White German Shepherd health or temperament issues? Health

Hia i'm sorry it's me needing advice......again!!
we are getting a new pup in december, another gsd, we are on a waiting list of a breeder who has health checked dogs and is highly recommended. one of the colours expected from the litter is white and i would LOVE a white shepherd. i have been on a few forums a while back that aren't too fond of white shepherds so was wondering if anyone could tell me why???
i think they aren't accepted on the show ring because of the diluted colour gene but i dont want to show!
are there any health or temperment issues is need to know about?
any advice would be really appreciated!!
Thank you

i dont know sorry, but i think white GSD's are absolutely gorgeous! love them . you must be so excited!

a girl i went to college with had 2 whites and neither of them had health problems, that about as much as i can contribute

thats really all i want to hear!! ha ha i am soooo excited i cant wait, then reality kicks in and you remember, crate training, toilet training, chewed stuff, standing outside in the freezing cold with a treat, desperate to catch them weeing in the garden and not on the floor!! ha ha

lol, the joys of a pup its like having a baby lol. cant wait for piccies

All GSDs should have at least five generations of hip scored(under the breed mean current at the time of scoring & also the hips should be scored evenly) & DNA tested(males for Haemophilia), they should have at at least 2 generations of elbow scored immediately behind them(scores of 1 or less), the parents should both be DNA tested normal for dwarfism.

If any one of this health tests is absent(e.g. one dog in the five generations before the puppy not hip scored)then the parents should not be bred together.

Most puppy buyers know that GSDs should be Hip Scored & possibly some know about all the males should be tested normal for Haemophilia, but very few know that all the previous 5 generations should all be hip scored, after all the hip scoring scheme has been in existence for over 30 years now. Elbow scoring is fairly recent so if at least the previous 2 generations are tested then this is acceptable. I would think very very few puppy buyers are even aware that dwarfism exists in GSDs(or other breeds)nor that there is a DNA test for the condition.

GSDs should not be bred simply for the length of their coat nor their colour & this is why the"white"GSDs are not popular amongst responsible breeders. Nearly all the "white"GSDs go back to an imported dog-who was not only very colour paled, but also had epilepsy. Now whilst epilepsy is no more common amongst "white"GSDs that any other "non standard"colour, it is more prevalent in certain lines that have this dog several times behind them. One reason is that a known epileptic a few generations down from the import was used a lot by a show breeder(now deceased)in her quest to breed"white"GSDs for the pet market(she often registered over 50 puppies in three months)none of her dogs had any health tests done, even after the 1st hip assessment scheme was brought in.

I don't have a problem with people wanting a white, blue, champagne etc etc GSD, however I do have major problems with people, who only breed for the colour &/or length of coat, sadly it is these people who may do some, but rarely all of the health tests & produce from a largely untested background, even though the immediate parents may have be hip scored.

The other thing is that very few"white"GSDs are actually white !

I do hope you have solved your current dog's behavioural problems before you get your new puppy.

as long as the breeder is not breeding for colour and colour alone, and all health checks are done, then you neednt worry!

white gsds suffer from no more problems than standard coat/colour gsds do. some say they suffer temperament issues due to their colour but this is untrue- any temperament issues are from generally bad breeding and not at all linked to colour- apart from the fact white gsds are bred alot by bybs for colour and not temperament/health(NOT the case for every breeder but there are lots out there)
and just like to clarify they do NOT suffer from deafness anymore than standard coat counterparts.

the most gentle, gorgeous, love of my life was yoda, a white gsd, he truly was the most perfect temperament in a dog i could wish for...he was ill most of his short life (again, nothing to do with coat colour) and faced everything he went through with a 'smile' on his face, everyone and everything was his friend,..including my other gsd sadie, rabbit, every other animal or human on the planet and he was best friends with my 2 1/2yr old son.
he truly was a dog in a million and i was and still am devastated at losing him at 21 months old, in june

i will post some links to some pics i have previously posted of him...its him in my avatar aswel

Are both the parents DNA tested normal for dwarfism ? In Germany it is a requirement before the dogs are mated. You will only get white puppies if both parents carry the white gene BTW

yes please! would love to see him, i have noticed your avatar before but its to small to see the beauty!!
thank you

him at 8 weeks








and this is his litter sister daisy, who is owned by my mum.

