# "Is it a mix?"



## Armistice (Oct 12, 2017)

Today while on a walk, I had person ask me if my pup 18wk is a mix. "Nope, purebred!" This is the 4th person I've come across in 2wks to ask me this

In their defense, I guess a patterned sable could look like a mix to someone who knows nothing about the breed. I mean, I knew very little about them until I got mine, but I don't think I'd ever ask if it was a mix even if it had a massive Pitbull style headshape, lol

Curious if anyone else has had people ask them this

hashtag sableGSDproblems


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## thegooseman90 (Feb 24, 2017)

Try it with a dark sable :wink2: I've been asked if he's mixed, what he's mixed with, and overheard people talking about him saying he's mixed. I've also said he's mixed before once.


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## Ldes77 (Aug 24, 2016)

Happens ALL the time with my all-black girl. People are always asking if she’s a lab mix.


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## Kibs (Oct 25, 2017)

Ldes77 said:


> Happens ALL the time with my all-black girl. People are always asking if she’s a lab mix.


A... lab mix?? haha. How?!


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Frodo was a bi-color whose ears did not stand. Yep, I got asked about his being mixed. I think people are just trying to start a conversation, and do not see it as offensive. Really, I don't think we should see the question as so offensive either. I think we let ourselves be offended by too much. Our dogs do not care if they are mixed-breeds or not. It should be enough for us to know what their pedigree is, who cares what strangers think?


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## Ldes77 (Aug 24, 2016)

A... lab mix?? haha. How?![/QUOTE]

It seems that people unfamiliar with GSDs are confused by the all-black. They think typical GSD=black & tan and since she’s solid black, she must be part lab. I thought the confusion would end when her ears went up, but nope, still happens....


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Yup, got a mutt here too.


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## Dunkirk (May 7, 2015)

Try it with a gay tail, my dog's tail ends in a circle, not as a sabre. No, he's not part husky.


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

Many people who see my young female think she's a lab mix. They don't realize GSDs come in black!


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## Armistice (Oct 12, 2017)

selzer said:


> Frodo was a bi-color whose ears did not stand. Yep, I got asked about his being mixed. I think people are just trying to start a conversation, and do not see it as offensive. Really, I don't think we should see the question as so offensive either. I think we let ourselves be offended by too much. Our dogs do not care if they are mixed-breeds or not. It should be enough for us to know what their pedigree is, who cares what strangers think?


Oh, I've never seen it as offensive. I just think it's amusing. I guess people really don't know much past the typical ASL GSD look


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## CometDog (Aug 22, 2017)

I have a sable, and I have been getting "part wolf?". My standard answer is "aren't we all??"


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## GandalfTheShepherd (May 1, 2017)

We always got the question what kind of dog is that when we had our sables lol. Guess those people never watch cops! We get the question even more with our white shepherd, along with "is that a wolf?" Or "is your dog albino?" Or "is that a husky?" Lol


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Heard it at times when she was a pup....with the longstock coat and all....."yep...she's part Tasmanian devil"...seemed to be the best answer.

SuperG


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

It could be a teaching moment for these know nothings. You could explain that working lines GSDs are not selected for a classic saddleback coat color, but for what they can do to be of service to people.


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## Trix (Jun 22, 2017)

When my GSD was around 11-12 weeks old we left for a two month, 8000 mile road trip. Needless to say, he was probably more socialized than nearly any puppy in existence those months. He probably met 500-1000 ppl. 

That being said - I was asked a LOT if he was a mix. Just people that aren’t familiar with the breed I’m sure (I wasn’t until this year.) after so many times it did make me second guess though. Once his ears fully stood, that reduced a lot of the questions. 

Here he was on the trip, and here he is now at 7 months. No question about being a pure bread in my opinion lol.
















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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

Note hump on nose. Note baggy hind lips. Note dark coat. Is this a working lines GSD?


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## IllinoisNative (Feb 2, 2010)

I have a 9 month old bi-color working line male, and I get that question all the time. Sometimes from my own family...lol. I usually take the time to educate. I can't help myself.


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## Armistice (Oct 12, 2017)

Nurse Bishop said:


> It could be a teaching moment for these know nothings. You could explain that working lines GSDs are not selected for a classic saddleback coat color, but for what they can do to be of service to people.


Haha, my wife suggested that too!

I guess I'd rather keep it short and sweet and it answers their question. If they want to ask more questions, then I'm more than happy to talk more

99% of people are prob just asking just to talk and don't care for a history lesson 



Nurse Bishop said:


> Note hump on nose. Note baggy hind lips. Note dark coat. Is this a working lines GSD?


