White Swiss Shepherd
HISTORICAL SUMMARY:
In the United States and Canada, white shepherds gradually became accepted as a distinct breed. The first dogs of this breed were imported to Switzerland in the early 70's. The American male “Wolf”, born on March 5, 1966, can be considered as the progenitor of this breed in Switzerland. There are currently a large number of purebred white shepherds for several generations, distributed throughout Europe.
Country of Origin : Switzerland.
GENERAL APPEARANCE L : Powerful, well muscled, of medium size; erect ears; double coat of medium or long length. Elongated in shape; medium-boned, elegant and with a harmonious silhouette.
PRO IMPORTANT PORTIONS : Of moderately long rectangular shape: the proportion between the length of the body (from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttock) and the height at the withers is 12:10. The distance from the stop to the nose is slightly greater than the distance from the stop to the occipital protuberance.
BEHAVIOR AND TEMPERAMENT : Happy and balanced temperament, enjoys action, attentive with good ability to be trained. Friendly and discreet. High social ability and devoted to its owner. Never fearful or aggressive without being provoked. A work and sport dog, cheerful and easy to train, capable of all types of training. High social capacity allows for a special ability to adapt and integrate into all kinds of social situations and events.
HEAD : Strong, dry and delicately chiseled, in good proportion to the body. Viewed from above and in profile, it is wedge-shaped. The upper lines of the skull and muzzle are parallel.
CRANIAL REGION
Skull : Only slightly rounded; median depression only slightly noticeable.
Stop : Only slightly marked but clearly visible
FACIAL REGION
Truffle : Average size; desired black pigmentation; the snow truffle and the lighter truffle are accepted.
Muzzle : Powerful and moderately long in relation to the skull. The bridge of the nose and the underline of the muzzle are straight and converge slightly towards the nose.
lips : Dry, tightly fitted and as black as possible.
Jaws and Teeth : Strong and complete dentition, scissor bite. The teeth must be implanted orthogonally to the jaw.
eyes : Medium in size, almond-shaped, placed slightly obliquely; brown to dark brown in color; tight-fitting eyelids and black eye rims are desirable.
Ears : Erect, set high, carried straight, parallel and facing forward, in the form of an elongated triangle with a slightly rounded tip.
NECK : Moderately long and well muscled, harmoniously set on the torso, without dewlap; the topline of the neck, elegantly arched, runs in a continuous line from the head, carried moderately high, to the withers.
TRUNK
Top Line : Strong, muscular and of medium size.
Withers: pronounced.
Back: Level, firm.
Croup: Long and of medium width. It slopes smoothly from its insertion to the root of the tail.
chest : Not too broad, deep (about 50% of the height at the withers); reaching the elbows; oval rib cage; stretching far back. Prominent forechest.
Bottom Line : Slender, firm flanks; Bottom line moderately tucked up.
TAIL: Thick, saber-shaped, tapering to the tip. Set somewhat low, it reaches at least the hock. At rest, it falls straight or slightly curved upwards in its last third. In movement it is carried higher, but never higher than the line of the back.
MEMBERS
FOREQUARTERS : Strong, resistant, medium boned. Straight, when viewed from the front; only moderately distant. Viewed in profile, well angled.
Shoulders : The scapulae are long and oblique, the shoulders well placed, forming with the humerus a sufficient and ideal angle of 110 to 115°.
Elbows : well adherent.
Paws : ovals Fingers closed and well arched; firm black pillows. Dark nails are desired.
HINDQUARTERS : Strong, resistant, medium boned. Viewed from behind, straight and parallel; only moderately distant. Viewed in profile, well angled.
Knees : Proper angulation.
Metatarsals : Moderately long, straight and vigorous.
Paws : ovals Hind feet slightly longer than fore feet. Fingers closed and well arched; firm black pillows. Dark nails are desired.
DRIVE : Rhythmic sequences of steps with constant and stable propulsion. Former members with good reach and strong momentum. At the trot, movement is easy, covering the ground well.
SKIN: No folds and wrinkles, dark pigmentation.
COAT
By :
Medium length coverage: Dense, well-seated double cover; abundant undercoat with a straight, hard covering coat; the face, ears and front part of the limbs have a shorter hair. On the neck and back of the limbs the hair is slightly longer. A slightly wavy, stiff coat is allowed.
Long coverage: Dense, tight-fitting double coverage; abundant undercoat with a straight, hard covering coat; the face, ears and front part of the limbs have a shorter hair. On the neck, the long coat forms a distinctive mane and, on the back of the limbs, forms “pants”, and the fur on the tail is thick. The coat length should never be exaggerated. A slightly wavy, stiff coat is allowed.
COLOR
White.
SIZE : Males: 58 cm to 66 cm
Females: 53 cm to 61 cm
FAULTS
Any deviation from the terms of this standard should be considered a fault and penalized in exact proportion to its severity and its effects on the health and well being of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Discreet presence of fawn hairs (light yellow or shaded red) on the tip of the ears, on the back and on the upper part of the tail.
• Partial loss of pigment with a speckled appearance on the nose, lips, or rim of eyelids.
• Ergos, except in countries where their removal is prohibited by law.
SERIOUS FAULTS :
• Heavy appearance, very short build (square outline).
• Absence of sexual dimorphism (insufficiently defined sexual characteristics).
• Absence of more than 2 PMl; the M3 are not taken into account.
• Dropped (pendant) ears, semi-dropped, button ears.
• Strongly sloping back line.
• Tail curled, broken, hooked or carried over the back.
• Soft, silky, woolly, curly, open, poorly laid covering coat. Clearly long hair, no undercoat.
• Distinctly fawn color (distinct yellowish color or reddish coating) on the tips of the ears, on the back and on the upper part of the tail.
DISQUALIFYING FAULTS
• Aggressiveness or excessive shyness.
• Any dog that shows any sign of physical or behavioral anomaly must be disqualified.
• Anxiety, high degree of fear, aggression due to anxiety, unnecessary aggression, apathetic behavior.
• One eye or both blue eyes. Prominent eyes.
• Entropion, ectropion.
• Overshot or undershot. Jaw twist.
• Total loss of pigmentation of the nose, lips and/or eyelid edge.
• Total loss of pigmentation on the skin and on the pads.
• Albinism.
GRADES
• Males must have both testicles, of normal appearance, well let down and accommodated in the scrotum.
• Only clinically and functionally healthy dogs with typical breed conformation should be used for breeding.