# Pure bred?



## katro (Feb 26, 2013)

Hello! I got Ralphie from a rescue back in February and all I know about his previous life is that the rescue traveled to Kentucky to get him from animal control death row. I have no idea if he's pure bred or registered or anything, but I've been starting to think maybe he's mixed with husky or malamute? I'm basing this solely on his faded sable coloring and that his tail is kind of curled/turned up most of the time (except when he's sleeping or scared). What do you guys think??  Here's an overload of pics :laugh: and the last two are of Ralphie and his girlfriend, Capona (my friend's dog), who is an AKC registered pure bred. Thanks!!


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Looks to be a GSD, very possible he's purebred


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## Piper'sgrl (Apr 20, 2012)

looks pure blk/tan gsd to me


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## MichaelE (Dec 15, 2012)

Yep. Looks like a purebred GSD to me.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

He's purebred....


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## katro (Feb 26, 2013)

MichaelE said:


> Yep. Looks like a purebred GSD to me.


Just so you know, I spit my coffee on myself when I read your signature - "An Unhappy German is a Sour Kraut!" :laugh::laugh:


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## valb (Sep 2, 2004)

You can get DNA test kits if you really want to know.
They are about $75 and take about 6 weeks to get
results.

Doesn't mean you love 'em more or less one way or the
other, but kind of fun to do!


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

I agree he appears to be purebred ... are you referring to the grayish coloring in his upper back area ... if he's neutered it's probably a "bitch stripe" you're seeing.


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## katro (Feb 26, 2013)

valb said:


> You can get DNA test kits if you really want to know.
> They are about $75 and take about 6 weeks to get
> results.
> 
> ...


 Ohhh I did not know you could get a doggie DNA test kit - I will look into it. Not that it matters if Ralphie is PB or not; he's an awesome dog either way and I wouldn't change a thing about him!


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## Rubio (Apr 1, 2013)

First I apologize to Katro for jumping in here with the same question about my pup but i do not know the breed that well. 
This is Bear this month (april)







and this is Bear right before we got him.






. 
I was told he was 4 months when we got him and purebreed. I am starting to wonder about the age and the the pureness. No it does not matter i just thought the opinions of other owners would make me worry a little less that he does not seem to be growing very fast. He still has baby teeth and i see no signs of adult teeth. Thoughts?



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## katro (Feb 26, 2013)

arycrest said:


> I agree he appears to be purebred ... are you referring to the grayish coloring in his upper back area ... if he's neutered it's probably a "bitch stripe" you're seeing.


 Any black on his body are black-tipped hairs; if you spread his fur apart, he's gray closest to his skin, then whitish in the middle of the hairs, then black tips. The tan/cream coloring is similar - the hairs are white closest to the skin and are tan-tipped. His tan seems to be fading, too, :laugh:. His color was richer in the winter when I got him and now that Spring has hit, he's blown his undercoat and the weather is warming up here, he looks much lighter (or as my brother-in-law referred to him "sun-faded").


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## katro (Feb 26, 2013)

Just did some forum searching on curled tails and it is apparently not totally uncommon for GSD's to have them (happy tail, gay tail etc) so my assumption of some husky/malamute/sled dog type in him = most likely wrong.


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## EmeryGSD (Mar 8, 2013)

Purebred  


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## EmeryGSD (Mar 8, 2013)

Rubio said:


> First I apologize to Katro for jumping in here with the same question about my pup but i do not know the breed that well.
> This is Bear this month (april)
> View attachment 63858
> 
> ...


Your little guy is definitely a mix. But a cute one at that!


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## MichaelE (Dec 15, 2012)

katro said:


> Just so you know, I spit my coffee on myself when I read your signature - "An Unhappy German is a Sour Kraut!" :laugh::laugh:


I owe you a beer and a brat.


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## NormanF (Apr 14, 2013)

A purebred color stock GSD can always be distinguished by its medium brown eyes. White GSDs will always have black eyes.


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

> White GSDs will always have black eyes.


This isn't true at all.

Your dog looks purebred. Just a light black and tan.

Save your money on the DNA test, they really aren't accurate.


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

NormanF said:


> A purebred color stock GSD can always be distinguished by its medium brown eyes. White GSDs will always have black eyes.


I agree with what Jackie said about the WGSD's eye color but I also disagree with the other statement about medium brown eyes.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

katro said:


> Ohhh I did not know you could get a doggie DNA test kit - I will look into it. Not that it matters if Ralphie is PB or not; he's an awesome dog either way and I wouldn't change a thing about him!


When I first seen his picture on another post I thought right away he is pure bred. The rescue you got him from gets lots of GSD's all the time, so I wouldn't doubt it at all. I did the DNA test with my oldest, but I knew she was a mixed breed and the results were right on. I don't think that it would work with a pure breed, in fact I'm almost positive that it says right on there that it doesn't.


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## RiverDan (Mar 22, 2013)

He looks like it. Here's a link to GSD colours. Looks faded black and tan?

Illustrated Standard of the German Shepherd Dog, COLOR & PIGMENT


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## katro (Feb 26, 2013)

RiverDan said:


> He looks like it. Here's a link to GSD colours. Looks faded black and tan?
> 
> Illustrated Standard of the German Shepherd Dog, COLOR & PIGMENT


Ahhh, you know, I looked at the pics on this page briefly before, but never read the text that went with them. He's definitely something faded; someone over the weekend even asked me if he was albino! 

"A very pale B&T can easily be mistaken for a light sable, but if they're that hard to tell apart, they're both very faded in pigmentation and should be faulted accordingly." ​Whatever he is, I don't think he's show quality, not that it matters. I really hope that's not why he ended up at the rescue (the rescue traveled to southern Kentucky to get him - I'm in northern Illinois) e.g. someone let him go in the woods just because his coloring wasn't desirable!


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## EmeryGSD (Mar 8, 2013)

As pure as they come!


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