White Or Black German Shepherds
German Shepherds can also be entirely white or completely black. The white variety is simply a manifestation of recessive genes, similar to blonde hair in humans, and is not indicative of albinism. Sadly, white German Shepherd dogs are not permitted to participate in most kennel club shows, but they can participate in obedience and agility competitions.
Black German Shepherds are also a result of recessive genes. They will sometimes have white patterns on their chests. Unlike black and tan dogs that start out predominantly black but take on a more typical appearance as they age, they remain black for the rest of their lives.
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The Trainability Of Silver Shepherds
Although you may find German Shepherd puppies a little stubborn at the start of training, once you show them who the real boss is, it will become significantly more straightforward for your to handle the German Shepherd dogs.
If you are worried about you will take German shepherd puppies or even adults, then there is no need to worry? Do they have a trait of loyalty in them? Thus, you find it easier to handle the Shepherd puppies.
Alleles That Are Not Present In The German Shepherd Breed
To understand why German Shepherds are silver, we need to eliminate a few causative factors from the start.
H locus Harlequin, in Great Danes.
M locus This has genes responsible for merle. Merle is a marbling of black and white, often appearing in Heelers, Dachshunds, and Aussies. Purebred German Shepherds cant be merle.
K locus We believe German Shepherds are always recessive ky/ky, meaning they are not dominant black like French Bulldogs and Labradors. A ky/ky genotype allows the German Shepherd to express the agouti color group discussed below. KBr is a brindle, and breeders have eliminated it from the German Shepherd gene pool.
S locus The white spotting and piebald gene does not cause the piebald in panda German Shepherds nor the solid white German Shepherd.
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Does Silver Colour Affect Health
Coat color affects the health of some breeds, but that is not the case for silver German Shepherds. Their glorious color has no bearing on their health.
They are, however, prone to certain health conditions, but that has nothing to do with their coloration. Their health correlates with that of other German Shepherd types.
Hip and elbow dysplasia are some of the most common health-related complications in this breed. Instead of looking for relations between health and coat color, one should look at the health condition of parent dogs. Parents with high scores for hips and elbows should reduce the chances of puppies developing these conditions.
However, sometimes these complications arise well past a studs breeding age. By then, puppies with dysplasia risk are already bred and sold. Silver German Shepherds are a relatively healthy breed. However, like most breeds, they are prone to some conditions. These are:
- Osteochondritis dissecans
- Degenerative myelopathy
- Von Willebrands disease
Dont worry, though, as you can manage many of these conditions. For example, my German Shepherd has arthritis of the spine, but she is doing just fine with exercise modification and prescribed painkillers and anti-inflammatories.
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Training A Black German Shepherd Puppy
Black German shepherd puppies are highly intelligent and obedient, which makes them very easy to train. These pups are fairly easy to housetrain, and they also learn obedience commands after just a few repetitions.
Like all other dogs, black German shepherds thrive on reward-based training and a lot of praise. Positive reinforcement training techniques are highly effective for training puppies and adult dogs and are much more reliable than dominance training.
Besides training, you should start socializing your black GSD puppy as soon as you bring them home. Since these pups are naturally aloof with strangers, early socialization is essential and will help your dog to become friendlier to other people.
Try to expose your puppy to as many people, places, situations, animals, children, and sounds from a young age to help them grow into an outgoing dog.
Regis Regal German Shepherds: Beautiful On The Inside And Out
While color is interesting and desired by many, bear in mind that German Shepherd dogs are working dogs that are mainly bred for a specific purpose. At Regis Regal, we breed, raise, and train German Shepherds that are not only beautiful on the outside but also have a good temperament and intelligence that makes them anything from a great family pet, to a therapy dog to service dogs for veterans and more. Our GSDs are gentle and kind, highly intelligent and have been immaculately educated.
If you are in the Chicago area and would like to find out more about our world-class German Shepherd puppies, adults, therapy dogs, estate dogs and service dogs, please contact us at 847-721-1908. Alternatively, if you dont live locally, we offer a private courier service where we can deliver your German Shepherd to your residence. The utmost care will be taken with them during the journey by the courier.
About Cindy Kelly
I’m the owner of Regis Regal German Shepherds, a small family business located in Spring Grove, Illinois. I’ve been breeding German Shepherds of sound body and mind for over 30 years and specialize in providing families with loving companion dogs, and dogs for emotional support therapy, for veterans suffering PTSD, and for other special needs. I’m trying to share my extensive knowledge on breeding and training the perfect German Shepherd with the wider community.
