[Fodder]

since 90% of the population is only familiar with one type of german shepherd (black and tan american lines) time and time again i get asked what my dogs are mixed with, if they're purebred, and if they're k-9 german shepherds (huh? lol)

gia is a 85lbs female bi color gsd with a short, straight stock coat & straight back... she's mostly mistaken for having black lab or doberman in her.

tilden is a black and red (really red) longhair boy who's pretty small (68lbs) and still has some waves and curls in his coat. he's only 1yr so i figure he'll get a little larger and his coat will get longer. anyway - with him i mainly get asked "what is he?"... every so often someone will guess belgian tervuren, golden retreiver or collie.

my bestfriend has a white gsd - (believe it or not, there are some people who have never seen one, not even a photo). on every walk she's asked if its a wolf.

does this happen to anyone else?

 

[ldpeterson]

Originally Posted By: Camerafodder

does this happen to anyone else?

Actually yes it does and I have 2 American line Black and Tan females.

lol

People only ask me that because they are within the standard and not HUGE dogs (24" 73 lbs. 23" 57 lbs.).

 

[Fodder]

Originally Posted By: mamagoose

Originally Posted By: Camerafodder

does this happen to anyone else?

Actually yes it does and I have 2 American line Black and Tan females.

lol

lmao

 

[GSDextrodinaire]

I have a female who is german working line with excellent topline, a bit too long, black and tan with a smidge of red on her ears. Her tail is a perfect sabre, and yet there have been several comments that she is a gorgeous husky. That one always makes me laugh.

I had one of Gipsi's pups with me in the truck one day. He is a very stunning coated black and red, with a LOT of black on his face. I had an older gentleman, who bred and trained Malinois tell me he was a very handsome coated mal. I explained his pedigree, and the man told me I was lied to. Sorry, I own the dam and sire and their isnt any mal in either of them. He got in his truck and stormed away, muttering something about how "women don't know a **** thing about dogs!"

My other dogs are black and reds and rarely confused for anything other than a GSD.

 

[Cooper&me]

People think my boxer is a pitbull, my brussels griffon is a yorkie and "is he purbred" when asking about my shepherd. No one says what they think he is but most look skeptical when I say he is 100% shepherd. Maybe because on ear still goes up and down.

 

[Spiritsmam]

Spirit is the "traditional looking" black and tan, so I've never been asked about her. Eli has a dark face and a blanket and I have had people comment on what a "nice little mix" he is. Ironically, if I'm out with one of my rescued lab mixes, no one comments on them being anything but black labs.

 

[Ursa Lunar]

Oh yes - happens here too!

Because Oskar is a long-coat we've been asked if he's mixed with everything from Wolf to Rough-Coat Collie ... uh, nope ... use that opportunity to explain to folks that GSDs come in a LOT more looks than "Rin Tin Tin" & WGSD.

And Gaia is so tall, long-legged, deep-chested & dainty we've been asked if she's mixed with Greyhound ... we don't know her full background so we've sometimes wondered that ourselves, LOL! Doesn't help that she acts more like a sight-hound than scent, her ears fold back in a similar way to Greys' when she'd being lovey ... and she runs like the wind!
I doubt she is a mix, probably just generations of breeding without attention to the looks/working ability of a GSD.

 

[Fodder]

i think we should all vow to say they're part dalmation or shih tzu!
i've done it. it gets people pretty upset.

ursa - i checked out the dogster page... if gaia's a greyhound, then i need to have my prescription changed

 

[Guest]

Oh this happens almost daily. I've long accepted that 99.9% of the people out there have no clue what a GSD is. Now I use such questions as a chance to educate and people usually wind up sorry they asked because they get more of an answer than they bargained for. Call it my private little revenge.

Because Odin is much larger than the standard he's usually thought to be a wolf or wolf-hybrid and because Frigga is much smaller and a Sable she's "obviously" a mix. A few times she's even been thought to be a coyote!

 

[SunCzarina]

Before Morgan filled out, people used to ask what she's mixed with and I'd say coyote! LOL, then watch them back away slowly.

Luther was a bicolor and a fat boy. More than once I was asked if he was part rottie!

 

[Emoore]

Cash is a flop-eared sable, so nobody thinks he's a GSD but nobody can think of what the mix might be. I think I'll start telling people he's part wolf!

 

[Pedders]

Bravo is black, so NO ONE believes he isn't mixed with a black lab!

Like GSDad, people get subjected to a lecture on acceptable GSD colours, working/show, US/European to explain Bravo's colour and shape.