I'd say def yes. I assume anything not the standard saddle/ blanket back is WL

I've noticed that WL has the small hump in the muzzle whereas ASL (usually) has a straight muzzle


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## Trix (Jun 22, 2017)

Nurse Bishop said:


> Note hump on nose. Note baggy hind lips. Note dark coat. Is this a working lines GSD?




Are you asking me? 

You know - I was just reading the other thread about working line dogs having those and thought about posting my pic again there because he definitely has the hump on the nose and baggy hind lips

If that was directed at me - he is very much an ASL (pedigree of showline dogs) (although a history of competitions in other stuff, agility, etc) 

I did find that thread interesting when looking at my ASL and comparing. 




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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

SuperG said:


> Heard it at times when she was a pup....with the longstock coat and all....."yep...she's part Tasmanian devil"...seemed to be the best answer.
> 
> SuperG


Long coats tend to confuse some people. My wife was getting a ticket for improper right on red and the cop asked if Ollie was a malinois. Nope, he's a very red and black wgsl long coat. I could see someone guessing Terv though, but mal lol?? not even close in resemblance.

Ranger is also a long coat and a patterned sable. People guess him to be a German shepherd/malamute mix. I'll admit he does resemble this discription. None of the guesses are an issue, doesn't bother me or my dogs in the slightest.


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

Trix said:


> Are you asking me?
> 
> You know - I was just reading the other thread about working line dogs having those and thought about posting my pic again there because he definitely has the hump on the nose and baggy hind lips
> 
> ...


Oh I was directing my previous comment to the OP about their dog I thought your dog WAS the OP's dog.


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

OP vvv

"99% of people are prob just asking just to talk and don't care for a history lesson "

Oh but they _need_ a history lesson. Then they can correct other's who are speculating on GSD lineages.


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Nurse Bishop said:


> Note hump on nose.



My WGSL has a humped nose....never done a day of work in her life....


SuperG


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Most of the WGSL are Black and Red, or Black and Tan with the saddle pattern. But there are sables in the WGSL. They are just not as common. 

American lines have sables, bi-colors, blacks, black and tans, and whites. There also livers, and blues, and if you believe they are pure-bred (I don't) pandas. There are patterned sables, and blanket backs as well as solid colored dogs, and saddle-backs. I think there are even those that lack a saddle, but otherwise follow the black and tan. If someone comes up with a brindle or a merle, then they are pulling your leg. And then there are your varieties of black and brown dogs: Black and Red, Black and Silver, Black and Tan, Black and Cream. 

I don't know about whites in working lines, but all the other colors are present. You will generally not see black and red dogs as much, but they are certainly possible in working lines. As for Black and Red, it is just how vibrant the pigment is. It is the same genetics as black and tan and black and silver and black and cream. 

While most of us can make a pretty good guess at lines by a photo, it is wise to be careful not to make color be your main basis of what the lines are. Visually, your structure is what you want to use for a determination. But even there, you might err. Not all ASLs have the ski slope, and not all WGSLs are roached. Dogs look a lot different in a stack than natural. Some ASLs look heavy, and others are slap-sided with long collie-like muzzles. Some WGSLs have heavy short ears, but others have large beautiful ears. Dogs neutered young will not look well bred on either front. 

As for the working lines, there seems to be quite a difference dependent on where the lines originated. DDR dogs look different than WGWL, and they look different from Czech dogs. And then there are the mixtures of lines which will be anybody's guess.


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## LeoRose (Jan 10, 2013)

I've been asked if Leo is mixed with Collie, because _everyone _knows that GSD aren't fluffy. To be honest, since I rescued her out of a parking lot, it's possible that she's actually a mix, but she looks like a purebred, albeit poorly bred, GSD to me (and the AKC and UKC, since she's listed as a GSD with both of them, which required pictures). I guess the reverse mask confuses people, as well, since so may remark on it. 

2017-6-9 Dogs & Yard DSC_0555 by Rosemary Elwell, on Flickr


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## Breanne (Oct 3, 2016)

I have the same issues with my liver gsd

























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## Stangbait (Sep 21, 2017)

Yes! Everyone we meet who hasn't owned a GSD thinks she's mixed with husky, black lab, or wolf. We've heard "German Shepherds are never all black", "her tail is definitely husky", "her back is too straight to be a German Shepherd", etc...

Having a mixed breed wouldn't bother me, it's when these people INSIST they're right that it gets to me!


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Yes bone structure is often telling of a line not - color or bumpy/baggy gums/ flews. With our sable max we often got some of -that a Belgian shepherd or a Belgian. The sable color throws them off. Luna when a puppy because of coloring was not mistaken. I think any dog who is Tan with black saddle and short coat many people condider a gsd even if the dog is mixed. I see part bear and wolf in both in max and Luna the way they play bite face games.lol!


