Kerstone Shepherds - GSD Patterns

PATTERNS

Solid

Dreamweaver Orya of Yentl's Yard ~ Photo courtesy of Susan Gebur, Loujuan Shepherds
Solid is a recessive gene - both parents have to carry it to produce it. True solids come in black, blue, and liver.
If BOTH parents of a litter are solids then all resulting puppies will also be solid patterned - NO saddles, bi-colors, sables, etc.
Above is a solid black long-coat. His dam is also a solid black long-coat, and his sire is a solid blue long-coat.

Regalwise Oreo ~ Photo courtesy of Alicia Lips, Kerstone Shepherds
The white gene is not actually the solid gene, it is a masking gene that covers the dogs true pattern/color.
They only phenotypically appear to be one solid color
For example, you could breed a solid white to a solid black and get ALL saddle or sable patterned pups - no solids - depending on what the white parent is "masking".
This dog is a champion. Both parents are whites with white champion pedigrees.

Sable

Silver Sable
Regalwise Wycliff Robin ~ Photo courtesy of Ronda Beaupre, Regalwise Shepherds
Sire was a sable German, SchH/working titled import and dam was a champion, obedience, and working titled white bitch.

Saddle

Black & Tan Saddle
Regalwise Dunkin Destiny ~ Photo courtesy of Ronda Beaupre, Regalwise Shepherds
Most "saddle" patterned dogs have solid black saddles. Most also have tan "ticking" (tips of fur shaft is not black) coming through on the shoulders and back.
Sire is a champion white (Regalwise Jeromeo) and dam is a long-coated black and red bitch from German lines.

Sable Saddle
Raebark's CPR Survivor ~ Photo courtesy of Rachel Clark, Raebark Shepherds
However, some sables have the "saddle" pattern. If the dog is a dark sable it can be hard to tell whether
the saddle is black with lots of ticking or if it is actually sable (shafts of fur will be banded with more than one color).
Sire is black & tan and dam is a sable .

Bi-Color

Black & Tan Bi-color
Beiko vom Raeuberwald ~ Photo courtesy of Andreas Mueller, Zauberberg K9 Academy, Inc.

"Panda Shepherds"

Tri-Color

Lewcinkas Franka vom Phenom and 2 of her puppies ~ Photos courtesy of Cindy McCann, Lewcinkas Kennels
Frankie & her pups are rare "Panda Shepherds". Franka's sire is black & tan saddle patterned and her dam is solid black.
Franka has been DNA-tested and is an AKC registered GSD.

Black & White

Phenom N Furrari's Flash ~ Photos courtesy of Marion Lopizzo, Furrari Shepherds
Dam is a tri-color Panda (Frankie, pictured above) and sire is a champion white.

Sable

Lewcinka's Artemus von Phenom ~ Photo courtesy of Cindy McCann, Phenom Shepherds
This puppy is a third generation "Panda Shepherd". Dam is a tri-colored Panda and sire is a champion white.

Brindle
"The Lost Color"

See photos of brindles from the early 1900's:
www.eastgermanshepherd.com/ds1.jpg, www.eastgermanshepherd.com/ds2.jpg, www.atlantic.net/~vcristel/images/brshep.jpg

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