Does anyone here have a GSD that's not "acceptable" color wise?

[Freestep]

Originally Posted by mehpenn

I wasn't particularly impressed with the weak looking dogs on display on their website, and saw money signs coming before correctness of the dogs.... and to be willingly and knowingly breeding dogs that don't conform to the standard, just seems unethical to me.

I guess I think people who prefer the unacceptable colors or patterns, have their reasons. And to love a dog shouldn't be based solely on it's appearance. It's one thing to adopt an incorrect dog, have it altered so as it can't reproduce and love it for it's life, but to spend THAT kind of money on an incorrect dog, with full registration and breeding rights is beyond my comprehension.

I don't understand it either. It's one thing if a blue or a liver pops up in a well-bred litter--it can and does happen even to the best breeders--but breeding FOR a disallowed color? Well, we all know what happens when you breed for color. And if the website you mentioned is the same one I am thinking of, I agree that the dogs are downright fugly and have no business being bred.

Personally, if a breeder that I respected came up with a solid blue or bicolor blue in a litter, I'd jump at the chance if it were the right pup for me--I think the blues are stunningly beautiful. But I'd never breed such a dog!

As far as I know, brindle is a dominant gene, and so it's not one of those things that can hide for many generations and then suddenly pop up in a normal litter. In order to get brindle, you have to have one parent who IS brindle, and brindle was bred out of the GSD gene pool long ago, as I understand it. So anyone breeding "brindle" GSDs is probably working with an outcross to Dutch Shepherd or other breed that comes in brindle.

[mehpenn]

It's completely understandable for an "off" pup to pop up in any litter, nature has it's own plan that sometimes doesn't comform to man's plan.
The breed standard specifically excludes certain colors, patterns, for a reason. If you're a true fan of the breed, then wouldn't you try as hard as you could to abide by the specific breed standards?
I understand there are some people who have strived to make white GSD, and panda GSD their own breed, or variation of the breed (like Cocker Spaniels have color designations within the AKC), so wouldn't that be a more suitable goal than willingly, knowingly breeding dogs and registering them as something they're not?
A labrador breeder friend of ours occasionally has charcoal pups, and registers them as black pups, because charcoal isn't an option. But she also makes sure the pups aren't fully registered. They're sold with restricted registration, and when the owners provide proof of spay/neuter, she gives them part of their purchase price back.

[arycrest]

I've had 8 whites and haven't noticed any difference between them and my other GSDs except for the coat color ... also 1 black/red, 4 black/tans, 1 red sable are the other coat colors I've owned and loved.

[Whiteshepherds]

I don't know what makes some people attracted to certain colors Mehpenn, we love the whites. Our first one had HD and was timid. (my son surprised us with her) Even with the problems she had we adored her. Now we have two whites and the feeling is the same. (they're both healthy and have great nerves)

The trainer we go to has dogs from Czech border patrol lines. He trains dogs in PP, Schutzhund and K-9's. (meaning he seems to know the breed fairly well) He says whites are the angels of the breed. I feel the same way.

[Lilie]

IMO - Once a person decides they'd like a GSD, they need to decide what they want/need in the dog. Then they need to do their research on what blood lines produce that need. Once blood lines are decided they search for a reputable breeder who carries those blood lines. If that breeder happens to produce an off colored GSD and the GSD still falls within the wants/needs of the buyer, then it's totally up to the buyer.

When a buyer searches for a specific color from a breeder who reproduces without any respect for bloodlines that's when the bottom falls out.