The White Swiss Shepherd Club of America is a club devoted to the preservation and betterment of health, temperament, and structural qualities of the White Swiss Shepherd Dog. Its members believe that the welfare of the breed should be always a primary consideration. The following Code of Ethics is predicated upon this fundamental philosophy:

SECTION 1. WSSCA Requirements for Breeders and Owners

  • FOOD AND WATER: Clean water must be available at all times. Care should be taken so that water dishes are not tipped easily. Dogs should be fed at least once daily. A balanced diet is necessary for good health. Food containers must be cleaned regularly. Special attention to feeding times is required in a multi-dog confinement area to ensure that each dog receives adequate nourishment.
  • SHELTER: All dogs must have access to dry, weatherproof housing. The shelter must be properly maintained in relation to weather conditions. Regular inspections of housing are necessary to ensure sanitary bedding and protection from objects harmful to pups and adults.
  • WHELPING AREA: The whelping area must be a warm, clean and roomy area segregated from other dogs, with easy accessibility for cleaning and inspection. For both pups and mother, the kennel owner must provide a healthy whelping area for maximum growth, survival, exercise and socialization with humans.
  • CONFINEMENT: Each litter must be segregated or properly identified. Dogs must be confined in such a manner that prevents their escape yet provides adequate room for individual mobility. Crated dogs must have an exercise area and receive adequate exercise daily. Females in season must be separated from males (other than the male she is bred to) for the entire heat cycle.
  • SAFETY & PROTECTION: The kennel owner must ensure that dogs kenneled together are compatible and not in danger of injuring one another. Dogs must be protected from stray and wild animals and from objects harmful to pups and adults. Adequate fencing is required.
  • HEALTH CARE: Vaccinations must be administered in accordance with local and state requirements. An internal and external parasite control program must be maintained. Sick dogs must be separated from general kennel population. Bathing/grooming should be administered as required by breed to maintain proper health conditions.
  • SOCIALIZATION: A daily regimen of human interaction is necessary to ensure the development of good temperament for all dogs, especially for pups.
  • WASTE DISPOSAL: Waste must be removed in accordance with accepted local, state, and federal requirements. The kennel area must be cleaned of all feces and urine daily. Solid waste must be removed from the kennel area.
  • RECORD KEEPING: Individual health records must be maintained for each dog. All breedings must be recorded as well as the resultant litters from those breedings. A sales record indicating to whom each dog is sold is necessary. Breeders must have complete and accurate registration documents for all breedstock and litters.
  • REGISTRATION: Owners and breeders must not register their WSSD as a German Shepherd Dog with the American Kennel Club (AKC) or any other registry.
  • Kennel owners must meet all local, county, state and federal government requirements for kennel operations.

SECTION 2. General Conduct:

MEMBERS SHALL:

  • Be constructive, instructive, and professional in their dealings with other club members and the general public.
  • Strive to educate all interested persons about the breed in order to foster responsible dog ownership.
  • Honor all written contracts and/or guarantees.
  • Maintain high standards of housing, veterinary and general care for all dogs owned by me throughout their lifetimes. This is to include euthanasia if it becomes necessary, recognizing that this is one of the responsibilities of dog ownership.
  • Abide by all applicable laws pertaining to dogs in their community.
  • Be honest in all advertising that is placed for the promotion of their dogs, their breeding program or kennel, and only advertise health test results that can be substantiated with certificates.
  • All advertising of breeding dogs or litters from breeding dogs on a breeders website will openly list health clearances and ratings, and proof of such clearances are to be available to any potential buyer that shall inquire.
  • Demonstrate good manners and sportsmanship both inside and outside of the competition ring: • Always act in a professional and considerate manner to other exhibitors, their dogs, judges, stewards, show committee members, or any other persons while in the sport of competition with their dogs. • Act in full accordance with all rules of other canine organizations or registries under which they may compete.