 

[GunnerJones]

I like telling people that Erika(sable) and Roxie(Black) are what GSDs are suppose to look like and all the others from American lines are out of standard

 

[pupresq]

Grace is a dark blanket and normally people know she's a Shepherd but I've been asked several times if she's "a purebred Shepherd or a German Police Dog"

I've tried to explain that "German Police Dog" is not a breed but people look at my like I'm just ignorant about dogs.

Quote: I think I'll start telling people he's part wolf

I realize you're probably joking but I would NOT recommend doing this, even in jest. One of the standards for "proving" a dog is a wolf (or coyote) mix is whether the owner ever promoted it as one. God forbid your dog ever bites (or even scratches) someone, it can be seized and immediately euthanized for testing as a wild animal, even if it's totally UTD on shots.

 

[Natasha]

lol this is rather a funny question. I've had one person yell at me telling I payed way to much for a mutt -um Tash was really cheap at only $400, but I got her for $375 dont ask lol- I told her no, she's a pure bred I saw both the parents. She's registered with the AKC. "That doesn't mean anything she's a mutt and I'd never buy one for that much" I was starting to get a bit mad that she called her a mutt and a dumb one that I should have never brought as she was too expensive. lol um no, oh and I shall say that this lady, was a know crack user

Then I took Tash to the Pet Expo at the mall once. one nice gentalmen opened the door for us and asked "She's a german Shepherd mixed with what?" I kindly told him she was a pure GSD. He stated after that that he was "tricked" because she was a young one -she was 8 or 9 months I think and was really leggie and lean.

Hsd a few other people ask what she was mixed with.

I've even had someone ask me if she was a K-9, that was an ocward situation lol. They were a group of people doing odd stuff in front of my house

For the most part though people here are pretty good about getting that she's a pure GSD and all love her

 

[kbigge]

I've been asked if Kodee is a shepherd mix (he's coated). I explain that no, he's a purebred long stock-coated GSD. (I get tired of repeating that long phrase!

). It doesn't help that he has one ear glued up - people are also always asking "What happened to his ear?" (Man, that ear better stay up or I'll never stop getting questions about "what is he?") When he was smaller, and more fluffly, I had a couple of people ask me if he's a husky. I get tired of people asking if he's a mix, so they get the long lecture, too, about different coat types, etc. LOL! Usually they are sorry they said anything...

One thing I love, though, is pretty much everyone says "Well, whatever he is, he's gorgeous!" LOL!

 

[Amaruq]

My sables do not get it that much but Phoenix (my solid black) got the black lab thing alot. I told who knows how many people that he was a Shepherd because labs are not as smart or bidable as he was.

I also had Tika mistaken as a puppy. Had her in for her regular checkup and another person in the waiting room came up and asked how old she was. I replied "She is 6." "Ahhhh that is the FUN stage of having a puppy." I said, "Yes, 6 YEARS is a wonderful age!" She got all flustered, "But she is too small to be a German Shepherd!" I of course replied back that at 23+ inches and 68 pounds she was actually on the BIG side for a female!" She conceded and just walked away. I guess she ran out of feet to stick in her mouth. I guess her questions could have come because Tika was sitting on my lap.

I have to admit the staff was extremely entertained by the banter between us.

 

[AbbyK9]

Yes, absolutely.

My girl is just under 24" at the withers and just over 60lbs in weight. She's a German show line and red and black in color. Very "traditional" looking Shepherd, but with a more reddish coat and less of a black saddle than most people picture Shepherds as being.

I get questions all the time. "What kind of dog is that?" "What's she mixed with?" "Why is she so small?" "Is she still a puppy?" "How big will she get?" etc. etc.

My favorite, though, was when a little girl came up to me in old town Alexandria while I was walking along the waterfront with Abby. She stopped me and asked, "Excuse me, ma'am, is that a fox?"

 

[Brightelf]

If Grimm sat on my lap, I'd have two-dimensional legs.

The funniest thing is that here-- in GERMANY-- I have had three dog PROFESSIONALS ask if Grimm was a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog. Very few people know Grimm is purebred, most ask if he's a mix or hybrid. Unbeliebaly, only a tiny few people have ever guessed Grimm is GSD.

The trainer we selected for Grimm is the only person in Germany to recognize Grimm for a Czech lines GSD.

 

[ceardach]

Yes, I get asked a lot what Taedyn is mixed with. I think it also confuses people that she's more silver with just bits of very light tan. I just explain to people that she's most likely from an European line that focuses more on temperament than looks.

Once people see her move, though, they know she's a GSD. She moves strikingly well.