# "off" colors working



## SarahMichelle (Apr 8, 2012)

(I think this goes here)

Ive been looking at a ton of work breeders and they all seem to have either solid blacks, sables, bi colored and the occasional black and tan/red.

So I was wondering are there any working(protection) breeders that have whites, blues, livers, ect..? Or is there anybody that just works these colors maybe not necessarily a breeder?


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## robk (Jun 16, 2011)

I am pretty sure there are a few people working White GSDs.


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

Breeders will, hopefully, breed to the 'standard.' As I understand it that leaves the colors you mention to genetic accident.

Exception might be white, but still not "standard."


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I've not seen any white GSD's working in sport, though they are common in the UKC show-ring or in pet environments. Unless it is a pop-up accident, the only working line colors you'll see is the sables, black, B&T(blanket is more the norm than saddle in the WL's) or bi's.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

SarahMichelle said:


> (I think this goes here)
> 
> Ive been looking at a ton of work breeders and they all seem to have either solid blacks, sables, bi colored and the occasional black and tan/red.
> 
> So I was wondering are there any working(protection) breeders that have whites, blues, livers, ect..? Or is there anybody that just works these colors maybe not necessarily a breeder?


Most breeders that are good breeders are breeding to a 'standard'. What that written standard includes should be a big part of their goals.

So even if I liked a GSD that had floppy ears and a tail curved over it's back, since that's not the standard for GSD's it probably shouldn't be something I'm focused my breeding program around. There are plenty of breeds that have floppy ears I can add to my house instead.

That said, those colors you mentioned do occasionally crop up among breeders. I'm betting the white would be easier because there is actually a different dog club that white IS the standard so they have a ton more great dogs to choose among.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Yeah blue and liver isn't really an off-color. If you run across a breeder that advertises those colors it means they aren't really developing a breeding program and are extremely small in their genetic diversity, leading to other problems. A liver or a blue is a lightening of pigment which is not desired and means a recessive gene that must be passed from parent to offspring. Even people that would work a liver or blue will probably never be able to stud or breed them because of trying to keep to the standard.

White dogs...I think there are people working them, they're just rarer. If white GSDs are 5% of all GSDs, and only 1% of GSDs to Schutzhund, that's a very small percentage that will be white GSDs in Schutzhund. Not sure what the actual percentages are but they are small.


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