White Swiss Shepherd: breed description and breeding

The White Shepherd at one time was considered a rejected subspecies of the German breed. For this BSHO it has nothing to do. Previously, the Swiss shepherd’s dog was known worldwide as the American Canadian Shepherd Dog, which reflects its history.

FCI in the XXI century attributed the BSO to the category of shepherd dogs, service dogs.

How did it happen that animals known from the XIX century received the status of an officially recognized breed only in the 2000s? At the same time, they bear their name not in honor of Germany, when animals are closely associated with the German breed.

Let's find out what are the features of the BSHO, the rules for caring for a pet, its character, methods of education, as well as find out how the owners speak about their pets.

The history of the BSHO is closely related to the German Shepherd, as the animals look very similar. The first representatives of the white Swiss Shepherd Dog were put on public display in 1882, in the city of Hanover. One of them had a snow-white wool. It is believed that this particular dog is the progenitor of the breed. In the following centuries, the breed of white dogs became popular. Breeders tried to bring the most efficient animal, however, there were no uniform requirements, what qualities it should have.

Almost at the beginning of 1900, cavalry captain Max von Stephanitz created a single direction in the selection of shepherd dogs. Stefanitz acquired the dog, nicknamed Hector, who, according to the captain, possessed all the qualities of a shepherd and service dog. In the XX century, shepherd dogs with might and main used in the security services in the army. Over time, shepherd shepherds were brought to the territory of Britain, Canada, USA. Breeding work is now carried out in several countries around the world. They did not pay attention to the color of the dogs, only the working qualities of the animal were important.

When the Nazis gained power, the BSHO ceased to pass by the standards of service dogs. Its discrepancy was attributed to the color of wool, which is why animals began to reject. New standards were supported in other countries where white shepherd dogs were bred. In the 1960s, animals became completely “out of law”.

At the same time, breeders from America did not share the views of their colleagues. The Americans registered the breed as an independent one, giving it the name American-Canadian Sheep-dog. The only prohibition that concerned BSO is mating with the German breed. The peak of the shepherd's dog's popularity came in the era of television, famous people of pop, art and business began to keep their pets. These owners include the Rockefeller family. In 1970, a white shepherd was brought to Switzerland. The ancestor of the breed in this area was the American male Lobo.

A few years later, white shepherd dogs were entered in the register of cynological clubs as an independent breed. In 1980, purebred white sheep-dogs began to spread massively throughout Europe. In the XXI century, shepherd was brought to Russia. At the same time, the organization FCI officially recognized the breed. The application was submitted, including the Swiss, and despite the fact that the breed already had a name, it was nicknamed the Swiss white shepherd dog. That is how it is called now. And all because of the fact that the United States and Canada are not part of the FCI.

The standard adopted in 1991 has changed.

Today, the characteristics attributed to the BSHO look like this.

• The size and height of the shepherd dog must meet the standards of the German breed or exceed them by no more than 3 centimeters. Height at withers about 65 cm.
• The weight of the animal is in the same category as the Germans, from 30 to 45 kg, females weigh up to 35 kg.

Let's take a closer look at how a dog looks.

• Head. Muzzle elongated, forehead slightly sloping. The ears are triangular, erect, large. The eyes are almond-shaped, the color of the iris from dark brown to dark golden hue. Scissor bite.
• Body. The case is developed, elongated. The back of the animal is straight, going down under the slope in the pelvic region. Some individuals have no slope at all. The main thing is that the level of the croup does not exceed the level of the withers. Limbs properly set. Musculature traced, clearly visible on the hips.
• Tail. Elastic, long, saber-like, not rolled into a ring. Covered with long light hair.

Wool cover BSO can be divided into two types:

• shorthair;
• long-haired - The length of the hair should not exceed a value of 6 centimeters.

The hairs are hard, shiny, straight, undercoat of sufficient thickness, dense. In dogs belonging to the long-haired group, the hair in the chest and neck should be the longest, forming a mane.

Smooth-haired dogs (hair length not more than one and a half centimeters) are considered defective and rejected, such animals can not be bred.

In Europe, dogs with medium-long woolen coat are most in demand, while in America they prefer only short-haired dogs.

The color of the BSHO is only one - white. In this case, the nose, paw pads, mucous membranes should be painted black.

If the dog has a pink shade, then it is considered an albino. In such animals, there is no melanin in the blood, which is responsible for skin pigmentation. The eyes of albinos are blue. These dogs are not allowed to breed.

