One of the most popular pets in the world is the German Shepherd Dog and they come in a wide variety of colors and sizes. The general and widely known appearance of the German Shepherd is large, strong and attractive. It can also have a long or short coat, usually double-coated in cream and white, but it can also be solid black. Less popular German Shepherd colors include white and silver. In most dog shows, German Shepherds with white or silver fur are disqualified. However, there are some enthusiasts who like these “color challenged” dogs.
History of the German Shepherd
The German shepherd came from a line of sheepdogs originally intended for herding sheep and as a faithful companion of the shepherd. With ongoing industrialization, the need for herding sheep became less and less and there was speculation about other potentials for dogs to help humans with their work. In the late 19th century, it was Captain Max von Stephanitz who saw the potential of developing a breed of sheepdog to maximize its potential. He came across a very strong, intelligent and beautiful dog that he named Horand v. Grafrath. This dog was registered as the first German Shepherd. He created an official government body that restricted the breeding of dogs only to those that met the standards. This allowed for the rapid development of the German Shepherd breed. After World War I, British and American soldiers were very impressed with the breed and some of them were brought back to their own countries.
Genetic color
Today, breeding is kept among German Shepherds to protect the breed. Now there are different lines like International Working Line, International Show Line and North American Show Line. However, “mutations” within the breed still occur as in the case of German Shepherds with white or silver fur. Some purists do not consider these “mutations” acceptable and argue that white and silver-coated German Shepherds should not be considered pure. In most dog shows, white and silver German Shepherds are disqualified because their coat is considered a genetic “flaw.” There are clubs that try to support these types of German Shepherds like the White and Silver German Shepherd Club. They push for white and silver-coated dogs to be recognized as a standard. The color is very genetic. The white and silver coat usually comes from the tan and yellow line. However, the genetics of color and pigmentation in dogs are not yet fully understood.