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Black German Shepherd Overview
The black German Shepherd was a result of an accident. It isnt known when the first black Shepherd was bred, but it was determined that the gene was considered recessive until solid black shepherds made it dominate. The gene only becomes dominant if the parent is also black.
All German Shepherds carry the black gene, but it isnt typical for their children to stay black after 8 months. A true black Shepherd will be born black and remain black throughout their life. If you have a litter full of brown or white puppies, theres a 0% chance of them turning black.
Its easier to get two black German Shepherd parents to mate than to have one be black or none at all. The likelihood of getting a black Shepherd with two black parents is high. However, it is still possible to get a brown or white litter even with two dominant parents. Tan parents that have the recessive gene have a chance of producing black Shepherd puppies as well, though it is small.
Health Of The Silver German Shepherd
Unlike some other breeds, the coat color of a German Shepherd Dog has no bearing on its health.
So to find out what the health of a black and silver Shepherd is likely to be like, we can take a look at the GSD breed as a whole.
Unfortunately, German Shepherds can be prone to a range of health conditions.
Its important to become familiar with these and to ensure that you speak to any breeders about health tests and their results.
Hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia are both common in the breed. Parent dogs should have been given a score for their hips and elbows.
GSDs are also prone to osteochondritis dissecans . This is the result of abnormal cartilage growth.
Other health conditions that can affect this breed include:
- Degenerative myelopathy
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Are German Shepherd Puppies Born Black
Yes, German Shepherd puppies are actually born black! They can also be born gray and white, as the coats will gradually change color as they grow older.
By about eighteen to twenty-four months of age, a German Shepherd puppy should have its final coat color, and it will stay that way!
However, many German Shepherds can be born black, and their coats may stay black.
How the coat eventually turns out will depend on how the German Shepherd puppys genes interact with pigments such as eumelanin and pheomelanin.
This will then determine the natural color of the puppys coat.
Some German Shepherds that are born black will never gain their color, and will remain with a black coat forever.
However, this is incredibly rare, and it is said that only about 6.8% of German Shepherd puppies will maintain their black color after birth.
It may surprise you that German Shepherds can actually be born in three different colors.
They are typically either born black, white or gray in color, and you will see the color change from the age of 8 weeks onwards, but it can take up to two years to see the final color.
Black and tan German Shepherds are the most common, and they will gradually get more tan as they age, with the browner colors appearing around the face, tail, ears, and stomach as time passes.
Even if you have a puppy that has been black for more than 8 weeks, it is very unlikely that it will stay entirely black as it grows.
Are Black And Silver German Shepherd Dogs Allowed In Dog Shows
Of course, you can register silver dogs with the American Kennel Club as black and silver dogs. They can completely access conformation exhibitions and other dog shows. However, since silver is a dilute color, the judges will consider this a fault.
As an unwritten rule, judges always prefer bright and rich colors encouraged by the German Shepherd breed standard.
Silver is still an accepted color variation of the GSD. Silver can infiltrate sable, but the AKC will classify those dogs as sable. They dont distinguish various shades of sable or the presence of brown versus pale tans or creams.
Even though the name, silver sable, is quite fancy, the registries will refer to them as black and silver dogs.
The AKC doesnt differentiate black and silver from black and cream, which may be difficult for most people to do.
Black and silver pups are very different from black and tan pups, but their difference from black and cream is much more subjective. Black and silver dogs may approach white with less of the reddish or yellowish tones that cream-colored German Shepherds have.
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What Is An All
Black German shepherds are a color variation of the standard German shepherd dog. While they may look completely different, these dogs are the same breed, and the black variety is recognized in the official GSD standard.
While purebred black German shepherd puppies can compete in dog shows, they are often overlooked in favor of the classic black and tan look.
This doesnât mean black German shepherds are bad in competitions. Itâs more likely that black and tan and sable color schemes are simply more synonymous with the German shepherd breed standard.
Black Silver German Shepherd Gift Box Christmas Ornament
The Black Silver German Shepherd Gift Box Christmas Ornament is one of the most beautiful ornaments around. This magnificent dog stands about 1.75 inches tall and is made of Hand Painted Stone Resin. The dog is the most intelligent breed of the breed, and their regal, silver coat is aesthetically pleasing. But, despite their superior intelligence and energy, they are demanding and need lots of time and attention. They also need constant mental and physical exercise and a lot of socialization.
