Primer on German shepherd markings

In all of my reading about German shepherds, I keep getting confused about the different coat colors and markings. I forget what “sable” means, what “black and red” looks like, and all the other labels in between (“saddle” versus a “blanket” pattern? I don’t know). In an effort not to sound like an idiot when I do talk with the rescues, here’s my little bit of research on GSD markings.

This is the official AKC standard for the GSD coat and markings. Some, especially those with white GSDs, obviously take issue with this standard, but that’s another debate for another time.

The German Shepherd Dog varies in color, and most colors are permissible. Strong rich colors are preferred. Pale, washed-out colors and blues or livers are serious faults. A white dog must be disqualified.

Here’s a sampling of the different coats I’ve found, doing my best to rely on examples from the rescues I’ve applied to. If you live in the area, maybe one of these dogs will speak to you! Most of the ones below are up for adoption!

Black and Red

Layla, up for adoption at SGSR. Photo by Whimsical Whiskers Pet Photography, LLC. Click photo for more info on Layla.

This beautiful girl is Layla, a 5-year-old female up for adoption through Southeast German Shepherd Rescue (SGSR). I’d guess that Layla has a medium blanket (or maybe just a saddle pattern?) and a small mask. She is so handsome! I’ve also read somewhere that the black and red coat tends to be more popular in Europe. I’m quite fond of it myself.

Black and Tan

Duke, for adoption at VGSR. Click for more photos of Duke.

This is Duke; he is a 4-year-old male up for adoption through Virginia German Shepherd Rescue (VGSR). Duke has a medium blanket pattern and a medium mask, I’d wager. What do you think? Black and tan is apparently a more popular color in the United States now, for whatever reason.

Black and Cream

JJ, for adoption through VGSR. Click for more photos.

This is JJ, a 1-year-old male up for adoption through VGSR. You can tell that his markings are classified as “cream,” as they look almost white. He looks like a lot of fun.

Black and Silver

Lady, up for adoption through VGSR. Click for more photos.

This big, old girl is Lady, who is classified as a black and silver. Lady is a 7-year-old female up for adoption through VGSR. I might easily mistake her for a sable, but I can see why she falls in the “black and silver” category.

Bicolor

June, for adoption through SGSR. Click for more photos.

OK, here’s where I need someone more experienced to explain. Is there any difference between “bicolor” and the other “black and [other color]” patterns? I feel like the bicolors usually have little eyebrow markings, but I don’t really know. The examples I’ve seen online make bicolor GSDs just look like JJ above (black and cream). Is there a distinction I’m missing? Either way, here’s a happy young dog to look at. This is June, a 2-3 year-old female up for adoption (on medical trial, unfortunately, due to a heart murmur) through SGSR.

Sable

Xander, recently adopted through SGSR!

Wow, what a handsome dog! This is Xander, a 3-year-old male who was recently adopted through SGSR. Yay! I’ve tried to remember this pattern as “the wolf pattern,” because sable GSDs make me think of wolves more than anything else. I’ve come to really love this coat, too. For whatever reason, sables look extra-intense to me, even more than your standard black and red/tan.

Solid Black

Raven, up for adoption at SGSR. Click for more photos.

This handsome gent is Raven, a 1-year-old male up for adoption through SGSR. I don’t have a good shot of his body, but you get the idea: Solid black coat, no other markings. He looks so sleek.

Solid White

Keona, for adoption through VGSR. Click for more photos.

This happy girl is Keona, a 3-year-old female up for adoption through VGSR. A white GSD is a disqualification under AKC standards, for several reasons, but she looks like she couldn’t care a bit.

Gray/Blue (rare!)

L to R: Blue GSD, blue Belgian malinois, and blue Dutch shepherd. Photo from Cher Car Kennels.

OK, couldn’t find any gray/blue dogs up for rescue, so this is a photo from Cher Car Kennels. Gray and blue dogs are considered serious faults according to the AKC standard. I know these are three different breeds, but I think the only dog I could correctly identify as “blue” would be the Dutch shepherd on the far right. I think I would have missed it in the GSD and malinois. How about you? Have you ever seen a blue GSD?

