Questions about GSD and Great Dane colors.

[Sugardog]

Jynx your dog is beautiful!

About Merles. Merle is a tricky pattern to deal with genetic wise. you should never, NEVER breed a merle to a merle, that's unethical breeding. Most aussie and sheltie merles are bred to a tri color or a sable. Only 1/4 of the litter will turn out real merle and with a sable/merle sheltie breeding, the rest will be a sable merle which is an undesired color for show.

Breeding a merle to a merle will create a litter that is 100% merle, but they will be double merles and most, if not all will end up with deformities. They are often born deaf and/or blind.

And about GSD colors, Here's some pics of my girl, she will be a year old next month. It's hard to tell if she is going to stay a sable type color or is going to change to black and tan.

 

[tinies12]

Nice dog! She looks as though she is a black tan and silver! What is her breeding American or Euopean?

 

[GSDluver4lyfe]

Sugardog, your dogs looks like a tri-sable (which means she has the b/t characteristics on her back and sides but the saddle and normal "tan" areas are sable) to me. There really is no way of telling how your dogs colors will come out. GSD's change colors throughout their lives. The tan may take over the sable or it may not. your dog is still very young. Ryot has sable markings as well (in place of a saddle and on his chest) but his back and sides are all black (no tan undercoat).

 

[Zoom]

Breeding a merle to a merle will create a litter that is 100% merle, but they will be double merles and most, if not all will end up with deformities. They are often born deaf and/or blind.

Not totally true...depending on what's behind both parents, you are more likely to end up with a litter that is 50% merle, 25% lethal white and 25% solid (or tri, as it were). Now if you were to breed a lethal merle to lethal merle, then yes. 100% of the litter would be double merle and most likely all blind and deaf.

 

[Sugardog]

LOL

And that prooves my point that breeding Merles can be complicated genetic wise Thanks for clearing that up

Nice dog! She looks as though she is a black tan and silver! What is her breeding American or Euopean?

Thank you She is from all American lines, but she has a German build so that is why she isn't very angled as compared to other American bred shepehrds.

GSDluver4life, thanks for your input. Here are pics of her parents, do they help to narrow anything down or anything?

This one is her father

And here is her mother

 

[skyeboxer]

I didn't see anyone mention the Panda Shepherd yet.

This would seem to be an unusual colouring that was thrown off two 'normal' cloured parents. The breeder has continued with this line. So ... is it a legitimate GSD colour as it appeared naturally in the first instance?

Personally, I can't say that any dog is ugly but I do not see the point of Panda Shepherds when the original colourations are so beautiful in themselves.

 

[Jynx]

sugar your girl is very pretty,,I like a "girly" looking girl , I'm not a fan of "masculine" looking female dogs, I want the boys to look like boys and the girls to look like girls,,she's very pretty.

Skyeboxer, I'm not "real" familiar with the panda's,,(someone out to make a buck off color I'm sure),,but I would assume they are using dark dogs and white dogs, and hoping for that black/white coloring.

It is not a legitimate color, and would be a severe fault I would assume, but some will do anything to label a dog "rare" and jack up the price.

If anyone likes to look at some really nice black sables (altho sable is sable in the end),,this site has alot of gorgeous animals
www.vonhena-c.com Dodge's dad came from here and he was a black sable.

Diane

 

[skyeboxer]

Jynx,

No doubt someone is out to make big bucks from the pandas, but I believe the first litter were a pure genetic oddity from a black and tan father and black mother. Course that doesn't mean you have to go right on breeding to try and get the 'rare' colouration again, does it?

 

[Sugardog]

Thanks Jynx

I like her coloration. I hope it doesn't change too much as she gets older. She will be a year old in March.

Here's a pic I just took today

 

[Brattina88]

hmm... I just felt left out and wanted to post a pic of my GSD :lol-sign:

I have to say that Missy's coloring is my favorite, not that I'm partial or anything. I've always liked the Sables and the bi colored GSDs. I like the black and silver shepherds. I've never heard of the panda shepherds until now, but I do think the 'blues' are... erm... interesting.
I've always heard talk of a brindle GSD... Dutch Shepherd, anyone?

They don't all go with the AKC accepted colors (to the best of my knowledge) but I like this site and wanted to post it because it has many pictures or real dogs to illustrate the point (lol)
http://www.4gsd.net/colours.html

 

[PWCorgi]

Is it just me or do the panda shepherds not...ummm...really *look* like a full shepherd? Their faces seem really wide or something.

Sugardog, she's really pretty!

I just felt left out and wanted to post a pic of my GSD

lol
I love Missy pictures! I really like how she has a feminine head but still looks extremely powerful.

I've always heard talk of a brindle GSD... Dutch Shepherd, anyone?

Did you go to the first link that was posted? The brindle black and tan at the bottom is what I was talking about.

 

[Jynx]

Missy is a gorgeous girl!! I am partial to those red & blacks myself.

I've always had GSD's, my dad had a working dog in the army and we grew up with them..My first one went i moved out on my own was black & red, and was the best I'll ever have the privelage of sharing my life with..

My female right now, is a black/silverish girl..Dodge, well I have to say,,when I first saw his litter, I really wasn't drawn to the black dogs..but I went for "brains" and took him,, I'd definately have another of his coloring, but I do like those red/black dawgs..
diane

 

[tinies12]

All the shepherds are nice!!! Nice too know all of you love them so!