KENAI
White Shepherd

The breeds · herding

UKC Herding

White Shepherd.

UKC (Herding Dog Group): a direct descendant of the German Shepherd Dog, created by Max von Stephanitz from a variety of German sheepdogs; colour was not considered at first as long as the dog could work; in the late 1930s white fell into disfavour, white dogs were excluded from most German Shepherd breeding programs and evolved into a distinct type and then a separate breed; recognized by UKC April 14, 1999. The standard says the White Shepherd should be evaluated as an all-around working dog, shows both herding and protective instincts, is self-confident and poised, eager and alert when the situation demands, open and friendly with those he knows and observant and somewhat aloof (not apprehensive) with strangers; timidity or aggression is not typical. AKC editorial: the AKC will not take the white German Shepherd into its Foundation Stock Service because it is a variation of an established breed, and the FCI recognizes it as the Berger Blanc Suisse.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

25 / 23INHeightdogs 25, bitches 23. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
60–85LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 75 to 85 lb; breed bitches 60 to 70 lb.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 25 in (24 to 26) · bitches 23 in (22 to 24)

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2014

UKC prints a single ideal (23 in) with a one-inch tolerance.

Weight

dogs 75 to 85 lb · bitches 60 to 70 lb

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2014

Printed as a range ('about'), so center is blank.

Coat

UKC: weather-resistant double coat of medium length; outer coat dense, straight, harsh, close lying; undercoat short, thick, fine; neck slightly longer and heavier, particularly in males. Ideal colour pure white; very light cream to light biscuit tan acceptable but not preferred; skin pink to gray, gray preferred; nose, lips, eye rims and pads black. Open coat is a fault; any other colour and albinism are disqualifications; temperament, overall quality and movement count more than coat colour alone

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2014

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · UKC: weather-resistant double coat; outer coat dense, straight, harsh and close lying, medium length; undercoat short, thick and fine; coat slightly longer and heavier at the neck, longer and thicker on the rump and underside of the tail

DerivedUnited Kennel Club, 2014

Derived from the coat description (3 = medium double coat).

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

UKC (Herding Dog Group): a direct descendant of the German Shepherd Dog, created by Max von Stephanitz from a variety of German sheepdogs; colour was not considered at first as long as the dog could work; in the late 1930s white fell into disfavour, white dogs were excluded from most German Shepherd breeding programs and evolved into a distinct type and then a separate breed; recognized by UKC April 14, 1999. The standard says the White Shepherd should be evaluated as an all-around working dog, shows both herding and protective instincts, is self-confident and poised, eager and alert when the situation demands, open and friendly with those he knows and observant and somewhat aloof (not apprehensive) with strangers; timidity or aggression is not typical. AKC editorial: the AKC will not take the white German Shepherd into its Foundation Stock Service because it is a variation of an established breed, and the FCI recognizes it as the Berger Blanc Suisse

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2014

One registry standard plus one editorial passage. The UKC White Shepherd (North American) and the FCI White Swiss Shepherd Dog are separate entries here.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

13.4% · 13.4% dysplastic of 238 OFA hip evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 85.3% normal; mild 10.9%, moderate 2.1%, severe 0.4%; breed rank 96 in the OFA table

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry: affected dogs are under-reported and evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, so true prevalence is higher. OFA's 'WHITE SHEPHERD' row is the North American White Shepherd only, not the White Swiss Shepherd Dog.

Elbow dysplasia

19.3% · 19.3% abnormal of 218 OFA elbow evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 80.7% normal; grade 1 17.9%, grade 2 1.4%, grade 3 0.0%; breed rank 23 in the OFA table

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry: affected dogs are under-reported and evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, so true prevalence is higher.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 2 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
American White Shepherd, White Shepherd Dog, Berger Blanc Américain-Canadien

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

Your white shepherd, on the record.

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