As far as dog breeders go, I am *very* young. I think this gives me a unique perspective and extra consideration as to the future of this breed 30, 40, even 50 years down the line. I am always more swayed by science and facts as opposed to feelings, and the fact of the matter is, this breed does not have enough genetic diversity to support another 25 generations of breeding healthy dogs. According to Embark, the average genetic COI (Coefficient of Inbreeding) in White Swiss Shepherds is 26%, which is about as related as genetic full siblings (which would have a COI of 25% assuming that their parents were not already related). Although the general population seems to understand that inbreeding is bad, many fail to realize just how inbred purebred dogs are and many breeders are unwilling to even consider doing an outcross due to the negative stigma attached to crossbreeding. However, breeding within a closed studbook can only serve to decrease genetic diversity, which is unhealthy in the longterm over many generations. We have already seen numerous health issues appearing in White Swiss Shepherds--and many have no genetic test. Issues such as congenital heart defects, epilepsy, allergies, and so on. A few breeds are already in severe decline, such as the Doberman and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I would absolutely hate to see the White Swiss Shepherd go down this path, but I fear we are already heading that direction. However, we, as breeders, have the option to do something now instead of waiting until it is too late.

For these reasons, we have imported semen from Icon Paidí Tou Lupa "Ubbe" to enrich our breeding program. Ubbe is an outcross male whose sire is a Belgian Malinois, his grandmother is a White Swiss Shepherd, and his grandfather is part Siberian Husky and Alaskan Malamute. We attempted our first breeding with Ubbe in fall 2024, but the mating was unsuccessful. We plan to try again in fall 2025.