BBS being registered as GSD's. Your thoughts?

[Mrs.K]

Originally Posted by robk

I really don't have an opinion in this matter. I was just asking a question.

You can't go off what they originated from. How many breeds have orginated from another breed?

The BBS is no longer a German Shepherd. It may have originated from the GSD but it's no longer a GSD, it's the berger blanc suisse and I'm glad they finally got the recognition they deserve.

[BlackGSD]

Breeds originating from other breeds is different, IMO. They ORIGIONATED from a different breed/breedS, but then had OTHER breeds mixed in to create something different.

To ME, breeding white GSDs to eachother for generations, STILL makes them white GSDs. The same as if I started breeding only black GSDs to eachother for 20 generations. They would STILL be black GSDs no mater what I chose to call them. UNLESS I crossed them with something else.

You don't just bring a breed from a foreign country and get immediate AKC recognition. There are all kinds of hoops that have to be jumped thru, and requirements that haves to be met. Have the BBS people looked into going about it this way?? {I would think so.}

[Liesje]

Originally Posted by lhczth

Does the UKC recognize the BBS? Many breeds have gone that route until they were able to get AKC recognition for their breeds.

The UKC recognizes the White Shepherd (WS). They are often quite popular at shows, probably because the AKC does not recognize them as a breed and DQs them as a white GSD. I have seen many of them at shows, in fact, I saw one WIN best in show at a UKC Premier. I'm not sure if the WS is the same as the BBS. WS is on one hand a white GSD but on the other hand when you see enough of them you can see they have developed their own type.

United Kennel Club: White Shepherd (Revised October 1, 2008)

ETA: Here is that BIS winner

[selzer]

I don't have a dog in this fight. I think they are white GSDs. They cannot be shown in conformation in AKC, but they can be registered.

[DianaM]

Irish setters used to be red and white dogs. Over time, breeders selected for more red and we ended up with the Irish setter of today. A dedicated breeder saved the original Irish setter from extinction and we know it today as the Irish red and white setter. They are separate breeds on paper, but not too long ago they were one breed.

American cocker spaniels and English cocker spaniels used to be one breed- the cocker spaniel. The breed began to differentiate based on size and in the same litter one could have the small type and one could have the large type. In time, differing cultures and practices have separated the breeds into what we see today, one type almost exclusively a show/pet dog and the other type still possessing a very capable hunting line.

The AKC treats the Belgian shepherd types as three (should be four) different breeds. I do not think they would recognize a Malinois x Laekenois litter as pure. They don't even currently recognize the Laekenois. But at one time, you could find all four in the same litter. The Malinois was the short coat, the Tervuren the long coat, the Groenendael the black, and the Laekenois the curly.

I say bring on the Berger Blanc Suisse. I also say nuts to the AKC and the FCI should throw the AKC out on its snobby nose but hey that's just what I think of anyone who believes they're too special to follow the rules.

[_Crystal_]

I see it as a White German Shepherd. There isn't really anything different between the GSD and the BBS except for coat color, in my opinion. These dogs are JUST white GSDs. (It's like I took sable GSDs and made a new dog breed... Just sable GSDs.)

[Rei]

Very interesting topic and one I have thought about many times, I think my opinion might have teetered back and forth before, but I've never been on either end of the spectrum.

Inherently I think it is counter productive (there is a better word I'm looking for, but can't think of it right now) and both confuses the general public, and muddles the perceived intentions of the groups divided on the subject of BBS and white German Shepherd Dogs. I know of many breeders who wish for all white coated GSDs and BBS to be recognized as German Shepherds, but still they will breed to a dog registered as a Berger Blanc Suisse. On a similar note, there are others who work with BBS and see them as a completely separate breed, but they will register with the AKC as a German Shepherd.

The UKC recognizes both the white color in the German Shepherd breed, and the White Shepherd as a separate breed. So you will see white coated dogs of similar type with overlapping pedigrees, even among the first few generations. Whiteshepherds, are the Berger Blanc Suisse separate from White Shepherds? Or is it akin to American lines vs. European lines? Something interesting I have noticed is that I see many more long coated dogs among the registered BBS compared to the dogs registered as White Shepherds here in North America. Not sure if that is just pure coincidence or not.

Off topic, by the way, but wanted to say your long coated girl looks beautiful in your avatar!! Do not see pictures of her often enough.