# Very Unsual mask?



## yovanimt

Hi guys! first time posting here, I just bought a German shepherd puppy, and wanted to ask for your honest opinion on the appearance of my dog. Meet Milo, full blooded German shepherd, both parents were on site, the mother is a saddle back black and cream, the father is a black and cream with no mask on his face (light cream) I picked him because he stood out from the rest of the litter, most puppies were the traditional black and tan, one was all black and then there was him a bluish black with hints of silver ?? so I didn't hesitate and chose him even though I knew that he didn't look like 99% of GSDs out there. Again, both parents are German shepherd so no, he's not a husky. My question is: have you seen a GSD puppy with a similar mask? Is he going to keep those colors? Or will the black on his face fade and end up with a light face like his dad?














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## Castlemaid

Hi there, your puppy is really cute, but I think something other than GSD got in there.

That would account for the unusual markings.


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## carmspack

what was the pedigree?

Is this someone who breeds for specialty colours like blue , because I think that pup might be blue - black dilution.

do you have a picture of the sire and dam.

you saw a male and you saw a female. Old saying mother-baby, father?-maybe!

could be because the pup sounds like the description you gave of the adult male on site "the father is a black and cream with no mask on his face (light cream)"

I'm more curious where the solid blacks came from.


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## Bramble

Very cute, btu I agree, looks like there is something else in him. A female that is in heat can be bred by multiple males. Did the breeder have any other intact males about? Was there a neighbor with an intact male? Any pictures of the sire and dam?


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## carmspack

not necessarily something else.

in blues (black dilution) they eyes start off as this pale blue and then chance to light yellow .

"Blue Eyed German Shepherd
As puppies, their eye color may be blue or green. A blue Shepherd puppy's eyes will usually change to amber, light brown or gold by the age of six months or so.

When a dog has light colored eyes, they are often known as "Bird of Prey" eyes. A GSD can have light eyes without having the dilute blue or liver recessive gene."

in entirety Blue German Shepherds, Blue Eyed Puppies and the Breed Standard 

some breeders deliberately seek this to produce that haunting wild eyed wolfy look.

not exactly a breeding critera.

the GSD as a herding dog needs to control the sheep within an invisible fence -- they sheep
are to graze calmly.

a wild light eye is unsettling to the sheep - predatory --- in the standard a dark eye is asked for 

the mask that you ask about is seen in some older ddr lines -


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## karladupler

Kinda looks like a "Shepky" is a mix of a german shepherd and husky  not an expert but could be genes of grandparents  Very cute puppy btw! I love the colours on the muzzle...white where whiskers are and black where the nose is so cute!


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## Bjax

My Shikoku has a pattern like that. In the Japanese breeds it is referred to as urajiro.


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## Deb

Could be he has some blues or panda's behind him. Could be someone jumped the fence. Without knowing more, hard to say. Were the owners of the mom and dad someone who just owned the mom and dad? He's a cute pup. What's his name?


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## ThroughYska'sEyes

Deb said:


> Could be he has some blues or panda's behind him. Could be someone jumped the fence. Without knowing more, hard to say. Were the owners of the mom and dad someone who just owned the mom and dad? He's a cute pup. What's his name?


I wouldn't say any panda cause he doesnt have panda markings and I'd be hesitant on him being even blue. in some pictures he looks diluted but in others he just looks black. its a hard call.

I do think I've seen another shepherd with these colors Her name is Pippa from a rescue in my area, she was Blue and Tan the link below has some pictures of her.
Pippa's Web Page


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## MyHans-someBoy

Not even taking into consideration that he has blue eyes, the shape of his head, ear set and markings all remind me of a husky puppy.

There's no doubt that he's gorgeous and will grow up to be a stunning dog.
I hope you will keep posting pictures as he grows!


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## Julian G

GSDxHusky. Post pics of the parents and tell us a bit about who you got it from.


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## maxtmill

He is very handsome! But he does look like a neighborhood Husky jumped the fence!


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## yovanimt

maxtmill said:


> He is very handsome! But he does look like a neighborhood Husky jumped the fence!