Red/Liver Sable (rare!)

Marli, up for adoption at SGSR. Click for more info.

This is Marli! He’s a 6-year-old male up for adoption through SGSR. He is a handsome and very unusual GSD; I don’t think I’ve ever seen one quite like him. Liver is considered a serious fault in the AKC standard.

Side note: Ever seen a GSD with eyes like THIS?

Lucy, up for adoption at SGSR. Click for more info.

This is Lucy, a petite 1-year-old female who is also up for adoption through Southeast German Shepherd Rescue. She is stunning! Her markings and build certainly look GSD, but I can’t help but wonder if she has husky in her somewhere. What do you think? Have you ever met a GSD with blue eyes?

These dogs are all so beautiful and special. I am just beside myself, waiting to move so we can have those home visits!

More comprehensive information on GSD markings online:

• More on saddles versus blankets and masks here.
• A serious and genetics-heavy discussion of coat colors in the GSD; very comprehensive!
• BrightStar German Shepherd Rescue also has a comprehensive, but layperson-friendly overview, with photos, of the coats and colors.

Gallery of sporting dogs

If I didn’t get a dog from the herding group, I think I’d be next most likely to pick a dog from the sporting group. They’re also high energy, but they tend to be friendlier overall and perhaps have more potential to be easygoing. Sporting dogs don’t stress too much–unless there is a threat of the game of fetch ending.

(Click on a photo to be taken to its source.)

English setter

English setter

English cocker spaniel

English cocker spaniel

Golden retriever

Golden retriever puppy

Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever

Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever

Seven months to go, tons of questions to answer

Um, I have a question. Or, a ton of them. Source: Wootube!

We still have seven months to go until we can get a dog (but who’s counting??), and so I still have a lot of time to research, read books, meet dogs, and gather advice from seasoned dog people (like yourself). I go back and forth a lot about what breed/breed mix we should get, where we should get him/her from, and what our priorities are for a canine companion.

As with many major decisions, I keep vacillating about what kind of dog we should get. At the end of the day, I don’t really care if we get a purebred anything. I just want a dog (with a few qualities as a starting point for how to sift through all the overwhelming options).

There are still so many questions that tumble through my mind at this point…

• Is it wrong to want a purebred sometimes? Is it wrong to get really jealous when a friend announces that she and her new husband are looking for an Aussie puppy?
• Will I be emotionally strong enough to turn down a potential rescue if it’s really not the right dog for us?
• Is it unwise for us to adopt an adult GSD if it’s our first dog?
• Will we be able to handle various behavior problems?
• Am I even mentally prepared for the amount of dog hair that will coat our house?
• How hard will it be to train my husband all of these things that I have learned?
• Which vet should we go to in town? How do we know if we have a good vet?
• What if our dog doesn’t like other dogs? Or worse, hates kids? Can I help him/her with that?

Are these questions out of control, or are some of them worth thinking long and hard about? If you have any of the answers, do share! I’m all ears.

Breed love: English setter

English setter at a show. Source: Flickr, user ChocolateLuvr

I’ve always found setters extremely pretty. They’re like the bigger versions of spaniels. The English setter is especially attractive to me because he is rumored to have a more laidback temperament than his more well-known and fiery redheaded cousin, the Irish setter. Unlike the Irish, English setters come in a wide range of exciting coat colors.

A happy English setter. Source: Flickr, user pixeljoy

Like most sporting dogs, English setter puppies have tons of energy. This should not come as a surprise. They were bred, after all, to run in the field all day long. Setter puppies are also known for being happily destructive with their mouths, like retrievers and other gun dogs. English setters tend to be friendlier, more outgoing, and less flighty than their regrettably over-bred Irish cousins. For this reason, if I ever opted for a setter, I think I’d go with an English one. Just look how handsome they are!

