White German Shepherd, male or female?

[ImBetterThanYou]

DP and I are wanting a white german shepherd, what are the views of these dogs, does anyone here own one?

I will be home with the dog from 8am to 6pm and DP will get home after that, but it will be predominantly down to me to look after it. Would a male or female dog be better suited to our family?

Do these particular types of dogs bark a lot?

We also have a 5yr old son and cats.

The general concensus is that they are not 'bitey' in the least! Lots of work but lots of love and fun!

they are bloody nippy as puppies!!

Ministry of silly walks here when both boys were tiny, they soon grow out of it if you

walk slowly!

develop a good "aaah" grumbly reprimand noise

focus on establishing yourself as "extremely fragile"

find their weakness! Keller will do anything for a squeaky toy, Zac just wants to be loved! ...a hint of a cross face and he melts.

Completely random but I have known two and both had issues . Very snappy and barked a lot. I am a total animal lover and have had loads of pets but I would not have a large dog of any kind with small children unless you have a big house and huge garden . Just my opinion .

I have two GSDs, a dark sable male 2years & a bi-coloured female, she will be 7 in September.
They are both pure working lines (Police breeding programmes).
I also have 3 children, the youngest being 10 years old.
When I started looking for my female, my main priority was acquiring a puppy with the correct GSD temperament as my youngest child then was only 3years old. Second on my list was that the parents had had relevant health checks, hips scoring etc. I'm afraid, colour, coat length came right at the bottom of my list.
I remember doing lots & lots of research as she was going to be my very first GSD puppy(though not my first GSD) & I wanted to get it right.
I also remember having a conversation with the Head of our Local Police Dog section at the time about White GSDs - he had the same views as others have posted regarding their temperaments not be stable due to a small gene pool.
I quickly realised that there are different "types" of GSDs out there - Working lines - Sport and Police, Show Lines, & the "Pet" lines, which include the Whites & the Long Coated.
I initially looked at the Long Coated GSDs, but quickly realised that the breeders (that I spoke to anyway) were simply breeding for their coats, which I didn't want.
I then moved onto the Show lines, but again found that the breeders I spoke with main concern seemed to be conformation. I went to view a couple of Show Line litters & was very concerned that some of the pups seemed very nervous.
I then moved onto looking at the Working Lines, namely ones that Police Dogs are bred from. Here I found what I was looking for - temperament, drive& the dog's willingness to please their handler were their main priority when breeding a litter. This was exactly what I wanted.
Working lines do require lots of exercise & their minds to be kept occupied, but in return I have dogs with stable, trustworthy temperaments while still being protective of their family & home - this is exactly what a true GSD should be like.
In my limited experience of having 2 males (not at the same time) & 1 female, I would say that the females are easier as a first GSD as they don't seem to be as challenging as the males.
With regard to male/female bonding, I've always found whoever is the dog's main care giver - feeding, training, exercise - is the person they bond the closest to regardless of sex.
With regard to your child.
I've never had any problem at all with my GSDs & my children. I've found them to be extremely tolerant & good natured with my children over the years.
Though I have made sure that the puppy/dog or baby/child have bonded with each other. This is easily done by letting your child help at feeding times, going on walks with you etc. & making sure they treat the dog with respect.
Gosh, I have been rambling!
As far as I'm concerned there are dogs & there are GSDs!
Just hope that helps a bit.
Anything else - just ask.

I seem to recall Valhalla has a 'Champagne' coloured GSD. It's a shame she's not on MN anymore as she probably could've given some really good advice.