|
The story of the white shepherd
The white shepherd can be traced long back, it is seen as born in a litter among colored shepherds, but this race was seen as a mistake and were therefore often not registered or at worst killed.
In about 125 years, different breeders worked to ensure racial typical white shepherd. The first time the white shepherd acts and exhibited was as far as we know
exhibition in Hanover-show in 1882. It was Baron von Knigge who exhibited his gray/white Kiraso (born 1878) and its wholly white shepherd Grief. The White shepherd seen again on exhibition in 1987 when Grief was exhibited along with Greifa and Grief II.
All German shepherd who can lead its roots back to the first official pure bred German shepherd Horand, which was colored, is said to have at least one white ancestor in its pedigree and its genetic blood line. We have found out that Horands mother, Sandra Spar Wasser, was 50% white. Grief Horands mother's father was white. Since Horands mother was 50%, so it means that Horand and his brother Luch was carrying the white gene,
Therefore, there may be some white shepherd in a colored litter puppies, so the genes are among the colored shepherds.
Max E. von Stephanitz, often called the "father of the breed" (1864-1936) established the first standard for the shepherd. He used his dog Horand von Grafrath (also known as Hector Link Rhein, Horand were offspring of Kastor and Lene Spar Wasser) in its breeding program and several of Horand von Grafraths offspring were white.
Max E. von Stephanitz over the years has written many papers on the white shepherd. In 1908 he wrote that the allegations of a single color on the German shepherd - including white - should be better than the other is pure nonsense. He found that the color choice should not be defined in the standard, but be up to individual breeders.
The colors in the first German shepherd ranged from pure black through wolvesgray of multi-color and snowwhite.
On 22 April 1899 was "the German Shepherd club" formed. In the new club was Horand, who was grandson of Grief, registered its world's first registered German shepherd.
The first white shepherd in America were born in Germany, 12 July 1905 and came to America in 1906 the dog's name was Mira von Dalmor.
Around the year 1912 was spread breed in America great,
there were two new admire of the breed. One admire was Benjamin H. Throop, he came from Pennsylvania and the other was Ann Tracy from New York. As both had great influence in the organization of the German shepherd Club of America in 1913
Because of the color, the white shepherd has been used as a good shepherd. wolves could not distinguish the white shepherd of the sheep and therefore saved many sheep from the attacking animals. There are also some stories saying that the white shepherd was popular because it could hide in the sheep flock as a defense against thieves and robbers.
Max E. von Stephanitz worked hard to improve the shepherd. For him it meant nothing what color it was, the important thing was that it could perform a good job. The author Winifred Gibson Strickland did an interview for his book "The German Sherpherd Today" with Herta von Stephanitz, who was the daughter of Max, she told why Max gave up. The Nazis were more focused on external shepherd than what its function was. Max had always had the great dream to breed a good working dog, but this was indifferent to the Nazis and since many of the members of the German shepherdclub SV was Nazis were Max's dream destroyed. The Nazis began to breed shepherds as they thought was right and they threatened Max with concentration camp if he did not cooperate. After 36 years of work in SV he gave up. He died a year later on 22 April 1936. The Nazis, including Hitler, saw the white fur as a mistake and would therefore prefer the shepherd had a dark coat. This led to a hue began at the White German shepherd, where farmers used fire / drowning method to achieve the final solution to the problem, so the white shepherd could be wiped out.
By the end of 2 World War II, there were relatively few good German shepherds back in Germany. The best dogs were primarily bred in the United States. During the period began many prejudices to root against the white shepherd.
On 9 April 1968 chose the German shepherd club in America to disqualify the white shepherd from their standard. It was the first time since the club formation in 1913 that a pure bred white shepherd was disqualified only because of its color.
Some even tried to get AKC to remove all white shepherds from their files and destroy their pedigrees and refusing to register new white shepherds. Those plans failed and today, all German shepherds, regardless of color, if both parents are listed as purebred.
In protest against the increasing prejudice against the white shepherd in Germany organized supporters of the white German shepherd up through the 1960s and in 1969 founded the first club for whites in Sacramento.´
In 1970 published the first book on the white shepherd "The Invincible white shepherd", written by Dr. Peter Neufled.
In the book writes Dr. Peter Neufled that the only global effort to breed a line of pure white shepherd before 1900, was in Alasce-Lorraine in Austria with the powerful Hapsburgerske royal family, autocrats whose influence in Europe until the 1900s was everywhere. History tells that the queen of Haps Burg wanted white shepherd, which fitted well with their white Lipizzaner horses, which withdrew the royal coaches, like the white coat well suited to the royal white dance frock.
Many American white shepherds can now trace their ancestors pedigrees back, not only to Horand, but also to the Hapsburgs seven pure blood lines.
In America was the first white shepherd club founded in 1971, and in 1973 became an established branch of the club in Canada until Canada formed his own club in 1976.
The first white shepherd who was registered in Denmark was Rabecca Duchess of Mala who came from Hawaii. In the first five years, there was no association for the white shepherd in Denmark, but in 1979 were white shepherd club formed. At that time there were only 22 registered white shepherds in Denmark. Less than 10 years after the first white shepherd had come to Denmark, a new club "White shepherds registration", where Ole Riberholt was chairman for several years. Ole Riberholt was the first Danish breeder of white shepherd, he imported 14 white shepherd from various locations in Canada, and was thereby helping to ensure new blood line in the production of the white shepherd.
In 1985, UCI General Meeting in Brussels, which was approved them common standard for the White shepherd. In Denmark could Danisch dogowners 'association (DHL) now officially judge the breed after an international standard for American / Canadian (A / C) White shepherd.
In 1997 White shepherd was named White Shepherd Dog in the FCI and the Danish Kennel Club (DKK).
The race was on 1 January 2003 approved by FCI, and simultaneously changed its name to White Swiss Shepherd Dog. The new race was in the 2003 interim recognized in FCI, but in the first 3 generations can not acquire the international champion in DKK.
On 25 January 2003 Danish White shepherd club (DHSK) founded in Ebletoft, as a special club affiliated DHL and UCI. DHSK worked diligently to promote and develop breeding rules so that in future ensure that bred good healthy and race typical white shepherds.
On 22 April 2003, the Board approved the DHL that the short-and long-coated white shepherd should be judged individually in different classes at fairs and exhibitions. The same rules were introduced in the Danish Dog Association (DDH).
The various names in the same race is strange and may be confusing.
The breed has the following names:
The name White Swiss Shepherd Dog used when dogs are stud book resulted in Dkk
In all other clubs in Denmark called breed White schepherd.
Today, there are now formed a new club for the white shepherd; club for Danish shepherds (KFDS).
Top |
![]() |
Horand
|