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## konathegsd (Dec 3, 2016)

Every single day we get asked this. People are shocked when we tell them she is not mixed. She looks gsd to me ? Lol


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## Venus694 (Aug 10, 2017)

I get asked if my girl is mixed all the time too because she doesn't have the mask. That's something we gotta deal with having unique colored GSDs lol


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## cheffjapman (Jun 8, 2017)

All the time because she is “too little to be full blood”. Arrow weighs 54 lbs.


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## Armistice (Oct 12, 2017)

cheffjapman said:


> All the time because she is “too little to be full blood”. Arrow weighs 54 lbs.


You have a fun sized GSD? How tall does she stand?


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## cheffjapman (Jun 8, 2017)

Armistice said:


> You have a fun sized GSD? How tall does she stand?




22” exactly at the withers. She is the smallest “standard” size listed. And that is always my response, “actually, she’s standard size.”

General, our male, is 27.5” at the withers and 76 lbs and still gaining weight. I think he will finish out about 80 lbs.


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## konathegsd (Dec 3, 2016)

Haha funny that looks similar to kona and the same weight....we get the “too small” every time too...


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## GSDresQmom (Oct 16, 2016)

An appropriate response might have been, "Yes, he's a mix of beauty, intelligence, drive, loyalty, love, nobility, courage ... the list goes on! But he's ALL German Shepherd." 

In my experience, outside the "dog community," people are generally ignorant about dogs. Inside the dog community, people are disinterested in anything much beyond their own breed or type (unless they're a veterinary health professional or a trainer). Altho I had owned GSDs for years, when I became involved in GSD rescue (almost 15 yrs ago), I fostered dogs of varied types, coats, and colors, so I quickly learned that GSDs are available in a great variety of looks. 

BTW, GSDs come into rescue in many ways, all of which are either very sad or downright horrible. Rescue dogs are neither broken nor broken-down (altho some may be ill and need our help to recover), they simply had the bad luck to be owned by either someone very bad or someone whose life changed suddenly and drastically, often through no fault of their own, and certainly through no fault of the dog! Many of our dogs are well-bred and beautiful, and come to us already well-trained and well-behaved. Some need more training or behavioral work. German Shepherds, like Rotties, Pit Bulls, and a few others, are so vulnerable to people with nefarious motives for having them ... esp because there are so many of them due to the prevalence of backyard breeders who come from positions of ignorance and avarice.


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## 1stDaughter4Legs (Jan 8, 2015)

Carra is solid black and I get asked all the time what kind of dog is that or some sorta lab mix? I just say nope pure breed GSD from a Czech line! That gets a little eyebrow raising  She has narrow shoulders (I think)but 85lbs of muscle. 
Pics: her favorite space on a spring day watching the birds and Waiting for the command to eat her Christmas dinner.


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## cheffjapman (Jun 8, 2017)

konathegsd said:


> Haha funny that looks similar to kona and the same weight....we get the “too small” every time too...


I think that people are confused when they see a GSD that doesn't look like Rin Tin Tin and just assume that it must be mixed.


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## Armistice (Oct 12, 2017)

cheffjapman said:


> 22” exactly at the withers. She is the smallest “standard” size listed. And that is always my response, “actually, she’s standard size.”
> 
> General, our male, is 27.5” at the withers and 76 lbs and still gaining weight. I think he will finish out about 80 lbs.


I'd be interested to see a pic of the 2 of them just to see the comparison 



konathegsd said:


> Haha funny that looks similar to kona and the same weight....we get the “too small” every time too...


How is a 26" tall dog "too small"? Wow, haha. Wonder what "normal" is supposed to be to them


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## konathegsd (Dec 3, 2016)

Funny thing is I have never seen a gsd shorter than her around here! So I guess that’s why. She’s only about 55lbs too lol


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## cheffjapman (Jun 8, 2017)

Armistice said:


> I'd be interested to see a pic of the 2 of them just to see the comparison
> 
> 
> 
> ...













They aren’t standing so you can’t really tell the height difference, but you get the idea!


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## cheffjapman (Jun 8, 2017)

Here we go!


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## Armistice (Oct 12, 2017)

I can see that. She does look small, but stands the same height as my in-laws border collie


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## cheffjapman (Jun 8, 2017)

Armistice said:


> I can see that. She does look small, but stands the same height as my in-laws border collie




When we are out on walks or in public (Lowe’s, etc), she is the one people are uncomfortable around too. Which I think is strange.

But anyone who has ever talked to us, always asks “What is she mixed with? Oh she’s full blood? She’s so small!” It was very frustrating when we first got her, we got used to it.


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