Brief History
Brief History of the White Swiss Shepherd/
Berger Blanc Suisse
The White Swiss Shepherd is a herding dog and has emerged from white lines of the German Shepherd making the two breeds 'genetically' the same. The WSSD however differs in both conformation and movement to the GSD currently seen in the show ring and they have clearly both evolved distinctively throughout the years and now have their own individual Breed Standards.
WSSD Breed Standard link - http://www.fci.be/nomenclature/Standards/347g01-en.pdf
'LOBO WHITE BURCH'
American and Canadian White Shepherds that have been bred for their white coat and dark pigmentation over many generations are the foundation of the White Swiss Shepherd and the progenitor in Switzerland is considered to be an American White Shepherd called 'Lobo White Burch' born in 1967. He was owned by Miss Agatha Burch who returned with him to Switzerland after living many years in the USA. Miss burch also imported a female from the UK called 'White Lilac of Blinkbonny', these dogs bred along with other imports from America and Canada (including the UK) under the prefix 'Shangrila' are considered to be the foundation of the WSSD.
The American White Shepherd Association and the White Shepherd Club of Canada were committed to the promotion and preservation of the White Shepherd and the WSSD can be attributed to the dedication of the breeders and followers of the white coated shepherd. link to AWSA history - http://www.awsaclub.com/history.html. and link to WSCC history - http://www.whiteshepherdclub.ca/wsccclub.htm (both clubs under these names have been established since the early 1970's).
Since 1991 the White Swiss Shepherd has been registered as a new breed within the Swiss Studbook and in November 2002 the FCI recognized the breed on a provisional basis. Official FCI recognition was given at the world Dog Show in Paris on the 5th July 2011 and as Switzerland was the first country to officially recognise the White Swiss Shepherd as a distinct breed, they were credited as the country of origin and hence the name BERGER BLANC SUISSE / WHITE SWISS SHEPHERD