# A Good Fit Over your Gender/Color Preferences?



## Konotashi (Jan 11, 2010)

I was wondering how many of you had a specific color or gender you preferred in a dog, but ended up getting a color or gender you didn't really see yourself owning. 

For example, if I go with a WL puppy, I want either a dark sable, black sable, or bi-color male. I'd be fine with a black, but I want a *dark *dog, preferably with some color thrown in. And I really want a male. 
However, if the breeder I choose thinks that a light sable female in the litter would suit me better than any dark males, I'd either go with what the breeder thinks or wait for the puppy that is both in my preference and best suited for my situation. 

My question to you is: How many of you got a dog that you initially didn't 'prefer?'


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Well I knew I wanted a black GSD so I got Sinister.

When it came to my next puppy I was in between black and dark sable. I really liked both, I made the decision to go with a dark sable and the mating I was going to go with would have mainly produced sables but in the end a little black puff ball was the one for me.

The only colors I like are black, dark sable and bicolor. I've only had Malice a little while but so far (things could change as she matures) I prefer males over females.

I know color is not everything but I wouldn't go to a breeder that mainly produces black/reds and black/tans, they are just not what I want.


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## sddeadeye (Apr 5, 2011)

Sure have! When my husband and I were looking for a hunting dog for him, we were looking for a black lab female. We ended up with a yellow male, but he was the perfect match.

Personally, I don't care what color the dog is. I've seen gorgeous examples of every color there is. For my personal dog, I do prefer a male over a female and would probably wait for a male.


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## bocron (Mar 15, 2009)

Color doesn't really matter to me or my husband, we just don't love the saddle backs but since we buy WL that isn't a factor. 
As to sex, I prefer females usually, but it depends on the situation I guess. My last pup I told the breeder I wanted a female, if there would have only been males or something I would have just waited for the next litter I guess. The sex of the dog is a factor to me since I think males/females work and are trained a bit differently. Not that I won't work a male, I have had plenty that were great dogs and I loved working them. 

Annette


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## mysweetkaos (Sep 20, 2011)

We originally had our heart set on a white female. The breeder did not feel that was a good match for a family dog and matched us with Kaos. A b/t male. I couldn't be happier with the last 9 yrs and how he has turned out. I am glad she knew better than to give us what we wanted:wub:

They were of the same litter....one WGWL dam and WGSD sire


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

When I got Stosh I wanted a male because we already had a female gsd, but other than that I had no real preference to color. I ended up with a black/red long coated puppy which really surprised me because I had no plans to get a lc- but his good little body structure, personality and demeanor was exactly what I wanted. And he's been the perfect match for me.


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## BR870 (May 15, 2011)

Color did not matter to me. My preference was dark sable, but I ended up with a bi-color, and now I love the look.

However, gender was non-negotiable. I already have one female in the house, and in order to avoid same-sex aggression, it had to be a male. Now, if I didn't already have one female, the puppies sex would have been open like the color, but for pack dynamics reasons it wasn't....


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## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

I wanted a Black Red Male, that's what I got.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I was looking for tall, dark and handsome. I ended up with short, portly and just cute.........oh wait, you were asking about our dogs. 

I really didn't care about color, but I was drawn to the black and tans.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Sex matters to me in a multi dog household plus I seem to just click better with males

Dont want a coated dog because of briars and mud and heat etc.

Color honestly has not been a concern of mine. Now if they bred them "glow in the dark" and orange or that highway yellow, now I may reconsider.


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## mysweetkaos (Sep 20, 2011)

Lilie said:


> I was looking for tall, dark and handsome. I ended up with short, portly and just cute.........oh wait, you were asking about our dogs.
> 
> I really didn't care about color, but I was drawn to the black and tans.


Same here...not only was K not my "type" my DH is dramatically different than what I thought I was looking for:wub: Based on those two scenarios maybe whatever I think I want I should choose the opposite!


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Me! I didn't plan on getting a third dog at ALL. That probably doesn't count, though.


