Query about colour of GSD? Discussions

In one of the dog magazines that I get, there is a frequent advert for GSDs, and the colours advertised are 'Black & Tan, all Black, and Blue'.

Excuse my ignorance - what does a 'blue' GSD look like? Wondering if I've seen one without realising that 'blue' would have been the correct name for its colour.

The advert is by a KC accredited breeder so I'm assuming it's a genuine colour and not just a marketing ploy. Thanks for any info

The black parts have a steely blue colour to them instead - or solid blues are a dark, blue-tinged grey. My neighbours have a blue and tan and he's a stunning boy - you can see he's very well bred from his size and shape, and the colour is very pretty.
http://steelcross-gsd.com/IMAGES/rosiehead.jpg
http://www.total-german-shepherd.com/images/BlueBonnie9weeks.jpg
http://www.kintonkaiz.moonfruit.com/communities/2/004/005/344/872/images/4518626843.jpg

I personally love such colours in the GSD.

Many thanks for the info and the pics

The third dog looks like a big boy (or is it a she?)

Lots of different colours here:

http://www.4gsd.net/colours.html

I was very impressed by the piece at the end of that article and would like to quote it here...


In closing, we'd like to leave you with a few thoughts to keep in mind. When coming across a German Shepherd breeder who advertises something they breed as rare or hard to find, you should use extreme caution. None of these colours are 'rare', nor are they particularly hard to find - blues and livers are not allowed under the standard, and when inquiring about a breeder who breeds specifically for these colours, take this into consideration, along with any other parts of the standard they see fit to ignore. Buyer beware, buyer be educated, but buyer, also keep an open mind. In the words of Captain Max von Stephanitz; "No good dog can be a bad colour".

Colour would be very low on my list of concerns when getting a GSD.

If you look on the flyhart gsd website they have a gorgeous blue tan boy called otto. He was the only blue in the litter, mum and dad were both black tan i think

I would run a mile from anyone advertizing any non standard colour as rare-they aren't.

Blue is the "new"white in GSDs & being bred from & for far too much.

Blues do occur in litters bred from correctly coloured parents & a certain champion GSD stud's bloodlines produce blues when he appears more than once on each side of the pedigree

Blues because they are dilutes have awful yellow eyes & to me do not have the correct GSD expression

It is a colour but definitely NOT a correct one

I agree.

That's partly why I posted the question, because I've never heard of a Blue GSD before and even though the ad was from an accredited KC breeder, I was curious.

I love that quote though - very true, no good dog can be a bad colour!

Thanks. Excuse my ignorance again but if blue is not a correct colour, is it permitted for an accredited KC breeder to advertise having blue GSDs for sale?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what being an 'accredited' breeder actually means...

Thanks for any more info JOEDEE


Just read your comments about the white GSDs - very interesting, at my local park there are three people with white ones.

Glad you quoted that Claire - very wise words.

Nothing wrong with Blue GSD's......Def nothing wrong with white ones either!!;-)

Can still KC register Blue and White GSD's you just cannot show in a KC show (i think??) its never worried me, nothing about showing interests me!!

Accredited Breeders have to comply with the KC requirements which at the moment aren't strict enough IMHO. They don't have enough compulsory health & character testing for me for starters. As far as I am aware breeding for non standard colours isn't banned & therefore they are OK(Not in my eyes BTW)in breeding & advertising puppies bred for colour.

A late friend of mine doubled up on a GSD German bred GSD Champion & got 3 blue & gold puppies in the litter. They were sold for the same price as the other puppies, without having to be advertised, all their puppies have the maximum exclusions on their KC registrations & for the blues they were not lifted even if all the health testing was done because breeding for colour or for non standard colours goes against the breed club rules they bred to.

You can register anything, good, bad or indifferent, the K.C don't care.
My White GSD's could be registered as Blue, nobody checks unless it's queried at a show.
Why the great hang up about naturally occurring colours if the structure , health & temperament are sound ?

Apart from the fact that most people who breed for colour alone don't do any health tests or if they do most breed from the dogs regardless of the results

There are no disqualifying faults in the UK breed standard & therefore you can enter a non standard colour in breed if you wish, whether or not you are placed is up to the judge.

Interestingly I've never seen a blue GSD with eye colour that would be able to work sheep or cattle, the yellow colour that goes with the lack of pigmentation of the coat are not condusive to stock work & ergo the dog is not fit for function as the breed was developed for !

I have no problem with the colour itself, it's the breeders who claim them to be "rare"& fail to health & temperament & character test & sell them for inflated prices to people who see them as a way of making money from their dogs.

They are not rare nor more valuable & if not from fully health tested parents they are actually less valuable !

As the breed standards are refined, it will eventually not be possible to register non standard colours with the KC as anything other than what they are-Non standard it is already impossible to register non standard colours online in many breeds. It isn't even possible to register certain colours of BCs that are acceptable online because the computer only accepts a certain number & combination of colours. My Keewee is ISDS registered as White & Black, but has to be black & white with the KC !

This is surely where it's the owners issue and not the breeders??!!
Flynn is white, both parents were hips, elbows scored and Haemopholia tested, no extra was charged for different colours and i could've had a black and tan from the same litter...i didn't i wanted white...not sure why you think all breeders that have any other colour are rubbish but when your friends litter throws a blue it's fine

Im not gonna get into a debate about colours dwarfism etc etc i find it boring

Please quote where I have written it was fine ??????

I wouldn't have bred the litter in the first place because of the risk of producing the blues Just because someone is a friend doesn't mean I support everything they do especially when it comes to dogs.

Breeders have a duty to breed to improve a breed not breed from lines known to produce non standard puppies.

What has dwarfism got to do with colour ?? It's much closer linked to coat type !

Yes, but as we know many, many people do go on colour alone (ref any breed). I know someone at the mo who is getting a dog and chose their pup based on colour. I am sure there are many breeders out there who breed certain unusual colours that are still decent breeders. As the quote says 'keep an open mind' xxxxxxx

ps this quote works both ways surely.....

'In the words of Captain Max von Stephanitz'; "No good dog can be a bad colour".