White German Shepherds do not have the deafness issues that White Aussies or Danes have,

But that doesn't mean they are "all" healthy. You still need to be sure the breeder have performed health tests on the parents - hips, heart, eyes, etc. and that the temperament is correct.

 

White German Shepherds are not prone to the same problems as albino dogs. They actually are not albino at all.

The white coat color is the result of a recessive gene being expressed. They should have a black nose and dark eyes, pads and lips.

My last shepherd was a WGSD and I loved her dearly. Although, she was bred for her color and not other very important traits like temperament and good physical health.

 

yeah that makes sense, i just wanted to make sure that they were not more prone to some issues. i haven't spoken with the breeder my wife found so i am not sure if they have been health tested or not. i intend to find out before buying. i have never seen a all white shepherd in person but the pix i have seen they are beautiful.
thanks again for taking the time to answer my question!

 

well that is good to know, my wife had pix emailed to her and is in love, she wants a GSD now more then ever. guess i better get on calling the breeder and finding out when i can go see his pups and talk shop about heath test and find out if they were breed to be white

 

We have had 3 white GSDs and they have been as healthy as our black GSD. Our first white GSD was diagnosed with cancer at age 9 1/2 but the vet thought that this might be a diet issue more than hereditary. (we have kept in touch with the breeder and no issues with the parent dogs. The mom is still alive at age 11, the father died at age 10. These are big dogs 130#).
Anyway, we love our whites (and our black). I think it is important to know the family history, of any color GSD, and if it is a reputable breeder they will share this info.
here's our litter mates at age 10 wks.

 

I would at the least make sure the parents are OFA'ed. My first GSD was White and unfortunately later I found out the breeder was a back-yard-breeder. The parents weren't OFA'ed, nothing. My girl was sweet but she was very very skittish and had mild hip dysplasia.

 

i am glad to hear white GSD don't have special needs like white Danes, well i may be getting my new family member soon, well that is if the breeder my wife finds checks out.

 

Also I should mention that when my white GSD was xrayed at age 9 1/2, even though he was 130# the hips were perfect. The vet was surprised that such a large senior dog would have such perfect hips. Too bad for the cancer because he was obviously built to last a lot longer.

 

well i am truely sorry for your loss, cancer it is a silent killer

good to hear he had good hips tell the cancer took him. i cant wait to bring home a new puppy.

 

Can't wait to see your puppy photos with your great Dane!

 

i will post them as soon as i can, but i think the white pups have another 2 or 3 weeks before they can go home with me

 

Make sure you post lots of pictures of your new puppy when you get him!!!

 

i just talked to the breeder myself, he has got them tested for heart and hip issues and they all check out good. they are 6 weeks old now so they still have at least 2 weeks before they can come home. i am going out to see him and the pups hopefully next weeks since it is a 3 hour drive from vegas into California to see him.

 

Little Red,

Could they be any cuter? Makes me miss my little tiny puppy Juno - don't get me wrong, I love her more every day... but there's just something about the sweet, innocently curious look in the eyes of those little pups that can't be denied!

Thanks for sharing your pic!

 

Originally Posted By: Brinkmani just talked to the breeder myself, he has got them tested for heart and hip issues and they all check out good.

He got WHO "checked out"? The parents or the pups? Are the parents hips OFA certified.? Having the pups hips "checked" means NOTHING. They are too young.

 

Exactly! Even though white GSDs don't have the same health issues as some other white dogs, GSDs in general are riddled with hereditary health problems. At a minimum, make sure that both parents and all grandparents have been checked for hip dysplasia (OFA or PENNHIP), also checked for blood disorders and other problems. If you skip this step, you could be looking at thousands of dollars with of medical bills before you know it, not to mention giving money to someone who is breeding in a way that harms dogs.

 

he got the parents checked before the litter, he said for hip and heart issues. he said he will go over all that stuff with me when i am there, he has parents and grandparents on site from what i understand.