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## LARHAGE (Jul 24, 2006)

I had to have Blk/Red, all my German Shepherds have to be Black/Red, but since I only like WGSL dogs anyway that wasn't a problem, the hard part was finding the right dog, which I certainly did.


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## N Smith (Aug 25, 2011)

When I went to my breeder, she had three litters on the way, we went over what she expected to come out of each litter, and which litter had the best chance of putting out what I wanted.(Working/Sport dog)

I wanted a male and dark sable if possible, but color was the last thing on my list and she will almost never consider it when choosing a pup for a client.

The litter we chose only had females, and only 1 dark sable. So the breeder called and said no males, did I want a female (I already had 2 females at home, husky;spayed and Leonberger;intact though). I wanted to wait until they were 7 weeks and tested before deciding. So at 7 weeks she called and said I could do either a solid black female or the dark sable female, both were VERY close in temperament with the sable having a bit more drive. So I chose to go with the sable female and I am SO HAPPY I did. She has turned out to be an AMAZING girl, and definitely an amazing working dog.

I just got a male pup in Sept (I have a male husky;neutered and chi;intact at home as well) and I chose him based on who he WAS not what he looked like as well, but I did know that I *needed a male* competition dog. He came from a litter of 12 solid blacks, but I also saw a litter of sables - I still chose him because he was the temperament, drive, biddability, solid nerve, great bite dog I was looking for.

So if the female thing is really that big of a deal (multiple females can coexist, its not rocket science), but if you didn't want to have to deal with heats, or really whatever the reason, then wait for a male. But please remember that a good dog is never a bad color!


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

I will only have female GSDs. NO MALES. So gender IS a "deal breaker". I will NOT settle for a male. 

Color MUST be solid black or sable. While I prefer black, I will take sable. And I've never had a problem finding the temperament I want in the color and gender I want.

It is MY money I'm spending. There is no reason to settle for something I don't want


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## NewbieShepherdGirl (Jan 7, 2011)

When I get my WL dog my idea has always been to wait until I can get both. I know what colors I like and I know what I want out of my dog; I know that if I'm willing to wait I can have both. I'm not going to sacrifice temperament/drive for color, but I don't think it's either or. 

As far as sex goes.....I want a male. I've had a male dog and now I have Sasha and I just like males better. That being said, I would being willing to let that go. One of the only reasons I would do that though is that my current girl is very non aggressive with either sex, so I wouldn't have to worry so much about same sex aggression from her. The pup would obviously be an unknown. 

I know that I want a sable, preferably dark, that will be able to do schutzhund, and real herding (not the sport but I have actual sheep that I would love to have a herding dog for), and be a stable family companion. I have a dog with nerves that aren't the best; I don't want that from my next one. I love Sasha to death, but her nerves have interfered at times with what I had planned to do, and I don't love having to manage that all the time. She's not terrible, but there are certain triggers I have to always be aware of. My next dog I would like to be fairly bomb proof. It makes life easier and more enjoyable for all.


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## GSKnight (Oct 18, 2011)

When I got Viktor, I wasn't actually looking to adopt a dog. I just heard his story and took him home. Had I a choice in the matter, I would have wanted one lighter in color, to be more like my ATF-GSD Baron.... but I wouldn't trade Viktor for the world.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

I wanted a dark sable male, wife wanted a black & tan female.
<<<---- guess what we got.


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## Discoetheque (Nov 2, 2011)

I already have a working-line female (WL/SL cross, really, though appearance-wise she favors the working-side), and lines are of little preference to me having seen excellent and likewise subpar examples of each. I do love to show, but obedience is what I'm really into, and I could do both with the right type of dog from either line.

I originally would have loved a male. I love Discoe's father...substantial, mahogany and black hunk of a male. But after handling him for a few ring-training practices, I realized I quickly had to amend that much...lol. He was just entirely too much dog for me at the time, and being a novice handler and in my beginning stages of training, a lighter, more medium-sized dog would have just worked better.

