Are silver sable GSD's rare? Questions

Does anyone own one or know much about them?
I.e the colour etc is it a 'RARE' colour or is it a throw back colour?
Can you show a silver sable etc just general things like that xx

Here is a link

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

Thanks hun xx

I had no idea there was so much variety in the GSD... I love Dogsey some days, learn something new!

Silver sable is not a colour that is acceptable in GSDs. It is"white"with the sable marking pattern.

Sable is not a colour in itself it is a colour pattern.

They are not"rare"

There are no disqualifying faults in the UK KC breed standard for any fault(long coat, soft ears etc)so the dog could be shown, under some judges I've no doubt it could be placed, but it is an undesirable colour in GSDs & a very obviously fault

So i presume its the same sort of thing thats happening with the blue staffs people are just abusing a colour that is not seen often?

Fantastic link there Werewolf, and as Magpye says you learn something on here everyday! I didn't realise the "plushcoats" as they call them, are a preferred dog in the ring, that surprised me, and I always called them roughcoats!

This is my favourite bit at the bottom though:

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

Hear, hear!

Tell that to a Shepherd in Germany trying to work his sheep with a white GSD result the sheep ignore the dog !

BTW the site has omitted the latest American addition to their GSD colours& the site is not from the UK nor Germany BTW)the Panda

Sadly these odd colours that are non standard, when measured against the breed standard ignoring their colour fail. Long weak narrow heads, blue/yellow eyes etc etc I see these in all the "white"GSDs that attend our club & they are breeding stock !!

Interesting. I have seen Pyrenean Mountain Dogs used to protect sheep (on TV) , I guess the size may come into it with them?

It is the same in many breeds especially when the breed standard actually has the colour as a fault.

When I had my first GSD, white puppies were not registered & sold as pets with no papers, then came the BYB whose coloured bitch had an odd white puppy which they sold for more & then they jumped on the bandwagon & started breeding for colour disregarding the breed standard(& doing any health tests available) many are actually line bred to the same dog(who is now well off the pedigree)

Some but not all
There were examples at Crufts this year not quite hitting the mark as far as the breed standard is concerned.
Also the amount backing off from the judge amazed me.
I'd rather have the "wrong" colour with good construction & temp, than vice versa.

... and so would I. In future, I'm not going to give a monkeys about this breed standard business, I'm going for what I like and what's there in any litter! Not everybody is going to show their dog, not everyone is going to herd sheep with their gsd, so why can't people just have what they like the look of as long as it's got a good pedigree, comes from a reputable breeder who health tests etc. etc. etc. as we are ALL only too well aware of lately! I don't give a t*ss what the KC want anymore, I want what I want in my future dog, and if it's a throw out, then so be it, somebody's got to have the poor thing, otherwise it'll be pts probably! I'm getting so fed up with this political correctness in just about everything, and to tell me I shouldn't have this, that or the other in the dog world just because it doesn't conform to the KC is taking the mick a tad! They're not going to look after it and care for it, I am, and I'm on the side of Mr. Max Von Stephanitz, a good dog is worth his weight in gold, doesn't matter what the KC think of the colour of it imo!

Thanks for your opinions guys, I saw a few pic's earlia today and really liked the look of them but while i was scounting round the net i did find a lot of non tested silver sables etc and if I did go down the gsd route (which I hope to ) i would want a health tested dog even though it would never be breed from,
I just really liked the look of them x

Just google imaged for them... Wow.. Stunning looking dogs. I have never seen one this colour before... Very pretty.

Wow, he's a beautiful dog, and I too love that colour!

great thread jem, thanks, and brill link werewolf, i love gsd x

That is a lovely looking GSD. Agree with your post Helena, there is more to a dog than colour, height etc. Not being a show person myself, being correct to breed standard is the last thing to look for on my list.

so right totalyl agree, your dogs are stunning

totally right!!!
i dont care if they are not 'standard' colours they are still beautiful family pets

hiya would me to PM you the links to my breeder who i will be getting my GSD from? she breeds colours she is fantastic reputable only breeds health tested GSDs as family pets and she does shows (White & long coat) and im also in touch with another lady now...with get my next GSD from her lol!! who does colours!!

the future looks colourful!

I would like that link Mistyblue, if you don't mind?

I`ve heard the `can`t be distingushed from a sheep `arguement before. Considering how many GSDs are used for sheepherding I don`t really think that`s a reason to discard them today. I could understand lighter dogs not being used by the army for night work, but again that is rather a niche market. If sheep can tell a Maremma from another sheep maybe they`re not as thick as we take them for.
Maybe the prevalence of poorly constructed white dogs you speak of is due more to the previous culling of `wrongly coloured` pups shrinking the gene pool rather than an innate attribute of white dogs? My dog wouldn`t be acceptable in a show ring - she has a fluffy long coat and lacks the black mask - but she can run all day and jump a 6` fence. She is alert and loyal - and all those other things in the standard that matter more to me than her colour.