We have friends in town who have a Llewellin setter named Finn and he’s a beautiful dog; looks quite similar to a young, speckled English setter. I definitely need to hang out with him more…

English setter links:

• English Setter Rescue
• Above and Beyond English Setter Rescue
• Magnolia Setter Rescue
• English Setter Association of America

Breed love: Doberman pinscher

Regal doberman. Source: dobermanpuppiesblog.com

My father grew up with doberman pinschers and I have grown up hearing stories about his true dog love, Ebony. Ebony was his constant companion and, in my Dad’s estimation, The Greatest Dog Who Ever Lived. In his later high school years, after Ebony had passed away, my dad’s family got another doberman, whom they named Cheyenne. Dad painted Cheyenne as more reserved and protective than Ebony, but as an equally outstanding dog.

My dad’s mom, my grandmother, continued the family love of dobermans after she lived on her own and adopted Chance, a purebred dobe, from the local animal shelter where she worked. In my own life, we had childhood friends who owned dobermans and once or twice casually bred them and sold the puppies. Suffice it to say, I grew up among people who had an extremely high estimation of these beautiful dogs.

Source: Rebecca Enslein

Dobermans are known for being extremely intelligent and powerful. They have a pop culture reputation of being fierce and aggressive and they can certainly look very intimidating (especially when their ears are cropped, like the dogs featured above). Breed enthusiasts call dobermans “the Cadillac of dogs” for their beautiful build, clean lines, and regal gaze.

I have always thought fondly of these dogs and am happy to meet one whenever I get the chance to see one. But even though my paternal family has owned them for years, I have not interacted with many dobermans. For that reason, they are not at the top of my wish list, but this is through no fault of their own. If the opportunity ever presented itself, I’d count myself honored to live with these noble animals.

Doberman links:

• Doberman Rescue Unlimited
• Doberman Rescue of North Carolina
• Doberman Assistance, Rescue, and Education
• AKC breed standard for the doberman pinscher

Breed Love: Great Dane

Almost the size of a spotted cow. Source: Flickr, user vickijune

OK. So I don’t think I actually want to OWN a Great Dane. Having a Great Dane is like having a small horse in your house. It’s also rumored that a young male Great Dane eats as much as a young lion. This is slightly terrifying. Our wallet and house aren’t big enough, unfortunately, to accommodate such size and appetites.

However, I love the look and temperament of these truly gentle giants and I’m always intrinsically attracted to them when I see one on the street or hogging an entire aisle in PetsMart.

So regal! Source: Flickr, user feeferlump

I can’t resist going up to a Great Dane whenever I see one. They certainly attract a lot of attention wherever they go–and they seem to know it, too. I think they’re fascinating dogs in that they can look so noble and yet so utterly goofy at the same time. They’ll always have my enthusiastic support.

Great Dane links:

• Great Dane Rescue of the Commonwealth
• Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League
• Great Dane Rescue, Inc.
• Great Dane Club of America
• AKC Great Dane breed standard

Breed love: Irish setter

So glossy. So pretty and she knows it. Click for source.

My dad, who grew up with dozens of different dogs, had an Irish setter for a short period of time. The beautiful setter, however, did not last very long in his family. The dog had so much unchanneled energy that no one could keep it in a fence. The setter ran away countless times and finally escaped one day and was never found again. It’s a sad story for a such a beautiful dog, but it is perhaps a sage warning for anyone seriously considering an Irish setter.

Irish setters are famous for their hyperactivity and nervous natures. They are gorgeous and loyal dogs when their energies are properly utilized, but they do require plenty of attention and training.

Gazing into your eyes. Click for source.

Irish setters reached the height of their popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. President Richard Nixon, for instance, had a gregarious Irish setter named King Timahoe. It’s impossible to deny that these dogs are utterly beautiful. However, these sleek redheads come with fiery personalities. For that reason, I don’t think I’d ever get an Irish setter, but I’m very happy to admire them from afar.

Irish setter links:

• Save Our Setters
• Magnolia Setter Rescue
• Irish Setter Club of America

Breed love: Corgi

Get it, corgi. This is my favorite corgi photo ever. Click for source.

Corgis are the pint-sized members of the herding group, my favorite breed category in the AKC. Corgis come in two flavors: the Pembroke Welsh corgi and the Cardigan Welsh corgi. Pembrokes typically come in the fawn and sable variety (like the sassy Pembroke in the photo above) and have docked tails. Cardigans are slightly bigger and have tails; Cardigans may also come in a wider range of colors, like the tricolor puppy in the photo below.

