White GSD Breeders, Essex area General Chat

Hi does anyone know of any White GSD breeders in Essex or just outside?

not looking for next year anyway but i just like to read up!

Thanks!

Well not a white GSD breeder, but Flame's breeder lives in Essex



Didn't you have any joy with the White & Longcoat GSD Society?

There are two white bitch pups advertised in their puppies section, so it may be worthwhile speaking to the breeder of those pups to see if they can recommend anyone in your area.

http://www.walcss.50megs.com/catalog.html

wow your gsd is gorgeous. I love them so so much, but have seen more than my fair share of unhealthy ones. It breaks my heart for such a wonderful, highly trainable dog to have such health problems as they have had bred into them.
Will stick with my shepherd crosses until once day I find a pup with a long line of healthy dogs, not vaccinated and fed raw all the way back to the great grandparents!!
(fussy or what)

Thank you She is the love of my life, but I too am worried about the general health of the modern GSD. I too love love LOVE GSDs and didn't think I would ever want to be without one, but the concerns I have about health and lifespan worry me so much that I may stick with my second breed, border collies, in future

collies too have problems, and too many people now (like my local flyball that I fell out with) stick the 'fastest' dogs together to breed a super fast collie, with no clue whatsoever about genetics.

I think I will end up with a collie one day, but it will be one I have to pay alot for, and I will want a long recorded linage, not '5 generation pedigree' (how exciting - not!) that just means that they have hidden the others because there is too much cross over between families. Collies are another breed you have to be careful with, but there are knowledgeable people breeding out there. Finding them is the difficulty!
I have seen so many £20 'farm collies' in our training class, I am gutted for... potentially in the right hands they might have been something, or had a little more control, but they have turned into snarling, nipping, nasty dogs, not nice.
I have heard shhh, it's a secret... that the forces breed their own shepherds, and don't keep all the pups... most of them are straight backed and looks are not a factor that they care about, it's all about the job, and health and longevity. That is where I would want a dog from!

I will always have an ISDS reg collie from known lines. The breeder of my own collie is well known and highly respected in the sheepdog world, and is a top trainer and triallist. I respect his opinion and he is always honest when asked about particular dogs or lines.

Oops - sorry for taking over your thread Knotty!

haha thanks ok!!!

i did try them, i see a few places for sale, but i jsut wondered if there were more? and maybe nearer me, in essex or just outside because i dont think i see where them places were?......... ill have another look!

I am afraid both times now I have bought a GSD I have not gone to a regular show breeder, but have looked round for a person that has a good old fashioned straight backed bitch, who knows the father and all grandparents, who is just breeding a one off litter and who wants the best for the puppies, not just to make a quick buck.
My last GSD I got this way was wonderful and lived till he was 14yrs, never had hip dysplasia or any other genetic condition, in fact was healthy all his life right up until the end. Breeders only wanted £100 per puppy, but vetted all homes well before you could have one.
I have done the same this time with little Nanuk, visited lots of litters until we found the wonderful caring lady that bred Nanuk. She had both parents and thier hip scores and knew thier grandparents and thier hipscores. It was just a one off litter and the bitch and dog are now going to be done. She put everything into rearing the puppies well, spent out on a vet check for them and again checked us out. Not out to make money either as to approved homes she only charged us £200 on the proviso that we send regular emails and pics of how he is doing and growing up as she wants to stay in touch with the puppies.
No I don't choose them because they are cheap. I choose them because they are healthy well reared indoors pups. I look at all price range ones, but these have been the best. Hopefully little nanuk will be as healthy and happy as my last one.
Sorry I have been right off track there but it may be worth you looking in free ads as I'm in Essex and I have often seen them advertised in there. I will keep my eyes open for you too.

My Mum's last GSD wasn't from a bonifide breeder, but someone who was only interested in the pups health and well being.

Saba lasted until he was 13, a great age for a GSD. His hips finally gave in but I think that was more to do with old age than hip dysplasia.

Have to ask is the breed the important thing or is it the colour, because often the whites are not good examples of a GSD although they may be less to buy and if that is the reason fair enough. But if it is white dogs you are after why not go for one where white is the norm, like a Samoyeds, Hungarian Kuvasz, Maremma Sheepdog or Pyrenean Mountain Dog all, like the GSD members of the Pastoral group, but are white by design not by accident of genes.

I have a white gsd, bred locally in West Sussex? I rescued him though, and will find out the breeder's name for you so that you can AVOID purchasing from her as he has lived on steroids all of his 6 years due to a terrible skin complaint! I do know of a local woman who has 7 whites and I can find out if she breed them or where she got them for you ok?

Here's Georgie

Have you thought about a white Northern Inuit.. there seems to be a fair few being bred at the moment... don`t have the health probs of the GSD.. but is of similar size and stature.

Don't know much about them but I thought it was a myth about the white ones often not being good examples of GSDs?

Down here, there a lot MORE expensive than a normal gsd???? Maybe for some sort of designer reasons? Not guilty there, coz I just got what I rescued, and I really wish he wasn't white, many a time!

:smt007 :smt049 :smt007 :smt049

I've been told that whites tend to be a little nervous. Not ever having whites (as much as I'd love to own one) I can't be 100%

Simba - he wasn't nervous but this was a loooong time ago .

Don't know if it is always true that whites are not as well made as the more normal coloured GSD's, I am sure it is not, have only formed this opinion by what I have seen, there must be some good ones.

There have always been white GSD''s born, just like white Boxers, but until relatively recent times it was just an undesirable colour that turned up in a litter of pups that were the more normal colours and was sold off as pet quality only.

However some bright spark decided that it may be a money spinning venture to try to breed for white and then suggest it was something special and worth more money. It is this breeding for colour that has helped produce some very poor examples, not the fact that they happened to be white.

A responsible breeder breeds for conformation and health trying to avoid miss marked or dogs of an unwanted colour but accepting that in any litter some pups will be pets only, some may be worked and others may be used for sport or showing.

It is not the fact of being white has caused problems in the conformation or health it is the breeding when the most important factor in choosing the dam and sire is the colour they will produce, the same would and does happen if a group of breeders try breeding for head size, or coat length. The poor effect on the resulting pups is in direct relation to the quality of the dogs used for breeding and if the main criteria is too narrow then the chances are that somewhere down the line the animals will start to loose quality sometimes to the extent that the breed starts to loose sound construction or develops a health or temperament problem.

Thought I had better make it clear that GSD's are not white in the same way as Boxers. The white Boxer has a true white coat and the gene that causes the coat to be a true white is the same that can carry the probability of deafness in the white Boxer and other breeds that have a true white coat. The GSD is I believe a dilute and the coat is not a true white, this is evident in most of the so called white GSD's as they tend to be cream or biscuit although a few are very pale most have some darker, yellowish, marking.

Sure someone who has a better knowledge of colour genetics than I will explain what I mean better.

Thanks for explaining that Pita