In this coloring each hair has several bands of brown and black, leading to a typical wolf-like coloration. Sable GSDs can be black, gray, red, silver, or tan and are also known as agouti.Īgouti is a type of coloring also present in other dogs, like the Agouti Husky. Some breeders specialize in producing dogs of this unusual color.Ī classic color for the German Shepherd, a sable comes in a variety of colors but each hair sports a black tip. Gray German Shepherds aren’t as rare as, say the Isabella or blue, but they’re still uncommon so, you’ll be lucky to find one available for adoption. Many gray German Shepherds also lack any black pigmentation, differentiating them from the sable which usually has black tips to their hairs. Puppies only need one dominant gene from either parent to produce a specific color, “ but in order to express a recessive color gene, the German Shepherd puppy will need to inherit two copies of that color gene – one from each parent dog. Unlike the liver and blue GSDs, the gray color is produced by a dominant gene rather than a recessive one, making it easier to breed for.
#German hair color lines series
While some say “Gray German Shepherd dogs are a type of sable or Agouti, as it is also known,” gray is one of the six solid colors recognized in the AKC’s GSD breed standard although the genes responsible for the gray color can also “ be found in the A series Agouti genes. This coloring is also called “wolf-grey”. Not to be confused with the silver, black, or blue German Shepherds, the gray variety look more wolf-like with their dark coats. Most liver GSDs are produced by “ designer or specialty breeding programs ,” but they do sometimes appear “randomly in litters of regular breeding programs.” Liver German Shepherds are among the rarest, so you’re unlikely to find one at a shelter or rescue center. Any other patterns such as black and liver or liver and tan aren’t acceptable as breed standards.” ”Īlthough the AKC says, “most colors are permissible” in its German Shepherd Dog breed standard and that “strong rich colors are preferred,” it also says that “washed-out colors and blues or livers are serious faults.”ĭespite its confusing and seemingly contradictory statements, “ a liver-colored GSD is recognized by the AKC ,” but it “has to be a solid liver. The liver coloring is produced by a recessive gene and, for a German Shepherd puppy to “ be born, its parents both need to possess at least one liver gene, which are passed to the puppy in its DNA material. With its rich, reddish-brown coat, and amber-colored eyes, the German Shepherd dog is both distinctive and eye-catching.
” Even the UK Kennel Club notes that “Colour in itself is of secondary importance having no effect on character or fitness for work.”ĭespite this, “in 1959, Germany began culling White German Shepherds from the German Shepherd breeding lines because they saw these dogs as Albinos” and believed the white gene was responsible for “hereditary issues and washes out the breed’s rich colors.” The United Kennel Club is one of the few that recognizes the white German Shepherd, pointing out that the “ German Shepherd Dog comes in many colors and white.
The UK Kennel Club is similarly dismissive of the white German Shepherd, going as far to say that “ light markings on chest or very pale color on the inside of legs permissible but undesirable ” while “whites and near whites are highly undesirable.” (You also shouldn’t confuse this one with the white Husky, a type of Husky coloring who looks very similar! However, unlike a Husky the White German Shepherd will rarely have blue eyes )Īccording to the AKC, white dogs are always disqualified from dog shows. Often confused with the even more unusual White Swiss Shepherd, or Berger Blanc Suisse, the white GSD is the cause of great controversy. With their luxurious white coats, these pale dogs look more like Golden Retrievers with erect ears. While many of us have seen white German Shepherd dogs, few of us probably realize what we’re looking at.
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