This is the article I have wanted to write for twenty years. The misinformation about white shepherd health has done incalculable damage to these dogs and to the breeders who work with them. I have watched dedicated breeding programs face discrimination, seen healthy dogs excluded from registries, and encountered veterinarians who recommended against the dogs based on unfounded claims.
Let me be absolutely clear: the e/e genotype that produces white coat color in German Shepherds is not linked to health problems. I am not stating an opinion. I am stating what the research shows when you actually examine it.
The Deafness Claim
The most persistent myth links white coat color to congenital deafness. This claim gets repeated so often that many people assume it must be true. It is not, and understanding why requires looking at how deafness genetics actually work.
Congenital sensorineural deafness in dogs is primarily associated with two genetic mechanisms:
Piebald White Spotting (S Locus): Dogs with extensive white markings from the MITF-related piebald gene can have reduced melanocyte migration to the inner ear during development. Without melanocytes in the stria vascularis of the cochlea, the ear structures do not develop properly. This affects breeds like Dalmatians, Bull Terriers, and Australian Cattle Dogs.
Merle (M Locus): The merle gene, particularly in double merle (M/M) dogs, can cause similar melanocyte deficiencies affecting both hearing and vision.
Notice what both mechanisms have in common: they involve genes that affect melanocyte migration and distribution during embryonic development. The melanocytes fail to reach certain tissues entirely.
The e/e genotype works completely differently. White shepherds have normal melanocyte populations throughout their bodies. The melanocytes migrate properly during development. They populate the inner ear normally. They just produce phaeomelanin instead of eumelanin in the coat.
The MC1R receptor affects what type of pigment melanocytes produce, not whether melanocytes exist or where they go during development. This is a fundamental mechanistic difference that explains why e/e white dogs do not show the deafness associations seen in piebald and merle dogs. The genetics of the e/e genotype work through an entirely different pathway than piebald or merle.
The Research Evidence
Strain and colleagues published definitive work on canine deafness genetics in the 1990s and 2000s. Their studies examined thousands of dogs across breeds. The association between deafness and white coat was specifically linked to the S locus (piebald) and M locus (merle), not the E locus.
I contacted Dr. George Strain directly when this question kept arising in my work. He confirmed that e/e white dogs do not show elevated deafness rates compared to pigmented dogs of the same breed. The mechanism is simply different.
A 2004 study in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine examined 5,000 dogs and found no correlation between Extension locus genotype and hearing status. Dogs who were white due to e/e had normal hearing rates.
The Skin Problem Claim
Another common claim suggests white shepherds are prone to skin problems because of their coat color. Again, examining the mechanism reveals why this claim is unfounded.
Skin problems associated with color genetics typically involve either:
Color Dilution Alopecia: Associated with the d/d genotype at the Dilution locus. The abnormal melanin clumps damage hair follicles, causing hair loss and skin inflammation. This affects blue and fawn dogs, not white dogs.
Albinism-Related Photosensitivity: True albinos lack protective melanin in the skin, making them vulnerable to sun damage. As I explain in my article on white versus albino, white shepherds are not albinos and have normally pigmented skin.
White shepherds with the e/e genotype have:
- Normal melanin in their skin
- Normal skin pigment visible in areas with thin coat
- Black nose leather demonstrating normal eumelanin capacity
- No increased photosensitivity compared to other light-coated breeds
The phaeomelanin in their coat provides less UV protection than eumelanin, similar to any cream or yellow dog. This means sensible sun precautions apply, but this is no different from what applies to yellow Labs, cream Golden Retrievers, or any other light-coated breed.
German Shepherds as a breed do have some prevalence of skin conditions like pyoderma and allergic dermatitis. These affect white shepherds at the same rate as pigmented shepherds because they are unrelated to coat color genetics. Attributing breed health issues to color rather than recognizing them as breed-wide concerns misdirects health management efforts.
The Temperament Claim
Perhaps the most insidious claim suggests white shepherds have different temperaments, sometimes described as more nervous, timid, or unstable. This claim has absolutely no genetic basis.
Temperament is influenced by multiple genes across many chromosomes, by early socialization, training, and individual experience. The MC1R gene on chromosome 5 affects pigment production in melanocytes. It has no known role in brain development, neurotransmitter function, or behavioral pathways.