Shepherd observant, with strangers behaves wary, carefully, does not reveal a clear aggression. A working animal, tied to the owner. With a man behaves friendly, playful. White Shepherd Dogs are quite obedient, but require training. A sharp mind, docile nature, low fearfulness, perseverance, good scent - these protective qualities allow the use of a pet in the security services. Shepherd can also become a guide dog.

It is best to buy BSHO puppies in nurseries from breeders. So you minimize the risk of buying a pet, obtained during inbreeding. Do not take newborn puppies. For such dogs, careful care is needed, babies need to be properly fed, and puppies due to age have not yet completed the course of socialization, which can later lead to bad behavior of the dog.

When choosing a breeder, pay attention to the following details:

• experience with the breeder, nursery;
• read reviews of people who applied to him, find out his reputation, whether the breeder is in any clubs, unions, commissions;
• check the duration of the breeding experience of a particular breed at the selected breeder;
• Puppies seller must participate in exhibitions, dog-parents competitions;
• The breeder should not shy away from questions about raising a puppy, hide information about the parents of the baby.

After meeting with the breeder, you can proceed to the selection of a puppy. Keep in mind that the selected baby may manifest inherited diseases, develop pathology.

What illnesses can BSHO have:

• deafness;
• dysplasia;
• bulging eyes;
• heterochromia or blue eyes;
• entropy;
• malocclusion;
• lack of pigmentation on the nose, mucous membranes, skin;
• heart failure (congenital);
• mental problems (aggression or passivity);
• albinism.

Before buying it is worth watching a puppy, his character, and also to see how dogs-parents behave. Find out whether animals have been trained, what is their socialization in society, and whether they often participate in competitions. The puppy must be active, agile, good to eat. You can ask the breeder to test Campbell. This test is carried out in the club where the seller is, or through the canine community.

Must be a bilateral contract of sale. You must have papers describing all your rights to the dog, its breeding, and so on. A puppy should have a veterinary passport ready.

To keep a pet in an apartment, it is recommended to purchase a care kit. It includes:

• various hairbrushes;
• shampoos;
• claw cutter;
• oral care products;
• lotions for cleansing the ears, eyes;
• cotton pads, sticks.

Let's take a closer look, how is shepherd care going at home?

Let's start with the fur of the animal. As a rule, care for a fur coat is not difficult, problems can arise during the molt. During this period, it is necessary to brush the pet's hair several times a day with a puhokerka or use a furminator. Special sprays for the forcing of wool are also suitable, however, this method is applied only on long-haired breeds. The wool of short-haired shepherds is first treated with a comb, then with a puhokerka or comb-mitten made of rubber.

It is necessary to comb or remove all the mats, then finish the procedure for the care of wool with a brush from natural bristles.

Despite its snow-white wool, it is recommended to take baths to dogs twice a year or the day before the show. Washing the paws after a walk can occur every day, however, dry cleaning will be sufficient if contamination is minimal. To do this, use a dry shampoo or a regular dry cloth.

Washing the dog sheepdog shampoos, the tool can also be matched to the type of pet hair. Allowed firming, toning shampoos. The pet is placed in the bathroom, the wool is moistened with warm water, without affecting the area of ​​the eyes, ears, nose. The shampoo is rubbed on the palms and applied to a damp coat. Means carefully soars and washed off. One time will be enough. After that, the dog can be sent for drying or the wool may be treated with air conditioning, balsam.

To dry the fur coat of the animal, you can use a hair dryer or just a towel. After the dog dries, the coat is always combed.

The appearance of tartar or plaque is not only considered a cosmetic defect, these formations may in the future lead to diseases of the oral cavity. Pet's teeth should be cleaned once a week with a dog's toothbrush, using special powder or toothpaste, which are intended only for canines. Cleaning done sweeping movements from the base of the tooth.

Eyes are treated with lotions. The liquid is applied to a soft cloth, cotton pad or napkin. Processing takes place every day after a walk. Do not rub the area around the eyes - it can lead to irritation. Movement should be light, smooth, as if promakivayuschimi.

The shepherd's ears are cleaned several times a month, using a cotton swab and a dog ear cleaner. If there is no access to a veterinary pharmacy, the lotion can be replaced with hydrogen peroxide. After the cotton wool is moistened with a stick, it must be pressed. Cleaning the ear occurs near its edges, across the entire inner surface, without lowering the stick inside the ear. The movements are also light, not pressing.

