AWSA
Membership Approved October 12, 2002
© Source and copyright:
American White Shepherd Association:
AWSA
PREAMBLE
The
White Shepherd is a direct descendent of the German
Shepherd Dog and the two breeds share common roots and
are similar in appearance. However, the White Shepherd
evolved from a continuous selection for a working
companion dog with that exclusive color, beauty and
elegance as seen both standing and in motion. His high
degree of intelligence and sense of loyalty have allowed
him to become one of the most versatile working dogs
serving mankind.
GENERAL
APPEARANCE
The
White Shepherd is a well developed and balanced animal
with the look of intelligence, energy and purpose in
life. It should have a regal appearance with secondary
sex characteristics being distinctive. The dog should be
somewhat longer than tall, with smooth curves rather
than sharp angles. Extremes of anything distort type and
are to be strongly discouraged. This is a herding dog
that must have the agility, freedom of movement and
endurance to do the work required of it. When gaiting,
the dog should move smoothly, with all parts working in
harmony. Overall balance, strength, and firmness of
movement is to be given more emphasis than a sidegait
showing a flying trot. Staying true to type is defined
by the following word picture and this diagram.
SIZE,
PROPORTION, SUBSTANCE
Body
Proportion -- The dog is somewhat longer than tall
-- the ideal ratio of length to height being 10 to 8.8.
E.g., 28.4 inches (72.1 cm) long to 25 inches (63.5 cm)
high. Body length is measured from the prosternum to the
point of the buttocks. Height is measured from the
highest point of the shoulder blade to the ground. Ideal
height and weight is 25 inches (63.5 cm) and roughly
75-85 pounds (34-39 kgms) for males, and 23 inches (58.4
cm) and about 60-70 pounds (27-32 kgms) for bitches.
Acceptable range of height is about 1 inch (3 cm) in
either direction of the ideal. Any dog that is so over
or undersize as to be outside of the acceptable range is
highly objectionable and should be faulted.
HEAD
Proportionate in size to the body. Males should show
masculinity without coarseness; bitches should show
femininity without being over-refined. Both sexes should
exhibit a look of intelligence and nobility. Skull --
Viewed from the top, the skull is wedge-shaped, clean
cut and strong. When viewed from the side, the topline
of the skull should parallel that of the top of the
muzzle and there should be a moderate stop. There should
be no tendency toward an overly long, narrow or
Collie-like head. Insufficient stop or a round or domed
skull is faulty. Muzzle -- The muzzle is strong
and dry and the lips fit tightly over the well-developed
jaws. The nose should be black. Viewed from above, the
muzzle appears wider at the stop than at the tip and
there should be no tendency toward cheekiness. A snipy
muzzle or a receding lower jaw is faulty. Eyes --
Brown, dark for preference. The eye rims should be
black. The expression is keen and intelligent, yet
composed. The eyes are medium sized, almond shaped, and
set a little obliquely. Round or protruding eyes are
faulty. Blue or pink eyes disqualify a dog. Ears
- Size in proportion to the rest of the head. The ears
are moderately pointed and open toward the front. They
are carried erect when at attention. The ideal carriage
is one at which the center lines of the ears, from the
front, are parallel and perpendicular both to each other
and to the ground. Soft ears spoil the desired noble and
alert expression and are faulty. Cropped or hanging ears
are a disqualifying fault. Teeth -- 20 upper and
22 lower; a full mouth is preferred. Dogs missing more
than one premolar should be faulted. Broken teeth are
not considered a fault. The teeth meet in a close
scissors bite. A level bite is faulty. An overshot bite
is a severe fault. A dog exhibiting an undershot mouth
must be disqualified.
NECK,
TOPLINE, BODY
Neck
-- Length is proportionate to the size of the head. The
neck is strong, muscular and dry. Except when at
attention or excited, the typical carriage of the head
is forward rather than up, particularly in motion. A ewe
neck or one that is too short or throaty is faulty.
Topline -- The withers should be higher than and
slightly sloping into the back. There should be no
evidence of a dip behind the wither, nor should the
topline itself sag or roach from the wither to the croup.