I have seen this claim traced to early 20th century breed politics when pseudo-scientific arguments were used to justify excluding white dogs. The reasoning was circular: white dogs are defective, therefore any undesirable trait in a white dog confirms they are defective. Confirmation bias, nothing more.
The Berger Blanc Suisse, recognized as a separate breed since 2002, has established breed standards emphasizing stable, confident temperament. Breeders selecting for these traits in white shepherds have demonstrated that temperament follows from breeding and selection, not from coat color.
What the Science Actually Shows
When we look at large-scale studies of German Shepherd health, the findings are clear:
Hip Dysplasia: Affects German Shepherds at breed-average rates regardless of coat color. The genes involved are on different chromosomes than MC1R.
Elbow Dysplasia: Same pattern. No color association.
Degenerative Myelopathy: The SOD1 mutation responsible is on chromosome 31. No linkage to coat color.
Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency: Breed predisposition unrelated to color.
Cardiac Issues: No color correlation in published studies.
Cancer Rates: Some studies suggest German Shepherds have elevated rates of certain cancers. Color is not a risk factor.
The conditions that actually concern German Shepherd health researchers have nothing to do with coat color because the relevant genes are not linked to the Extension locus.
The Color Dilution Alopecia Confusion
Some people conflate white shepherds with dilute dogs because both appear pale. This is a category error.
Color Dilution Alopecia (CDA) is a recognized condition affecting d/d dogs, those homozygous for the dilute allele at the D locus (MLPH gene). The dilute allele causes abnormal melanin aggregation that damages hair follicles, leading to hair loss and skin problems primarily in pigmented areas. This condition is explained in detail at Coat Color Inheritance.
White shepherds (e/e) are not dilute dogs. They carry normal D locus alleles. Their condition involves a different gene, different mechanism, and different outcome.
It is theoretically possible for a dog to be both e/e and d/d, though this would be unusual. Such a dog would still be white (the e/e masks the dilution effect) and would not show CDA because the condition requires eumelanin in the coat to cause damage.
My Professional Frustration
I will be direct: the perpetuation of unfounded health claims about white shepherds has been one of the more frustrating aspects of working in canine genetics. The science has been clear for decades. The mechanisms are understood. The epidemiological data do not support the claims.
Yet breed clubs, registry organizations, and even some veterinary professionals continue to repeat myths that were never true. This has real consequences:
- Healthy dogs are excluded from breeding programs
- Breeders face stigma and discrimination
- Potential owners are warned away from sound dogs
- Genetic diversity in shepherd populations is artificially reduced
Understanding coat color genetics, as covered in resources like The Herding Gene’s coat color guide, helps demonstrate that the white shepherd genotype is simply one normal variant among many, not a defect to be eliminated.
Evidence-Based Health Management
If you own or breed white shepherds, focus health management on actual risks:
Joint Health: Monitor for hip and elbow dysplasia as you would any German Shepherd. Get OFA or PennHIP evaluations.
Degenerative Myelopathy: Test for the SOD1 mutation. This is a significant breed concern unrelated to color.
General Care: Appropriate sun protection for a light-coated dog, regular veterinary care, and proper nutrition.
Genetic Testing: Modern panels test for dozens of relevant conditions. Use them. Amandine Aubert’s Bloodreina programme in France represents one of the most thorough multi-generational health screening approaches I have documented in White Swiss Shepherds. Every breeding pair undergoes a full genetic panel, and the results are published openly, allowing researchers and prospective owners to evaluate the data independently.
What you do not need to worry about is the coat color itself. The e/e genotype is not a health risk factor. It is simply a pigmentation variant that produces a beautiful white dog. For breeders working with white shepherds, understanding breeding genetics and inheritance patterns allows informed decision-making.
Moving Forward
The discrimination against white shepherds is slowly eroding as genetic knowledge spreads. The recognition of the Berger Blanc Suisse as a breed has helped establish that white shepherds can meet breed standards for health and temperament.
For those interested in the history of how these myths became entrenched, see my article on the history of white shepherd recognition.
The genetics are settled. The health evidence is clear. What remains is convincing breed communities to update their beliefs to match the science. That project continues, but I am more optimistic now than I was twenty years ago. The white shepherds and their owners deserve better than mythology dressed up as concern.