We have a white GSD in the village. Bit nervous, very gentle, extremely biddable and looks fabulous!

Hi, I have a white gsd and he has suffered with terrible skin problems throughout his entire life. HOWEVER, that could just be a gsd thing and not related to his colour, but then again, Westie's are reknown for suffering with the same skin problems as he does, and they are also white?!

Some idiot warned me before I got him that white gsd's suffer with aggression problems, but this couldn't be further from the truth imo, he's the softest, cuddliest big bear I have ever owned and he wouldn't hurt a fly! He is also very well trained (apart from his selective hearing, but I didn't have him from a puppy, he was my first rescue as a 5yr. old now 11). Anyways, I would have had a white again, but was lucky enough to find a black and gold with impeccable breeding, so I changed my mind about the white. I'd have another in a heartbeat though, especially one as kind and gentle as my big bear I have now!

Can't wait to see piccies, I love the whites!

Good luck with your new pup - you must be very excited

I have never owned a white GSD and they are not for me really, although I have met some really fabulous ones in the past. I like mine longhaired and black/gold ;-)

Anyway, it is believed that white GSDs suffer with more health and temperament problems and I think this is down to breeders breeding purely for the coat colour, rather than looking at health and temperament before all else. Not sure how true it is, but I am sure there are some great breeders out there who have white pups, and who do breed for health and temperament before colour. It sounds as though you have done your research, so you must be happy with your choice

I can't wait to see pics and hear all about your pup. Are you hoping for a male or female?

gsd mad- he was an absolute stunner, so so beautiful, if mine looks half as good as he did i would be so proud and i'm sure you miss him more than words can say xxxx

old shep- thank you just what i wanted to hear! xxxx

thanks helena i have read your advice on the forum and taken in every word so will trust you on this too!! LOL

Moobli- these are the things i had heard too talking but really have done my research and hope it works!! we're getting a boy i cant wait!!

I will def bore you all with pictures i promise and any more pics of white shepherds would be greatfully recieved!!

yes i did know that but i already knew the mum carried the white gene which is why i asked for white when the owner mentioned the dad carried for it too. i honestly didn;t want to hear a crusade on anti white shepherds i just wanted to hear experiences and as the opinion seems to be lovely temperments i think i'll stick with it....and no i didn't think to ask about dwarfism!

It is very important that all current GSDs are screened for dwarfism before being bred from, I'm not surprised that dwarfism is something that most GSD pet owners don't know about & many breeders prefer not to know about. Dwarf GSDs sadly rarely live very long, they lose most of their coats & usually have poor appetites & major health problems, through out their short lives. To breed without the DNA test being done & being normal is a major folly.

i really didn't know and never heard of it, is it common enough to be a risk to our new boy?

Lots of good advice already - it's definitely a good idea to check out these things beforehand. I would check the parents pedigrees to make sure there isn't lots of inbreeding/linebreeding (the same dogs' names cropping up again an again) as this can indicate a lack of genetic diversity which is detrimental to health. Good luck, and I hope there's a white boy for you in the litter!

The only reason white GSDs were initially banned from showing in Germany & were considered undesirable was because they were the same colour as the sheep & this was not wanted. Health temperement & length of coat is as variable in whites as their coloured relations. If you have done your homework on the parents etc then what colour puppy you have will make no difference.

The actual number of carriers is not known & will not be known until more GSDs are tested, I know several born in litters bred from GSDs which in one way or another do not conform to the breed standard & there are others born to show/working dogs that are not discussed openly & "disposed"of one way or another.

It is common enough throughout the world for the research that developed the test to be funded.

The SV in Germany have brought in compulsory DNA testing for dwarfism & at present only offspring from normal to normal or normal to carrier can be registered & the obviously the offspring will have to be tested as well. Because the exact number of normal dogs(or ratio of same)is not known the restriction of normal to normal only breedings being allowed hasn't yet been brought in, but at some date in the future it will be.

Your puppy may or may not be affected/carrier/normal, but unless the parents are DNA tested the breeders are doing the breeding in the dark so to speak. Dwarf GSDs are obvious from birth, however if the breeders are not aware that dwarfism exists, they may simply think dwarf puppy(ies) is very much smaller than the others. :-(