One year ago today I went to pick up our youngest White Shepherd, Evie. Beautiful and feisty she is. She was born in The Netherlands and at 7 weeks (*) she was picked up by my then friend and breeder of Mojo, O. It turned out that the time Evie stayed with O was at least very stressful and unstable. I didn't know that and trusted that she would be taken care of, raised like I would have done. But that wasn't the case, on the contrary. And so when I finally took her home Evie:

• Peed & pooped in her bench, in the house
• She jumped up constantly, especially when her food is being prepared
• She nipped when you wanted to touch her, leash her, put on her harness, etc
• Reacted like a crazy dog when she wanted out of her crate
• Didn't go in her crate voluntarily
• She got car sick
• She growled when one of other dogs are to close to her bowl or bone (
• She leaked urine when (over) excited and or not sure of the situation.

I really felt hopeless because I've never had a dog that was so 'out of control' before. For a long time I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep her. Especially because of her the pack became 'out of balance' too. But here we are, one year later and Evie is doing much better. A lot of her 'bad habits' are gone. The only mayor thing she really has a hard time dealing with, is when there is a lot of energy going on, like just before we go for play & walk to the pen, and the anticipation gets to much. She's barking and whining, it hurts my ears big time. Because of that I walk with ear protectors. And I try a lot of things to get her distracted, to stop barking. But as I've written in other blogs before, unlearning a dog something, like barking, is very hard, maybe impossible even. It takes a lot of time.

And I do stay positive that one day Evie will be relaxed and doesn't make a sound when going out. So on a positive note Evie is not going anywhere. I love her and she can be sweet at times. Knowing she will be ok one day, keeps me going in helping her to make her life more easy, more in balance.

(*)I would never have my puppies leave the litter before 8 weeks old. But O. advised me that it was better to get Evie at 7 weeks because she felt that the breeder of Evie wasn't taking care of the puppies the way O would do. And O. also argued that it didn't matter if Evie was another week with her litter, her 'pack' while she also would be in a pack at O's home. However that only works when the pack is stable and in balance. Relaxed. I didn't know that then, but O's pack was far from stable. It was a complete chaos, especially bc O had one of her pups returned (at 11 years old) and she brought a lot if stress with her.

Anyway, I now know and learned that taking a puppy too early from their mother, is a big 'No No' and can lead to serious behavior problems. Like with Evie when she first got here.

Overnight the world turned white! Winter fun!  The doggies were very happy! Running, playing and eating snow were favorite! Fetch the ball was a little more challenging, because of the deep snow the balls disappeared completely. And with snow in their nose it was hard for the doggies to ‘sniff those balls out” -))))

I made a short movie of all the snow fun!!!

Another year passed. But what a year it was!
We had our first litter (A) (Jessie x Mojo), 1 pup, Venture. Her start on this world was not without a struggle, but from the moment that she was born her health only improved and she became the happy, beautiful and healthy 10 month old pup she now is.

In 2024 we also completed our pack with our fifth White Shepherd, Jolie Evie van de Witte Klaver (Evie). A beautiful short coat WSS with a feisty spirit and so I also call her my 'spitfire':-) When she arrived here in the USA, at 4 months old, she was pretty 'out of control' and I must admit the first months with her haven't been easy. On the contrary, she had to learn a lot, even basics like potty training, but she did eventually. in another blog I'll write all about this ordeal.

For 2025 we have some interesting plans. We'll try to have another litter with Jessie & Mojo, however don't hold your breath because it will be more luck than anything else.  Furthermore we'll have Evie's hips & elbows OFA evaluated in the Spring and when positive, we are looking for a nice stud for Evie to have a litter with in the Fall.

Anyway, we are looking forward to what 2025 brings us and we hope you all have a wonderful, joyful and healthy 2025!!!

And don't forget about the White Shepherds that still need to be rescued

On behalf of the pack, the cats, the chickens and Martijn & me we wish y'all a wonderful Christmas!!!

For most people Christmas is a joyful time, with a lot of love giving and receiving.

Our dogs are part of celebrating Christmas, are part of the love giving and receiving. But not every dog is so lucky this year. There are a lot of dogs waiting in a shelter, rescue, with a foster to be saved by a human, a family. Will you be that human, that family?

