White Swiss Shepherd Dog
The White Swiss Shepherd Dog descends from white-coated German Shepherds exported to North America once the colour was excluded from the German standard, and it returned to Europe…
About the White Swiss Shepherd Dog
The White Swiss Shepherd Dog descends from white-coated German Shepherds exported to North America once the colour was excluded from the German standard, and it returned to Europe through Switzerland, which sponsored its recognition as a separate breed. It is a shepherd dog in build and outlook, generally softer in temperament than the German working lines.
Dogs stand 60 to 66 cm, straighter in the back and less angulated behind than a show-line German Shepherd, always white, in a medium or long double coat. The breed is sensitive and can be reserved, and shyness is the fault to watch for; a stud should greet a stranger cheerfully and settle quickly somewhere new, because that is what the breed most needs bred into it.
Hip and elbow scores under the BVA/KC schemes are the starting point, together with a current eye certificate. The degenerative myelopathy DNA test is used in the breed and a stud owner should have the result. The MDR1 drug-sensitivity gene has been reported in White Swiss Shepherds at low frequency, so it is worth asking whether the stud has been tested. Ask about digestive trouble and bloat in the line, and about how the dog copes with noise and novelty.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the White Swiss Shepherd Dog
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Good Practice — the Royal Kennel Club’s minimum before breeding
The tests the Royal Kennel Club says breeders should, at a minimum, complete before breeding.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hip score (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Total of both hips, 0–106. Lower is better. |
| Elbow grading (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Grade 0–3. The dog is graded on the worse of the two elbows. |
Breed hip median
Breed median 10 (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 5 years, 76 dogs scored). Lower is better. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
White Swiss Shepherd Dog stud dogs
No White Swiss Shepherd Dog studs are listed right now
When a White Swiss Shepherd Dog on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
White Swiss Shepherd Dog litters
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Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