 

If you have the registered names, or registration numbers, of the parents you can verify what he says with regards to hip checks and such on the OFA database. http://www.offa.org

Not meaning to imply he may not be truthful or anything else, but it's always a good idea to double check from independent sources when possible. This will also allow you to determine if the check was official, in the sense of hips were evaluated by a board of experts through an objective, recognized organization, or just eyeballed by a breeder and/or vet (who may or may not have the skills to interpret the x-rays properly).

 

Check out his documentation, that is he should have copies of the parents OFA certifications, BEFORE you set eyes on those puppies!!!

And the above poster is correct, a vet cannot, absolutely cannot confirm good hips in a 6 week old puppy...

Oh, I am not having good feelings about this.....I hope I am wrong.

 

Unfortunately Back yard Breeders. or hobby breeders are often prone to have their dogs checked by the vet for hip problems, and never go all the way to having x-rays of hips and elbows done and submitted to an evaluating authority such as OFA, OVC PenHip. ALL SHEPHERDS of ALL colors should get the same kind of certifications for health and soundness, and have proper documentation such as Chris suggested. If you have a pedigree with AKC #'s you should be able to search the ofa database and find their records.

I know several breeders across the USA, Canada and even a couple in Europe who have generations of certified stock if you want to get a WGSD. I've owned/bred them in the past, but not just for color. I found them to have the same basic issues as any other Shepherd. If you have a pedigree of the litter I may be able to tell you something about the dogs behind them.

 

It sounds like you are dealing with a decent breeder, but I would follow up on Chris's suggestions. Bottom line is verify.

I do rescue, and do not think what a previous poster said is as serious as might have been suggested regarding health problems of the GSD. Obviously, that does not mean a specific dog can't have health problems, but on my end, with a dozen dogs, no major issues. So far, so good on my end.

 

I have a 14 week old pure white shepherd-Aspen and she is the best family dog ever! We have 4 kids and a sheltie and she is perfect ALTHOUGH my sweet pure white shepherd is turning golden!! I guess it is very rare because she came from 2 pure white shepherds but it does happen but seriously she is so good she could be purple and it wouldnt matter! You will love those pure whites!!!

 

I have to say that the breeder you have chosen should talk to you BEFORE you meet.
I would ask for documentation on parents clearances and puppy clearances. The breeder should proudly provide them for you before you consider a deposit.
This is not to say that you will not get a great dog from them.
The best GSD in my house right now is my crippled Frodo. Unknown breeder, severe leg injury, best personality I have ever had, and will cost me a refinance in my home loan to keep comfortable.
Will I do it?
Maybe.
Will you do it?
Maybe.
But know what you are buying.
Frodo's choices were my house or euthanasia. I choose to try and help him, so I'm committed.

 

Since the breeder is a distance away, it would be best to ask for a scanned copy of the OFA (hips, elbows and cardiac) and any other health certifications (CERF on the eyes, for example). Or he could also supply you with the appropriate OFA numbers and you could look them up on the OFA site as already mentioned.

The OFA site will also be able to tell you if the grandparents of the puppies are OFA'd too, so you will know that there is some background of health. Ideally, health certifications are done for several generations to prove the genetic likelihoods of good health. One generation is not sufficient.

If you just show up there, you or your wife will simply fall in love with the puppy and take one regardless of the health of the parents. Backyard breeders depend on the emotional draw of a cute puppy! Good breeders talk about health certifications immediately and want to show proof of health so that people understand how important it is.

While these pups will need kind, loving homes like all pups do, you will be most upset if your dog ends up with hip dysplasia or another crippling disease and you find out then that there wasn't any true health certifications on the parents and grandparents. It's up to us, the puppy buyers, to research and only support breeders who are trying to breed the healthiest dogs they can. Without buyers, the backyard breeders will either start doing health certifications or will stop breeding, and either of those will benefit the breed as a whole.

Melanie and the gang in Alaska

 

i got an emailed a copy of both parents OFA, and one of the grandparents, he said he will try to get a copy of the other grandparents from the owner. he has been really friendly, patient with me, asking all kinds of questions and happy to talk to me but he has a a full time job so we play a lot of phone tag that why he said it would be easier for him to talk to me about it if i got all my questions together for when i plan to come visit.