MEMBERS SHALL NOT:

  • Sell, give away or otherwise transfer dogs to any pet shop, either on consignment or outright, nor transfer dogs to any medical facility, animal wholesaler, auction, or raffle
  • Knowingly sell to unethical breeders or other persons whose intent to resell is known or suspected
  • Purchase any individual White Swiss Shepherd or any litter in its entirety for resale to any individual or commercial establishment
  • Falsify pedigrees, medical clearances or any other breeding/health information
  • Exhibit in any conformation class any dog that has been changed by artificial means, to change overall appearance, gait or temperament. This includes but is not limited to: attempting to change or disguise the natural color or markings of the coat, tattooing or applying other substances in order to darken or fill in missing pigment. This also includes scissoring, thinning, or other grooming which attempts to alter or disguise the overall type of a dog’s natural coat (i.e. making a long coated dog appear to be a short coat). Normal grooming or scissoring that does NOT attempt to alter a dog’s natural appearance or cover a flaw is acceptable. Surgery to correct bite problems, soft ears or a gay tail, administering any drugs or other substances in order to disguise or improve a faulty temperament, or any other method that seeks to deceive the judge or other breeders and exhibitors is prohibited.
  • Knowingly enter a dog in the wrong class or enter a dog other than the one whose registered name and number the official entry form bears, in any class at any show at any time.

SECTION 3. Breeding and Contracts

  • All litters born will be registered with an FCI recognized organization as White Swiss Shepherd dogs.
  • Members are to understand that the purpose of breeding purebred dogs is to preserve and enhance the best qualities of the individual dog, to improve overall health, temperament and physical and genetic soundness in the WSS breed, and to bring these natural qualities to perfection. As the owner of a brood bitch or a stud dog registered with WSSCA, members must understand that they must exercise careful judgement. Disreputable or ignorant breeders may produce animals that are mentally, physically, genetically or temperamentally unsound, and thus, reduce overall quality in the breed. To this end, members:
  • Breed only from stock that is temperamentally, physically and mentally sound and that has demonstrated no serious health problems or crippling genetic defects and that are free of the following disqualifying faults: blue or pink eyes, cropped or hanging ears, undershot bite, tails that are too short or docked, total lack of pigment on the nose, eye rims or lips or dogs that exhibit definite signs of albinism.
  • Agree to obtain any necessary medical clearances as appropriate for the WSSD, including but not limited to radiographic testing for joint/bone disorders, and genetic testing for degenerative myelopathy, and MDR1.
  • Agree that if they are a novice, will work with a mentor before producing a litter of puppies.
  • Agree that all contracts or agreements between breeders and owners regarding stud services, sale of dogs and puppies, co-ownerships or co-breedings, guarantees regarding live litters, sales or other services should be put in writing for the protection of all involved parties.
  • Members will not crossbreed purebred WSSD with any other breed, hybrid, wolf or wolf dog nor knowingly allow any of their dogs to be used by others in any breeding programs designed to produce such mixed-breeds, hybrids or wolf-dog crosses.

STUD DOGS: As the owner of a stud dog registered with WSSCA, members will

  • Keep accurate records of all breedings and pedigrees
  • Only use their stud dog on bitches they feel are an asset to the breed and that display no disqualifying faults per Section 3 above
  • Use their dog only on bitches that are temperamentally and structurally sound, are free of disease or serious inheritable defects, are in good physical condition, and that are at least two years of age and not over ten (10) years of age, unless approved by a veterinarian. In addition, members reserve the right to refuse service to all bitches that have not been tested negative for Brucellosis
  • Use their WSSD at stud only after he reaches the age of twelve (12) months:
  • Ensure that every breeding is supervised, keeping other stud dogs away from the bitch, and using only the stud dog selected by the bitch owner
  • Insist that all details concerning the mating be agreed upon, in a Stud Contract, before the mating takes place and is agreed upon by both parties
  • Allow one free return service by the same dog to the same bitch or return of the stud fee if the bitch does not conceive or does not produce a viable litter, so long as the stud owner still owns the dog
  • Sign the litter registration form when it is presented to me by the bitch owner but only after the litter is on the ground
  • If asked, the stud owner will do their best to assist the owner of the bitch in placing puppies resulting from a mating with the stud dog.

BROOD BITCHES: As the owner of a brood bitch registered with WSSCA, members will

  • not produce litters before the dam has reached the age of twenty-four (24) months (unless approved by a certified veterinarian) and then only if she is physically and emotionally mature enough to handle a litter
  • not breed their bitch after she has passed her eighth birthday (unless approved by a certified veterinarian), nor allow her to rear more than six (6) litters in her lifetime
  • insist that all details concerning the mating be agreed upon before the mating takes place and recognize the importance of a written contract detailing all such agreements with the owner of the stud dog
  • have any puppy that is born with a crippling defect or that is suffering from an irreversible illness humanely euthanized by a veterinarian, realizing that this is part of being a responsible breeder
  • agree to provide proper medical care, diet, socialization, and exercise to the dam and her puppies and to be prepared to keep all of the puppies for as long as is necessary in order to place them in suitable homes
  • keep accurate records