Berger Blanc Suisse
 Several Berger Blanc Suisse dogs. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other names | White Swiss Shepherd Dog | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Origin | Switzerland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Berger Blanc Suisse (English: White Swiss Shepherd, German: Weisser Schweizer Schäferhund, Italian: Pastore Svizzero Bianco) is a breed of dog from Switzerland. It is of the same origins as the White Shepherd and the German Shepherd Dog, and has been recognized as a separate breed by the FCI.
History
The first German Shepherd Dog registered by the Society for German Shepherd Dogs (Verein für deutsche Schäferhunde) was Horand Von Grafrath. Neither he nor any of his documented progeny were white, although his great-grand sire on his mother's side was white.[1]
At the creation of the German Shepherd Dog breed, all colours were accepted. It was in the first decades of the 20th century that the white exemplars began to be excluded in Europe.
The first White Shepherd club was founded during the 1970s in America. Meanwhile, the breed appeared again in Europe, at first in Switzerland, then Denmark and Germany came next. Slowly, the European cynological societies began to open their stud books to the White Shepherd.
The white-coated dog Lobo, born in the U.S. in 1966, was registered in Switzerland. The Berger Blanc (English: White Shepherd) breed was recognized in Switzerland 1991 and in the Netherlands in 1992. The Czech Republic, Austria and Denmark also recognized the breed.
Temperament
Most Berger Blanc Suisse dogs are gentle, very intelligent and learn easily. They are loyal to their family and may be wary around strangers, but are not prone to show shy or fearful behavior. Some people think the Arctic wolf was mixed with the breed to create its caution, however this is not true. The Berger Blanc Suisse breed derived from decades of evolution to a distinct breed type from the German Shepherd Dog. The Berger Blanc Suisse are suited for a variety of services to man from search and rescue to medical alert to therapy. They are also structured and have temperaments to succeed at performance events such as: obedience, rally, agility, lure coursing, barn hunt (ratting), protection sports, dock diving, fly ball, truffling, and other scent/tracking oriented training. They are natural herders, can cart, and are very well suited as an all around utility farm dog.
The character of the Berger Blanc Suisse is gentler and mellower than that of the working lines of German Shepherd Dog, but are still very protective of their people and dog pack.
Activities
Berger Blanc Suisse can compete in dog agility trials, obedience, showmanship, flyball, frisbee, tracking, and herding events. Herding instincts and trainability can be measured at noncompetitive herding tests. Berger Blanc Suisse exhibiting basic herding instincts can be trained to compete in herding trials.[2]
References
- ↑ http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=1208
- ↑ Hartnagle-Taylor, Jeanne Joy; Taylor, Ty (2010). Stockdog Savvy. Alpine Publications. ISBN 978-1-57779-106-5.
External links
- Pastore Svizzero Bianco
- http://whiteswissshepherd.org
- http://www.bergerblancsuisseshepherd.com
- http://www.bergerblancsuisse.us
Template:Swiss white shepherd
Dogs originating in Switzerland | ||
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| Extant |  | |
| Extinct | ||