IF you consider buying a White Shepherd and it doesn't have to be a pup (i do have people calling from time to time looking for an older dog so i know you're out there), the following rescue organizations do have white shepherds: Echo dogs (operating East of the Mississippi), Shenandoah Shepherd Rescue has often White Shepherds. They adopt also out of State and Virginia Shepherds Rescue

​Merry Christmas everyone!!!

You might know this about me by now, but I like to know all about the way dogs think and about the way they learn. I read a lot about this, mainly science based books or papers.

Questions like "why does Evie 'talks' to me when she know she is going outside?" or "why is Jessie licking my hands when she is there to greet me?" I want to find answers to. Some questions are easy to answer and some need some more information before they can be answered.

The question are dog 'born to win'? came from my question why people like to attend dog shows. Partly this is because they like to win, they like the feeling that comes with winning. The 'rush' caused by the hormone dopamine.

However, their motivation is primarily driven by the desire for praise and attention from their owner, not a natural competitive instinct.

I do see this also within my pack, especially when playing find and fetch. They love to find and fetch the ball, because this way they are rewarded with my praise, attention and continuation of the game. It's so rewarding.

My conclusion is that dogs are not 'born to win', they lack the internal motivation. However if rewarded for doing a 'good job' dogs will go the extra mile.

Dogs bark—some more than others—but I’ve yet to meet a dog that doesn’t let out a bark or two! Their barking can tell us a lot, depending on the situation. Because there is a lot of misunderstanding over why dogs bark, I feel like it is time for me to explore the eight circumstances that can get those barks rolling!

Excitement (Let’s gooooooooo…)
Ah, the moments of pure joy! Every dog owner knows that delightful feeling when their pup gets super excited about something fun on the horizon, like a walk! You’ll see tails wagging, little paws dancing, and maybe even some happy barks mixed in with all that wiggle energy!

Alert (Something is happening)
This is often the surprise bark. At Sunnyside, we sometimes jump when a dog suddenly barks out of nowhere! They’ve caught onto something we can’t hear, alerting us and their furry friends. Although our ears might not be too fond of it, we appreciate their keen senses!

Warning (Stop right there)
This kind of bark has a deeper tone and is slower-paced. If you step a little closer, you’ll hear a bark that says, “Hey there, hold up!” It’s their way of telling you to think twice before moving forward.

Uncertain (I don’t know)
Sometimes this bark gets mixed up with warning barks. When a stranger approaches, many folks think the dog is being protective. However, it’s often just the pup feeling unsure about what’s happening! Along with a little paw lift, this bark is just their way of coping.

Attention (Hey, I’m here!!!)
This bark is a classic! My pups, Jessie and Mijne, have it down to an art. When they want my attention—be it for playtime, potty breaks, or just some love—they’ll let out a short, flat bark to grab my focus!

Go Away (Go, go, go)
This bark can be loud, high-pitched, and sometimes a bit fierce! It’s their way of saying to passersby, “Keep moving along!” Dogs often think this bark works because many times, the object of their barking makes a hasty exit. So the next time someone walks by, you can bet that bark is coming out again!

Disagree (You’re wrong)
Since welcoming Evie into our home, I’ve experienced her “talking” back whenever she disagrees with me. Whether it’s something I want her to do or not do, she expresses her feelings through barks. While the other dogs might stay quiet, Evie is not shy about sharing her thoughts!

Unload Tension (Pffff….bark)
This one might resonate with some of you! When there’s a lot of energy swirling around among the pack, a couple of pups might start barking just to release that energy. It can be excitement bubbling over, and barking becomes their way of letting it all out!

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons dogs bark! Once they realize that barking gets results, it can become quite the habit that’s tricky to unlearn.

Today Jessie, Evie and I visited Venture (pup litter A) and her family. Venture is 7 months now and she's a beauty, sweetie and my favorite. We had a great time visiting her. She has a wonderful home, she's happy and everybody loves her. Mama Jessie recognized her but was a little reserved. Evie needed a couple of minutes but she really connected with Venture. And Venture? She was one happy pup. Thank you Kerie & Eckard for having us and hopefully we'll meet again next year.