What historical kennel club action spurred the separate development of the White Shepherd lines?
White being considered a disqualifying fault in the GSD standard.
The separation between the White German Shepherd designation and the standard German Shepherd Dog (GSD) arose primarily from politics and differing standards set by kennel clubs, rather than biology. Historically, for many major kennel clubs, the presence of a white coat was officially designated as a disqualifying fault when judging dogs against the established GSD breed standard. Because these white-coated dogs were barred or relegated to non-conformation classes in certain jurisdictions, breeders who favored the white coat began intentionally developing their dogs separately, leading directly to the establishment of distinct breed registries specifically for the White Shepherd.