Body -- Solid without bulkiness. The White
Shepherd should be shown in lean, hard physical
condition. Chest -- The forechest is well filled
and the prosternum is prominent. The chest is deep with
the brisket reaching to the elbows. A shelly chest is
objectionable. Depth of chest should be approximately 48
to 50 percent of the total height of the dog. Ribs
-- The ribs are long, well sprung, and are carried well
back. The shape of the chest is important. It must never
be so wide or round as to interfere with the action of
the elbows and the forelegs. Neither must it be so flat
as to cause the elbows to pinch in. Underline --
Only moderately tucked up in the flank -- never like
that of a Greyhound. The abdomen is firmly held and
never paunchy. Back -- The back is short,
straight and strongly developed. Loin -- Viewed
from the top, broad and strong. From the side, the loin
is relatively short and blends smoothly into the back.
Croup -- Long and gradually sloping, flowing
smoothly into a low set tail. In the ideal dog, the
croup slopes gently away at an approximate angle of 23°
from the horizontal. Too level or flat a croup prevents
proper functioning of the hindquarter, which must be
able to reach well under the body. A steep croup also
limits the action of the hindquarter. Tail --
Bushy, with the last vertebrae extended at least to the
hock joint and usually below. At rest, it hangs straight
down or in a slight saber-like curve. Even in excitement,
the dog should never lift its tail higher than right
angles to the backline. The tail is important. The dog
uses its tail like a rudder enabling it to keep its
balance while being able to turn instantly. In motion,
the ideal carriage of the tail is at or slightly below
the natural extension of the topline. It is permissible
for a dog to carry its tail a bit higher, although the
tendency toward a gay tail spoils the overall outline of
the dog. A dog with a too short tail or a docked tail
must be disqualified.
FOREQUARTERS
Shoulders -- The shoulder blade, or scapula, should
be long and well laid back, the ideal angle being about
35° from the vertical. Shoulder layback is estimated by
taking a line from the uppermost tip of the scapula to
the point of the shoulder (where the scapula meets the
humerus) to the ground. Lay-on is flat against the body,
with the upper ends fairly close together, forming the
point of the wither. Shoulder and upper arm are well
muscled but never loaded. The upper arm (humerus) is
almost equal in length to the scapula. In the ideal dog,
a 102° angle is formed by imaginary lines connecting the
point of the elbow with the forward-most point of the
shoulder joint and with the highest point of the scapula.
This angulation permits the proper maximum forward
extension of the foreleg in the working shepherd dog.
Faults in the shoulder assembly include: loose or loaded
shoulders (bulging muscle pads), a pushed forward
shoulder assembly, not enough length in the humerus and
a scapula that is too short or steeply set. Forelegs
-- The forelegs are straight and parallel with each
other. Lower leg bones are oval in shape. Bone
substantial but not excessive. Elbows are well held in
with no tendency to turn in or out. The point of the
elbow lies roughly in a vertical line under the point of
wither. Pasterns -- Strong and springy with the
ideal angle being about 25° from the vertical.
FEET
Short
and compact, toes held closely together and well arched.
Pads are thick and tough affording the dog protection
over rough terrain. Dewclaws appearing on the rear legs
should be removed, those on the front legs may be
removed but are usually left on. Nails should be short.
Faults in running gear include: terrier-like feet, hare
feet, thin pads or splayed feet.
HINDQUARTERS
The
whole of the rear assembly somewhat mirrors that of the
front. In length and angulation, the scapula and the
pelvis roughly equal each other, and the slant of the
lower thigh bones roughly approximate that of the pelvis
and of the humerus. The pelvis lies tilted backward at
an approximate angle of 35° from the horizontal. Whether
standing four-square or firmly and naturally with one
rear leg extended behind the pelvis, the femur drops
almost vertically from the hip socket, forming an
approximate 125° angle with the pelvis. The upper and
lower thigh bones are all roughly the same length. The
thighs themselves, both upper and lower, are broad and
heavily muscled. The stifle is well bent; its angulation
must never be so steep that the dog’s hocks lie directly
under any part of the croup or pelvis. In a correctly
angulated dog that is standing in a natural three-point
stance (show pose), an imaginary line dropped plumb from
the point of the buttocks would land roughly 2 inches (5
cm) in front of the dog’s extended hind foot. Stifles
that are too straight or overly long are faulty. The
hock joints are strong and the hocks themselves,
relative to the rest of the rear assembly, are short,
clean and perpendicular to the ground. Whether in motion
or at rest, there is no tendency for the hocks to turn
in or out. From the rear, the hindlegs drop straight and
parallel to each other and the feet point straight ahead.