The genetics of a black silver German Shepherd is somewhat different from other breeds. They are distinguished by the absence of a black facial mask. These dogs have a higher E locus than other varieties, which is relevant to the breeds silver color. A black and tan dog will have a more silver-colored facial mask than a silver-colored dog. However, the health of a silver-colored dog is closely related to other types.
The Black Silver German Shepherd is a very popular choice for first-time dog owners. This breed is easy to train, and all it requires is a little bit of training. Its easy-going nature, intelligence, and calm demeanor make it a great addition to any family. If you find the right owner, you will have a dog that will be loyal to you and your family. Theyll indeed give their lives for you if you love them, but youll need to invest some time in your pups training.
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Different Coat Types For Gsds
German Shepherds have either a medium coat or a long coat. They both are double coats, having a denser guard layer over a softer undercoat.
- Medium coat dogs: The medium-coat German Shepherds have a shorter undercoat and a longer topcoat that is stiffer than the long coats. This type of GSD sheds year-round, but they typically do not shed heavily. The AKC does allow both short and long coated German Shepherds to compete in dog shows, but the UKC only allows short coats.
- Long coat dogs: The long-coat shep has a dense undercoat that is shed once or twice per year in addition to their topcoat being lost around this same time. These dogs have more difficulties tolerating hot or humid climates because they will overheat quickly if their topcoat is too thick. Although you may be tempted to shave your German Shepherd to cool them down, dont. As part of their genes, they shed and blow this part of their coat.It will really mess up this process if you shave them. You can see the longcoats we currently have available for sale here.
Additionally, long coats are known as fluffies and medium coats as shorthairs.
The Link Between The Silver Coat Color And Black And Tan
Black and tan German Shepherds come in three varieties. Still, geneticists have proved theyre genetically all the same, and label them as at.
Those color varieties are:
Tan with black in a distinct saddle pattern
Tan with a black extended blanket
Black and tan bicolor. With thick variety, tan markings are minimal at points of the eyes, the shoulders, and minimal streaks on the toes. Some German Shepherds have markings similar to Rottweilers, with tan or silver on the front of the chest and extending up the inside of the hind legs. Geneticists may distinguish German Shepherds with extended blankets versus bicolor dogs. Blanketed dogs have the rally gene present.
Dog experts have discovered a separate gene the one they call the rally gene, which is responsible for the saddle pattern in black and tan dogs like the German Shepherd and the Lakeland Terrier. Creeping tan affects silver the same way as it would affect brown or red.
Some German Shepherds with tan points end up with little brown or silver creeping, and they seem like they have extended blankets. Others have very small saddles. The E locus may affect the amount of black masking on the body.
Many coat variations in German Shepherds act on the dark pigment, or eumelanin. You can describe dilutions and other modifications just as you would describe a black and tan dog.
Blue dogs can be blue and tan, solid blue, and blue bicolor.
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How Genes Work And Why Is The Agouti Gene So Important
Photo from: @silversun.as
German Shepherd dogs can express any of the four alleles, which is not a common trait among dogs. Even three of the genes allow the expression of the silver color.
Ay Dominant sable: These dogs will be fawn or red sable. Sable takes numerous forms, depending on the breed. If a German Shepherd is Ay, it will mostly be a shaded sable with black and red colors meshing together.For example, Collies have Irish spotting and sable where breeders need to select for a few non-black bands in the air. When it comes to German Shepherds, the cream instead of the red banding will produce a silver dog.
aw Wild sable: Most sable GSDs are actually wild sable, or carry a similar color to grey wolves. They usually have less red and more grey and black than shaded sables. However, its hard to differentiate them without a blood test.
While sables can be silver, patterned sables remind us of an unorganized saddle or blanket, and could demonstrate incomplete dominance of the while sable gene over the tan-pointed gene.
at Black and tan or tan-pointed gene This is the most common silver expression. Its usually pale cream with a black saddle or blanket.
a Recessive black Solid black dog.
Silver German Shepherds have a black and tan base color, or even wild sable. The intensity of the gene likely shows incomplete dominance.
For example, if you have two black dogs and red European show dogs, the male is not as rich in color as the female.