Berger Blanc Suisse

The Berger Blanc Suisse, or White Swiss Shepherd Dog, is a Swiss shepherd breed with an all-white coat. It descends from White Shepherds brought to Switzerland from North America, and those dogs came in turn from white-coated purebred German Shepherds.

History

White German Shepherds were once barred from registration in Germany. In the United States and Canada the color stayed popular. A breed club was formed there, and the white dogs came to be treated as a breed of their own, the White Shepherd.

From the early 1970s, dogs of this type were imported into Switzerland. The first was an American dog named Lobo, born on 5 March 1966, and others followed from Canada and the United States.

Switzerland recognised the Berger Blanc Suisse as a breed in June 1991 and entered it in the Swiss stud book. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale gave it provisional recognition in 2002 and full acceptance in 2011. The Kennel Club in Britain recognised it in 2017.

Appearance

The breed usually stands between 53 and 66 cm (21–26 in) at the withers and weighs 25–40 kg (55–88 lb), with males larger than females. The coat is thick and comes in two lengths, medium and long. It is always white, and dark skin underneath is preferred.

The eyes are almond-shaped and range from light to dark brown. The ears stand erect and point forward. They are triangular, with slightly rounded tips.

The breed’s herding ability is similar to that of the German Shepherd, though dogs do not have to pass a working trial to be registered.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.