MOVEMENT
Soundness is of paramount importance. Capability of
quick and sudden movement is essential. The action is
free, supple and tireless with the dog covering the most
amount of ground with the minimum number of steps, all
of the parts working together in harmony. From the side,
the hindquarters drive forward with the hindfoot
reaching far under the body to take firm hold of the
ground. The powerful backward thrust is transmitted
through a firm back to the front end, where the shoulder
opens to the fullest extent possible and the foot
reaches out toward the nose. The entire motion lifts the
dog’s body slightly and carries it forward. The feet
track close to the ground on both forward reach and
backward push. At full trot, the back must remain firm,
level, and free of roll, whip, or roach. At the extended
trot, the dog may appear to overreach, with the hind
foot passing to either side of the front foot. This is
not faulty unless it causes the dog to move in a
crab-like fashion. From both front or rear, the action
is that of a single track. From the front, the legs move
inward toward a center line under the body in a straight
column of support from the point of shoulder to the pad.
From the rear, the legs track inward toward a center
line in a straight column of support from the hip to the
pad. Moving close is faulty. Sidegait, coming and going
are equally important and movement front and rear are
not to be overlooked in favor of sidegait. Incorrect
structure will be revealed in the moving animal. Flaws
in gait such as weaving or interfering, paddling,
flipping the front paws, weakness at the elbows,
stiltiness, moving cow or bow-hocked or in a hackney
fashion are highly objectionable and must be regarded as
serious faults.
COAT
The
White Shepherd has a weather-resistant double coat. The
outer coat is medium length, dense, straight, harsh and
close lying. The undercoat is short, thick and fine in
texture. The head and ears are covered with a smooth,
somewhat softer hair while the hair covering the legs
and paws is more harsh-textured. At the neck, the coat
is slightly longer and heavier. A male may carry a
thicker ruff than a female. The back of the legs has a
slightly longer covering of hair and there is
considerably more hair on the breeches and the underside
of the tail. Both a short coat and a long coat are
equally acceptable. An open coat is faulty.
COLOR
The coat
color is white as defined by the breed’s name and the
ideal is pure white. Other coat markings that range from
a very pale cream to a light biscuit tan are acceptable,
but not preferred. It is important to note that when
judging the White Shepherd, temperament, overall quality
and movement are to be considered more important than
coat color alone. Pigment -- Skin color is pink
to gray with gray being preferred. The nose, lips and
eye rims should be fully pigmented and black in color. A
snow nose is acceptable but is not preferred. Deficiency
of pigment is objectionable and dogs exhibiting faded or
spotty pigmentation on nose, eye rims or lips should be
faulted. Dogs exhibiting the total lack of pigment in
the above named areas indicating possible albinism or
those that definitely exhibit albinism (such as dogs
with blue or pink eyes) must be disqualified.
TEMPERAMENT
The
White Shepherd has a distinct personality marked by a
direct, but not hostile expression of self-confidence.
It is poised but when the situation demands, it should
be eager and alert, ready to serve in any capacity such
as companion, watch dog or service dog. To his inherent
aptitude as a guardian of flocks should be an added
protectiveness of the person and property of his family.
With those he knows well, he should be open and friendly.
With strangers, he should be observant and may be
somewhat aloof but never apprehensive. Timidity,
shrinking behind the handler, lack of confidence or any
other display of poor character or aggression are severe
faults. Dogs displaying such pronounced character flaws
should be excused from the ring. Any dog that attempts
to bite the judge must be disqualified.
FAULTS
Any
deviation from these listed specifications is a fault.
In determining whether a fault is minor, serious or
major, these two factors should be used as a guide:
-
The
extent to which it deviates from breed type.
-
The
extent to which such deviation would actually affect
the working ability of the dog.
DISQUALIFICATIONS
-
Blue
or pink eyes
-
Cropped or hanging ears
-
Undershot bite
-
Tails that are too short or docked
-
Total lack of pigment on the nose, eye rims or lips
or dogs that exhibit definite signs of albinism
-
Monorchids or cryptorchids
-
Any
dog that has been surgically or cosmetically altered
-
Any
dog that attempts to bite the judge
