# I was told she is a GSD....I'm not so sure...



## banzai555

I adopted this girl from a local who couldn't keep her. The lady told me she was "purebred GSD from Czech working lines" but....I'm not sure I buy it. 

People keep asking me if she's part akita. I feel like she might be a malinois. I dunno. You all have way more experience than me, so what do you think?

Her fur is fairly short but thick and sheds LIKE CRAZY. She also takes forever to dry if she goes swimming. 

Just FYI, I don't care what she is, I still love her. 

FWIW, she also howls like a wolf!


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## banzai555

Hmm, pics didn't upload...


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## Kazel

I had a hard time telling from the pictures the people posted and had the exact same question on her!

It's very possible she's a purebred with poor pigmentation/no saddle. Or could also be Akita or malinois mix. There's definitely GSD in her though, you can see it in the face and tail especially. 

I think if she had a good saddle on her she'd look more shepherdy. When colors aren't how you expect it can really throw off how the dog looks.

Or take example purebred black GSDs with ears that don't stand. They often don't look very shepherdy from first glance, same with your classic black/tans that have ears that don't stand. 

Also with backyard breeders you can get dogs with very weird proportions. I've seen some very poorly bred byb German shepherds who look more body shape wise like a malamute/husky mix. A breeder I'm not fond of some of her dogs have the fat lab body shape even not being actually overweight at all.

Also there are a ton of scammy breeders and people easily scammed on shepherds in and around Montana. I had the most ridiculous conversation with somebody at Murdochs and finally had to give it up as a lost cause. She was totally scammed and fooled by a breeder.


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## Jchrest

I’m not an expert on these things, but to me it looks like a GSD/Husky with a reverse mask. Just based on the look and descriptions of her coat. I could, and often am, wrong when I make these guesses though! Lol


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## Jax08

Definitely not Czech working lines. Maybe purebred, just not well bred.


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## JonRob

She looks like a very nice purebred Ay fawn German Shepherd. The fawn color is a normal color variation in GSDs. Although you can't show an Ay fawn GSD in conformation, this is the only sense in which she can automatically be considered "not well bred." If she has a good temperament and is physically sound, then she is well bred in the most important sense of this term. I think she's beautiful. 

Just google ay fawn German Shepherd, click on images, and you'll see lots of pics of GSDs that look like your pretty girl.

To find out for sure what she is, you can go to:

http://embarkvet.com/

and use this company to DNA test her. For a bit extra, they will also test for genetic health issues.



banzai555 said:


> I don't care what she is, I still love her.


Nice to hear from someone who has the right priorities.


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## middleofnowhere

Her build says "working line" to me. And GSD. That's about as good as I am on this stuff. People will tell you all sorts of stuff about what they think. I had a friend question one of my GSDs because his hair waved down his back, stranger initially think my long coated dog was a Terv, etc. Your dog looks well-built and powerful. Enjoy her.


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## GSDchoice

Just musing and guessing here, but I have seen that northern breed mixes (akita / husky) will tend to have sl. smaller ears, a broader shorter muzzle/head and some kind of curl or lift to their tail? Her tail is so straight and long! And her ears are big, like the typical GSD. Her personality (very attached, always seeking interaction) also does not sound like a northern breed, they are described as more 'catlike'. 

Her build is a little less long and lowslung and more square than what I envision for a typical GSD, that's probably the only thing I wonder about, but maybe that is just how some GSDs are built?

She is very pretty!

Of course, she may do the DNA test and wind up to be part beagle, ha ha!


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## mmags

I really want to say GSD/Malinois mix. Definitely not Akita, ears are to big and face is too long. The coloring, face, and high rear resemble a malinois. She has a GSD chest/ears. Could be pure GSD, though not Czech working lines. She looks great


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## Jax08

Personally, I think pure GSD. I bet she's a sable looking at her back and the triangle on the tail. OP - is her hair banded? Dark-Light-Dark? I think there is just a gene washing the color out. Not the white masking gene.


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## selzer

I was wondering if she was a very light sable. Could also be lacking a saddle. I don't believe in the fawn-colored shepherds, no more than the pandas. I mean, some whites have pigment making them look yellowish, but a white is a solid color. Only the nose, eye rims, and paw pads and nails would be black. This dog has a mask, and very washed out color. With the black nose, it is not a washed out dilute like a liver. I agree with Jax that it is probably some gene diluting a black and tan dog or a sable if the hair is banded.


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## hirakawa199006

This could be a gsd x Berger blanc Suisse x [malinois] mix. 

I edited your picture. 

How is her temperament?


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## GSDmix

When we got our pup, everyone told us Malinois (mainly because of her coloring and she was slightly smaller). Regardless she’s a mix. We did Wisdom Panel DNA. She is 50% GSD, no Malinois. She is also 25% Doberman. Lol we didn’t see that one coming.
Yours looks like a fawn or sable GSD to me. Pretty girl!


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## McGloomy

Could be a fawn GSD... Can't know for sure without a DNA test


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## hirakawa199006

GSDmix said:


> When we got our pup, everyone told us Malinois (mainly because of her coloring and she was slightly smaller). Regardless she’s a mix. We did Wisdom Panel DNA. She is 50% GSD, no Malinois. She is also 25% Doberman. Lol we didn’t see that one coming.
> Yours looks like a fawn or sable GSD to me. Pretty girl!



The other 25% is probably a dog with a tan coat.


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## banzai555

I feel like she has a very shepherdy temperament. She's very vocal, clingy, nudges at my hands and backside when she wants something... She's not protective and is a bit fearful but she's gotten a lot better about that since I got her. Aloof to fearful of strangers, loves other dogs but doesn't like being ganged up on. She is a bit nervy, will pace if she's excited or worried or hungry.


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## hirakawa199006

maybe 25% grey wolf?


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## banzai555

I doubt it...regardless, I don't want to shell out the money for a test, and obviously I'm not breeding her! Maybe if a family member gets me a test for my birthday or something, haha. 

I asked the lady I got her from who the breeder was. She said someone out of Rigby, ID who doesn't breed anymore. So...guessing she's a BYB doggo. I googled Rigby ID GSDs and couldn't find anything legit.


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## hirakawa199006

Worth the test. Not many are that expensive anymore.


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## GSDmix

banzai555 said:


> I doubt it...regardless, I don't want to shell out the money for a test, and obviously I'm not breeding her! Maybe if a family member gets me a test for my birthday or something, haha.
> 
> I asked the lady I got her from who the breeder was. She said someone out of Rigby, ID who doesn't breed anymore. So...guessing she's a BYB doggo. I googled Rigby ID GSDs and couldn't find anything legit.


I also didn’t want to shell out a lot of money for a test. But on Black Friday they go on sale and we bought the Wisdom DNA test for $40 which we felt was worth it. Two weeks later we had her results. Maybe the tests go on sale at other times during the year too.


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## Sunsilver

Could we see a side view of her head, please? Always helpful to see how much stop the face has, etc.
Her angulation is a bit upright for a GSD, but I've seen fawn GSDs that looked a lot like her. 








Fawn GSD | K9 Pines Home of the Blue, Brindle, Isabella, Liver, Panda, German Shepherds







k9pines.com





And as far as I can tell, those ears look like GSD ears. Because females have smaller heads than males, the ears sometimes aren't as upright/parallel as you'd like to see them.


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