Haha ? indeed that's what I thought when I first saw him. I asked to see the dad and he was indeed a full blooded German shepherd. Just no mask at all.


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## yovanimt

MyHans-someBoy said:


> Not even taking into consideration that he has blue eyes, the shape of his head, ear set and markings all remind me of a husky puppy.
> 
> There's no doubt that he's gorgeous and will grow up to be a stunning dog.
> I hope you will keep posting pictures as he grows!


Thank you he is gorgeous, could it be the angle of the picture? If you see him from the side he screams GSD, the mask however is not usual perhaps never seen before?


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## yovanimt

karladupler said:


> Kinda looks like a "Shepky" is a mix of a german shepherd and husky  not an expert but could be genes of grandparents  Very cute puppy btw! I love the colours on the muzzle...white where whiskers are and black where the nose is so cute!


I agree with your theory maybe one of the grandparents was a husky?


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## yovanimt

Bramble said:


> Very cute, btu I agree, looks like there is something else in him. A female that is in heat can be bred by multiple males. Did the breeder have any other intact males about? Was there a neighbor with an intact male? Any pictures of the sire and dam?


Only two dogs mom and dad


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## yovanimt

carmspack said:


> what was the pedigree?
> 
> Is this someone who breeds for specialty colours like blue , because I think that pup might be blue - black dilution.
> 
> do you have a picture of the sire and dam.
> 
> you saw a male and you saw a female. Old saying mother-baby, father?-maybe!
> 
> could be because the pup sounds like the description you gave of the adult male on site "the father is a black and cream with no mask on his face (light cream)"
> 
> I'm more curious where the solid blacks came from.


Both parents were very light cream and tan


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## yovanimt

Julian G said:


> GSDxHusky. Post pics of the parents and tell us a bit about who you got it from.


I got it from a coworker, went to see the litter and there were traditional looking puppies, but my daughter fell in love with him. I also liked him because of the shiny bluish blackish color of his coat


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## yovanimt

Castlemaid said:


> Hi there, your puppy is really cute, but I think something other than GSD got in there.
> 
> That would account for the unusual markings.


You could see in the pic that there are other puppies that look more traditional. The black and tan and the all black one.


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## yovanimt

carmspack said:


> what was the pedigree?
> 
> Is this someone who breeds for specialty colours like blue , because I think that pup might be blue - black dilution.
> 
> do you have a picture of the sire and dam.
> 
> you saw a male and you saw a female. Old saying mother-baby, father?-maybe!
> 
> could be because the pup sounds like the description you gave of the adult male on site "the father is a black and cream with no mask on his face (light cream)"
> 
> I'm more curious where the solid blacks came from.


No the guy is not a breeder, at least that's not his profession, he loves GSDs and has two of them he had the father scheduled for neutering but they had an accident ? left them alone and the rest... Well you know.


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## yovanimt

Bramble said:


> Very cute, btu I agree, looks like there is something else in him. A female that is in heat can be bred by multiple males. Did the breeder have any other intact males about? Was there a neighbor with an intact male? Any pictures of the sire and dam?


That's interesting I didn't know that two males coul breed one female.


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## yovanimt

Deb said:


> Could be he has some blues or panda's behind him. Could be someone jumped the fence. Without knowing more, hard to say. Were the owners of the mom and dad someone who just owned the mom and dad? He's a cute pup. What's his name?


His name is Milo, at this point the only possible explanation that I can come up with is that maybe there are some husky genes in the grandparents?


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## yovanimt

Here he is at 4 weeks


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## yovanimt

Julian G said:


> GSDxHusky. Post pics of the parents and tell us a bit about who you got it from.


Here's the father


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## yovanimt

And here's the mother


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## BrodyRoo

Yeah, dad looks like a husky x to me. Adorable puppy, though!


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## yovanimt

BrodyRoo said:


> Yeah, dad looks like a husky x to me. Adorable puppy, though!


I'm sorry but where do you see the husky in dad? I the see the ears, head and coat of a GSD. Just no mask... And and very unusual pinkish skin on ears and nose. I am not arguing, just having a hard time finding husky resemblance.


