Sky and Cruise

An outstanding first litter !! My original plan was to repeat this breeding in the Spring for the purposes of learning the most I can about Sky's genetic makeup, but I was so impressed with the excellant conformation and temperament of the first litter that I decided to shoot even higher next time.

Sky was bred to Cruise's full brother Polo in December 2004 - pups due in February, ready for new homes in April. This will allow me to still learn much about Sky genetically and produce pups of the highest standard in both looks and personality.

My daughter, Sarah, gave all the pups temporary names. The boys are super-heroes. The girls - flowers.

They are: Batman, Hulk, Lone Ranger, Spiderman
Rosie, Power Ranger
(Superman not shown)

Can you guess from the pictures which one I kept?

Meet "Steel Man in Black" aka "Cash"
previously know as:
SPIDERMAN (top-right picture)

As is obvious in the photos, excellant pigment abounds throughout the litter. A very small touch of pink can been seen on the edge of Rosie's nose - and that's all lthe pink in the whole litter. Her nose has since filled in completely black.

Bright white & short coats, good heads and chests, good stifles, and confident temperaments also were consistant across the whole litter. Cash was the only pup in the litter with a compact and even chestier torso. He also has a bit more coat then the rest.

Meet the parents again:

"Royal Steel Blue Sky"

"Royal Prince Cruiser"

Click here to see more Cash & Sky pics

Temperament: All of my breeding choices will reflect temperament as my highest priority. Cruise is a full brother to Diana Updike's perennial winner Polo (Royal Von Tasz Classic) and share's many of his fine characteristics. I especially like Cruise's laid back temperament, desired by many for wonderful pets, whereas Polo's temperament is a more intense, working drive favored by trainers and Shepherd purists.
Sky has a very friendly and sweet demeanor towards anyone she knows, but is properly aloof to those she doesn't. I am especially proud of her outstanding maternal instincts and her confident poise in public. She wonderfully discerns what is and isn't a threat and responds calmly even when abruptly approached by strangers and children. Whenever she has turned on her protective instinct, it has always been appropriate. By breeding two dogs with such approachable confidence, I expect to maintain the extremely diverse character traits which define the White Shepherd and produce dogs with great social personalities.
Health: The primary health factor in selecting Cruise was his good hip and elbow evaluations. Sky's elbow radiographs showed some very mild sclerosis in her elbows, and though minor enough that it may never be an issue, my goal as a breeder is to improve with each generation.
Structure/Conformation: Sky is very muscular, weighing in at 75-80 lbs - not a small girl! I'm hoping her movement, topline and tail will be complimented by Cruise's excellence in these areas. These hopes were not only met, but exceeded by the outstanding structure of the pups in her first litter.