us the presence of White Shepherds since 1882. One of these was a dog born in 1879, called Greif. This thing is very important because it became paternal grandfather of a pup born in 1985 who was called “Hektor Kinksheim”. With the pass of time it became a dog that stood out by its intelligence, flexibility, power, firmness and resistance.

Photography from a german newspaper that shows a son of Greif, Publisher in 1906

On 3rd of April 1899, the life of this yellow and grey coloured dog, similar to a wolf, pass each other with the life of the Captain of Cavalry ‘Max von Stephanitz'. It happened at the city of Karlsruhe , during the celebration of one of the first dog exhibitions of all breeds. Stephanitz came accompanied by his friend Arturo Mayer, already with the purpose of standardising the Shepherd dog. It was then when he saw Hektor, still, quietly, by the side of its trainer. When the Captain and his friend approached to him, he explained them that Hektor wasn´t an exhibition dog, but a working Shepherd. It made up Stephanitz ideal, who couldn´t resist buying it. He founded the ‘S.V.', (first association of German Shepherd), and with the register number one, he inscribed Hektor changing its name by ‘Horand von Grafrath', being this way, the first german shepherd of all the origin books.

Max Von Stephanitz (December 1964 – April 1936)

The German Shepherd Dog Club directed with strength the breeding of the new breed, following always the will of The Captain Stephanitz, whose orders the other breeders accepted without any problem. On 29 th of Sptember 1899 it was approved the first standard of the breed., that was later touched up in 1901,1909 and 1930, accepting always white haired dogs. Firstly, this standard didn´t value the beauty, considering it something secondary if compared to the mental stability and utility of the dogs. With a very strict program for inbreeding reproduction, its great virtues get concentrated and the dog get reinforced.

Stephanitz had a moto: 2utility and intelligence”, so he reject the coward or aggressive examples and accepted the ones that were healthy, strong and reliable, hardworking partners and man´s friend.. His written and teaching work was wide, standing out the work “The German Shepherd Dog in words and images”, considered during many years the bible of the breed, and which still nowadays is interesting. A good job from the Captain, turned into judge and inspector of the breed, made possible its great expansion broke the mold in that age.

The book ‘The German Shepherd, history and genetic', written by the Dr. M. Willis, tell us that on those first years there was a great quantity of white Shepherds, among other reasons, it was because shepherds preferred this colour cause there vere easier to distinguish from wolfs in the night. One of these was the female ‘Blanka von Riedekenburg' who in 1909 was considered best reproducer of the age. It was one of its children. ‘Erik von Grefenwerthj', great champion of the ‘S.V' and of USA in 1920. But this wasn´t an excepction, as among the 30 dogs that were considerated pillars of the breed during the first 15 years, 18 of them breed white pups.

In the USA this breed was soon accepted, in part by the hand of Mrs. Ann Tracy, who imported to that country some examples of the most selective lines. She was the owner of one of the first champion dogs there. She founded in 1912, in New York , the first association of the breed in the USA . In 1917 were registered in the American Kennel Club AKC the first white German Shepherds, fruit of the numerous litters that reproduced this colour. An example like that, that she owned, was ‘Stoni', who will form part of an extensive line in USA and Canada , when can be found the pedigree of numerous affixes. Meanwhile, in Minnesota . H.N. Hanchett, importes, since 1920 from Germany , White Shepherds born in the most prestigious breeders, for example ‘V. Oeringen', `strong Heart' or ‘Rin-Tin-Tin'.

Ana Tracy with her White German Shepherds

An important inflexion point appeared a decade later, when many members of the nazi party also made up the S.V. Soon they started to interfere in their actions and resolutions till the point of threatening Captain Max von Stephanitz, father of the breed, to shut him away in a concentration camp if he didn't collaborate with them. The culminating moment will burst in 1933, when white-coloured examples were excluded from the breed standard in Europe, confusing them with the albinos and blaming them for another problems of the breed that later were proved to have nothing to see with the recessive gene of white colour.

Despite of the persecution this variety of German Shepherd is subjected to in Europe , in North America it seems to enjoy good health. In fact in 1964 was founded in Sacramento the first exclusive White Shepherd Club. Even if so, in one hand, participation of White Shepherds in AKC circuits was suddenly forbidden, due to the influence of the German Club in 1968, and in the other hand, in Canada this didn't happened, and until nowadays, their participation in this circuits was accepted.

At this time it has already started the breed boomerang effect with its return to Europe . First ones returned in 1971 in Swiss and Denmark . Ten years later they returned to their mother nation, Germany , and progressively in the rest of Europe . Those days it was called ‘American-Canadian Shepherd', name that began to be used in 1983.

First canine society that opened its own Origin Books for this dogs was the Swiss society, in June 1991. In 1992 The Nederland made the same, and later the Czech Republic , Austria and Denmark . France and Germany kept on refusing to recognize them under any name, not obviating that it was the same White German Shepherd they had banned and that came now even with less genetic fault than their current Shepherd. Since 1998, those countries that recognize the breed, do it under the name of White Shepherd. Associations all aver the world support this dog. Some examples are the WAWSO (World Association of White Shepherd Organization) other the IWSF (International White Shepherd Federation), that gather the clubs from various countries.

On 5th of April 1996, the FCI (International Dog-breeding Federation) still don´t recognize this breed, but that same day was born in North America , under the care of Mrs. Burch, the male ‘Lobo', who a year later would arrive to Swiss, and who is considered nowadays as the father of this breed in that country.

Following with the determination for that this breed gets finally its recognition by the FCI. Worldwide-level, the Swiss Dog Society begins the Complex protocol that is required for it. It presents a precise standard, published on 26 th November of 2002. Also there is a Origin Book with at least 8 blood lines, being completely different one to each other, without any kind of offspring in common in their pedigrees, completing three generations. And finally it is made a formal asking for the breed recognition. All of this is useful when finally in January of 2003 the FCI recognized this breed in a provisional way with the number 347 and the name ‘White Swiss Shepherd' (fr . Berger Blanc Suisse, ger. Weisser Schweizer Schâferhund).