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## MishkasMom

I also see husky mixed somewhere in the father. Where I live there is a lot of sled dogs and for me its the pinkish nose that's a giveaway. Look up white husky dogs and most look like this 












The father could be 3/4 GSD and only one pup (yours) can have the husky genes. Mine was only beige one out of 10 black and tans like his mother(who was all GSD) and a fence jumper father.


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## Muskeg

Yes, the father is at least half husky, no question.


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## MishkasMom

Only way to be sure is either to look into the dogs pedigree (if they are registered) or run a DNA test. Either way you have a beautiful puppy and I cant wait to see him growing up.


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## yovanimt

Muskeg said:


> Yes, the father is at least half husky, no question.


Alrighty then... He's got some husky genes in him.  I'm ok with that, by the way... my love for milo isn't going to change because he might not be full blooded, he isn't just a dog, he is family. I hope you guys don't mind having us in your forum.


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## lalabug

I think he's absolutely gorgeous!!:grin2:


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## Deb

yovanimt said:


> Alrighty then... He's got some husky genes in him.  I'm ok with that, by the way... my love for milo isn't going to change because he might not be full blooded, he isn't just a dog, he is family. I hope you guys don't mind having us in your forum.


The most important thing for Milo is that you love him. There are people with GSD mixes and some who don't even have a GSD on the forum. So of course you're welcome! I look forward to see pictures of Milo as he grows.


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## MishkasMom

Hey who knows maybe we are all wrong about the father and he just has a poor pigment....after all we only see one picture. Maybe ask the breeder if they know his history or run a DNA test. I have a pup that's at least 1/2 GSD but he's the best dog ever, polite, well adjusted and this forum is a wealth of information and I've learned so much so I really hope you stick around and let us see how he grows up.


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## carmspack

may very well be a GSD -- 
his pigment is disqualifying poor


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## karladupler

yovanimt said:


> Here's the father


Oh wow! I would say....no husky at all...he just have lack of pigmentation...he really has the body of a GSD...ears....face. Still a dog right?! Hahaha my boy is not very well pigmented either, his nose is slowly turning pink (but i must say...it's his winter nose) he is super blonde for being a shepherd, he has super light eyes no face mask at all etc but still have that body structure of a german shepherd...sometimes people mistake him for a malinois...he's a recue never run a DNA test but I believe he's just a super blonde gs haha  still....a dog hahahaha


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## Stevenzachsmom

I'm not convinced that Dad isn't a GSD. The color throws ya, but he still looks GSD to me.

OP, of course you are welcome here. Heck, since my GSD passed away, they let me stay with a hound mix. lol! Now I have Shelby, another shelter pup. Early on, the majority here thought she was PB. There is just something off about her, though. At my house, we are torn between her being a PB GSD with the world's worst conformation, or that she is mixed with something. Like you, we love our mystery dog to death. She's a keeper.

Can't wait to see your little pup grow up. What a beauty.


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## sebrench

Cute pup! Husky or no husky, he will be a beautiful dog and a good companion. I'd love to see pictures of him as he grows up!


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## Dotbat215

Welcome! I have nothing to add other than he is lovely and this forum is a wonderful resource for all dogs.


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## yovanimt

Stevenzachsmom said:


> I'm not convinced that Dad isn't a GSD. The color throws ya, but he still looks GSD to me.
> 
> OP, of course you are welcome here. Heck, since my GSD passed away, they let me stay with a hound mix. lol! Now I have Shelby, another shelter pup. Early on, the majority here thought she was PB. There is just something off about her, though. At my house, we are torn between her being a PB GSD with the world's worst conformation, or that she is mixed with something. Like you, we love our mystery dog to death. She's a keeper.
> 
> Can't wait to see your little pup grow up. What a beauty.


I know right? Dad looks GSD! Just put some smoke on that muzzle and voila! Thank you all! will definitely keep posting pics of him.


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## yovanimt

sebrench said:


> Cute pup! Husky or no husky, he will be a beautiful dog and a good companion. I'd love to see pictures of him as he grows up!


Will keep posting.