Queen Elizabeth II is largely responsible for the popularization of this spirited little breed in the 20th and 21st centuries. She grew up with corgis and continues to keep them today. I also think she has a great collection of names for them; Myth and Fable were two of her corgis and I think those are great dog names.

Everyone wants a piece...

Like most herding breeds, corgis are known for being snappy and vocal. They are quick-witted and easily trained. And despite their short legs, many corgis also excel at agility.

Many people who are fond of the bigger herding breeds often pick up a corgi along the way. Corgis pack a lot of dog into a little body. I’m certainly open to the idea of a corgi at this point, but they admittedly rank below some of the other breeds in my mind right now.

Corgi links:

• ForPaws Corgi Rescue
• Pembroke Corgi Rescue
• Corgi Corner
• F*** Yeah, Corgi

Jobs for a herding breed?

An Australian shepherd at an agility trial. Source: Flickr user oxherder

As you probably know by now, I’m very fond of the herding breeds. My top three choices for a dog right now would be a German shepherd, an Australian shepherd, or a rough collie. These are all very intelligent breeds with a well-deserved reputation for being high-maintenance dogs. Not high maintenance like a pampered Maltese, though. These dogs are high maintenance because they were bred for their considerable intelligence and their overpowering drive to work.

If left to their own devices, GSDs, Aussies, and collies become difficult, destructive, and occasionally dangerous dogs. In all of my reading and my interaction with these breeds, I’ve come to learn this full well. I know that most herding dogs come with a caveat emptor.

The standard advice for someone planning to get a high energy dog is to be sure to have “a job” for the dog to perform. I’ve heard this a lot and I often repeat it to other people, but if I’m honest, I don’t always know what that means. Since I don’t have a flock of sheep handy, what qualifies as a “job” for my future herding dog?

Here are some of the little “jobs” that I’ve been contemplating teaching our future dog, in the absence of actual herding:

• Agility, if the dog is so inclined. There are a number of agility classes around here. I know that Aussies often excel at agility, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a GSD or a collie in an agility trial.
• Rally obedience.
• Retrieving games. So long as the dog enjoys retrieving, we will have him retrieve everything: Tennis balls, toys by name, his leash, our slippers, etc.
• Obedience trials. This might not qualify as a job, but regular and ritualized obedience training would at least give his mind something to do.
• Trick training.
• Therapy work. I would love to be able to train a dog to visit schools or nursing homes.

Does your household (non-working) dog perform any jobs? If so, what are they? Any you would recommend? I’m all ears!

Breed love: Borzoi

Borzoi just waiting for you to take his picture. Click for source.

The borzoi, also known as the Russian wolfhound, is an undeniably fashionable dog. They are scattered throughout the portraits of the rich and famous in the early 20th century. These shaggy, elegant giants were especially popular among wealthy women in the 1920s, because they looked fabulous with every ensemble. At the very least, you would attract a lot of attention with a pair of borzois at your side.

These gentle and quiet-natured sighthounds were once used by the Russian royalty to hunt wolves, although it would be quite unlikely to find a borzoi hunting today. Today, you’d be most likely to meet one in a show ring. They are still quite rare in the United States and you would pay a pretty penny for a purebred borzoi.

Racing borzoi. Source: Flickr user wolfhound

Borzois, like other sighthounds, are not known for being champions of the obedience ring. In fact, many owners will find them very difficult to train. This is not because, as Stanley Coren posited, they are unintelligent, but rather because they are uninterested in learning what you’d like to teach them. Unlike the highly trainable herding breeds, hounds are notoriously stubborn and sighthounds in particular are famously aloof.

Despite the challenges to training, borzois make great house pets and probably won’t give you half the trouble that one of the highly trainable breeds, like border collies or Australian shepherds, would. They are clean and quiet and almost catlike in their affectations. I’d be open to owning a borzoi one day if the opportunity ever presented itself.

Borzoi links:

• National Borzoi Rescue Foundation
• Borzoi Rescue of Northern California
• Borzoi Club of America Rescue Committee
• Borzoi Club of America