Pet's claws are clipped with a clipper. The tool is best to purchase guillotine type. The trimming of the claws occurs once a month or less, it all depends on how often the dog walks. Animals that walk on hard surfaces practically do not need to trim their claws, since the nail plates themselves are ground on the road surface. Burrs after cutting can be removed nail file.

If you decide to knit BSO, then the best days for mating will be between 11 and 15 days of estrus. The first pregnancy of the female should be in the second year of her life. It is advisable to introduce her to an adult male, males should not be younger than two years.

Before viscous pets you need to walk and not give them food during the day. Getting to know the couple passes in the territory of the male. After mating, dogs get stuck. This process should not be interrupted if the animals are worried, it is necessary to calm them down, hold them, iron them. If the pinching did not happen, then after a day - two couples are brought together again.

Pregnancy takes 56–72 days. Bitch brings 3-5 puppies, with age, the number of litter increases. During pregnancy, the female must be brought to the examination by a veterinarian. Two or three days before the birth, the doctor should be warned about the impending event so that the veterinarian can provide assistance in case of difficult birth. As a rule, childbirth flows easily, without complications. Newborn puppies need to be cleaned of the placenta and make a metric. Care for babies will fall on the shoulders of a bitch.

White Shepherd Dog is allowed to feed with natural food and dry food.

In the first case, food should be served at room temperature; soups should not be too thin or thick. Food is served twice a day at the same time. Snacks are not allowed between meals.

If it is more convenient for the dog to feed dry food, then it should be not below the premium segment. However, expensive brands can not guarantee that the food will suit the pet, the same applies to cheap feed. To begin, the dog should be given the selected product in small portions to ensure that there are no allergic reactions or other irritations. If everything went well, you can safely use the selected brand.

Puppies up to two months feed five times a day. At six months, eating is reduced to three times a day. Individuals older than half a year eat twice. Important: with a decrease in the number of meals, the portions themselves increase. After feeding, the remaining food in the bowl is removed.

A selection of natural foods for white Swiss Shepherd dogs.

• Most of the diet - about 70% - should consist of protein foods, such as lamb or beef. Meat is allowed to give raw.
• Various vegetables are served in unlimited quantities. It is allowed to add vegetable oils, preferably sunflower.
• Porridge from cereals. Fit rice, buckwheat, oatmeal. Porridge is mixed with sliced ​​meat in the proportion of 70% meat and 30% grain (you can mix two types of cereals, 15% x 15%).
• Low fat cottage cheese.
• Light kefir.
• Boiled chicken eggs whole or just yolk. No more than twice a week.
• Boiled peeled sea fish is suitable for adult dogs.

It is also allowed to add vitamin and mineral complexes to food. However, before this is to consult with a veterinarian, as an excess of substances can have a negative impact on the body of a pet.

If you want to introduce a new product into the dog's diet, it is worth doing gradually, adding the selected ingredient a little over a week or two.

For breed socialization is extremely important. Lack of attention, poor training or treatment leads to the appearance of aggression in a puppy, attacks on a person, the dog becomes biting. The first basics of training come at the age of six months. A puppy is taught to respond to his nickname, you can learn simple commands "sit", "lie down". It is necessary to communicate a lot with animals, at the same time to behave confidently, aggressively, but not to punish. Commands are given clearly, loudly, supported by a treat.

Training is preferably carried out in the form of a game, lesson duration is not more than an hour. If training passes passively, without a sufficient amount of physical, mental stress, the dog may become fearful, timid, it is possible damage to things in the apartment.

It is advisable to make long walks, velocrossing, allow your pet to run after a stick or a ball. A great solution would be playground with shells. On it you can work out jumps, run with obstacles, teach the dog to climb the stairs.

Reviews of owners of BSHO positive. The owners of the dogs celebrate its balanced character, not fearfulness, restraint, devotion. The pet is easy to learn, not too flashy.

Some owners complain about the unpleasant smell of wool, especially in the paw area. Of the minuses, there is also an abundant molt, the house has to be cleaned several times a day. It is also worth carefully choose a puppy shepherd. There are individuals with timid temper. Also, the dogs need the attention of the owners, they do not like to be alone, but at the same time try not to impose.

A description of the white Swiss Shepherd breed is given in the following video.