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## yovanimt

carmspack said:


> may very well be a GSD --
> his pigment is disqualifying poor


I could've gone with one black and tan and never have to worry about people asking what kind of is he, or disqualifying faults or poor pigmentation. But in the end I chose him because of his personality. And his uniqueness. He qualified to be the next member of our family


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## DutchKarin

Of course it does not matter what color he is if you like him and he is a good fit, Hallelujah! Enjoy him to bits.

Keep in mind though that you are on a forum with some top breeders of the GSD, some who spend a lot of time working the GSD in their traditional jobs and therefore care a lot about the thoughtful breeding of exceptional GSD individuals to maintain the breed. There are so many problems that come with poor breeding of any dog really. So you are going to have people who see the conformation of the male at least and sigh because he doesn't meet the standard. To you it doesn't matter but to them it really does because it is about losing the qualities of the GSD that made them so great. 

It is not meant to hurt you personally but understand that there is another story to tell, and the picture of the male tells the not so good side of it. 

Enjoy your little guy as much as you possibly can. Do right by him. Invest in training so you can bring out the best in you and the best in your pup.


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## Fodder

I vote for a dab of husky, probably from the fathers side... but it's not your pup or dads looks that convinced me, it's the 2 light pups in the litter/nursing photo - markings look very husky-ish.


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## Suzy25

I definitely agree ^^
the coats of the puppies in the litter photo look a little husky to me. And honestly the dads ears are a little to rounded or something and the coat fluffiness and such screams "shepsky" to me. I know lots of people with shepherdXhusky and many look like him, just the dominate genes are shepherd. 

Absolutely adorable and unique puppy! you are going to have so much fun with him!


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## kelbonc

Your Milo is a gorgeous pup!! I look forward to your photos of him as he grows. You will find this forum a wonderful resource of stored information and other dog owners willing to share their knowledge and experiences. Enjoy!


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## yovanimt

DutchKarin said:


> Of course it does not matter what color he is if you like him and he is a good fit, Hallelujah! Enjoy him to bits.
> 
> Keep in mind though that you are on a forum with some top breeders of the GSD, some who spend a lot of time working the GSD in their traditional jobs and therefore care a lot about the thoughtful breeding of exceptional GSD individuals to maintain the breed. There are so many problems that come with poor breeding of any dog really. So you are going to have people who see the conformation of the male at least and sigh because he doesn't meet the standard. To you it doesn't matter but to them it really does because it is about losing the qualities of the GSD that made them so great.
> 
> It is not meant to hurt you personally but understand that there is another story to tell, and the picture of the male tells the not so good side of it.
> 
> Enjoy your little guy as much as you possibly can. Do right by him. Invest in training so you can bring out the best in you and the best in your pup.


I will enjoy him, thanks. And no, I am not offended, as a matter of fact I apologize to any top GSD breeder who may feel offended by my puppy. Like some people have said there are lots of non GSD owners who stick around because of the vast amount of information, collies, malinois, Even dutchies like yours.


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## Fodder

Does the owner have photos of the father as a pup? Or remember what color / pattern he started off?


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## Muskeg

Husky/GSD are a nice cross. I've known a lot of them. Good dogs, enjoy your puppy!


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## yovanimt

Fodder said:


> Does the owner have photos of the father as a pup? Or remember what color / pattern he started off?


He does. He showed me pics of the father as a puppy, he had a dark mask and only two light spots on the eyebrows (like rotties) and he said that as he grew up the mask disappeared.


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## carmspack

find out if the father is the result of a white gsd breeding , white to to a black maybe.


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## yovanimt

here's is one of hittler's GSDs reverse mask right?


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## yovanimt




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## yovanimt

I don't know anymore guys...


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## Sabis mom

He is a cutie. And who will ever know for sure what he is. 
All I have been thinking since you first posted is please stop him gnawing on you like a chew toy. Lol.
I'm sorry. That's all I can see.


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## yovanimt

Sabis mom said:


> He is a cutie. And who will ever know for sure what he is.
> All I have been thinking since you first posted is please stop him gnawing on you like a chew toy. Lol.
> I'm sorry. That's all I can see.


  oh he stopped... That was on his first day with us and I am sure he missed his brothers so I kinda let him.


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