Luckily, I fell just as much in love with her mother and so I ended up with the best of both of them and everything I wanted.


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## meldleistikow (Oct 24, 2011)

We are getting a male puppy in 3 weeks. We already have a female, so a male will fit better in the pack. We also have a cattle dog/jack russell male, but he loves all dogs equally. Also, I have found that two male dogs tend to get along better than two females. 

My husband wanted a black and tan, but I wanted a working line (I won ). I would prefer sable, but there are mostly all blacks, bi-colors, and only one sable male out of the 2 litters. The breeder will pick the puppy based on what suits us. I am more particular about temperament than looks. His sire is an all black and gorgeous dog. My husband really likes him. We can't wait!


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## CelticGlory (Jan 19, 2006)

I want a blk/red male, but if a female is a better fit I will go with what the breeder decides. I have been looking at the blacks of another breeder lately as well, I'm putting down a deposit sometime next year, so I will see.


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## phgsd (Jun 6, 2004)

I've always wanted a black GSD. I also love bicolors. When I first got into the breed I wasn't crazy about sables at all.
Ten years later...I still have never had a black or bicolor. I haven't been able to find the total package in the color I'd like when I was searching for dogs...and I am not going to pick a dog based on color.
Sables have really grown on me, especially the dark ones, and while I'd still love a black or bicolor, a good dog is never a bad color 

Gender would be a dealbreaker, but if it was my only dog and I had no plans to breed, I wouldn't be picky about gender.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I usually always have a gender preference which depends on my existing dogs. 

I do like certain colors, but it's not the be all end all to what I get...When I was getting a puppy from Dodge's litter I had always had the typical black/tans...I knew I wanted a male, but I didn't 'think' I wanted a bicolor, went with him because of temperament and have always loved the black or bicolor dogs since then.

With Masi, again, wasn't set on a color, went for temperament and she just happens to be dark sable

My next one, I DO want a male, and I DO want black or bicolor, but if temperament isn't there, I'll pass


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

I *wanted *a sable female (my first GSD 20 yrs ago)...I *got* a bi-color female....then a sable male, solid black male....finally a black & red male.
My preference is males...and I am in love with the sable coloring.
_Go figure_....we breed WGSL's...black & reds/tans...
I've actually become color blind within this breed......I know which venues that I like to compete in, and I know what temperament I must have......so everything else just becomes gravy!LOL!


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## ChristenHolden (Jan 16, 2010)

As some of you remember I was supposed to get a solid black male from a litter my moms friends had. But the **** gave the entire 3 or 4 week old pups a flea and tick bath and in less than 3 days all 14 were dead. So I jus looked in the news papers and found Bella the only pup left out of her litter and she was 5 months old. So I eneded up with a sable female and not a black male. But I couldn't be happier with my big ox she's a good Dog and we lover her! :wub:


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## Ronda (Aug 23, 2010)

I *wanted *a *sable* (the darker the better but would have taken a lighter one too) or* bicolor* *male*. I always favored males before and the darker the faces, the better. I would never trade the temperament for color but we all have our favorite combos.

I *got* a* black female*...pretty much my last gender/color choice combo. When the breeder called and said the whole litter was female and that most of them were solid black I was a little disappointed. Then I resigned myself to having this little (no more than 60-65lbs), feminine black gsd. Well, she's black but she's a freaking moose! Almost 66lbs at 9 months and that's with a rib or two showing. However, I totally feel like I *got what I needed*. Saphira has been everything that the breeder promised she would be and more. :wub: Wouldn't trade her now for the world.

My next gsd will be male no matter what, but that's only because I'm not even dealing with the possibility of same sex issues. Would still like a sable or bicolor but wouldn't pass up a great pup based on that only.

Ronda
Ohen z AlpineK9


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Gender for sure matters, we both prefer females overall, but would always be looking for the opposite gender of the one we already have if we were to lose a dog. 

At this point I don't ever see myself NOT getting a longcoat. I've had 3 so far and that's what I now prefer, so I'd just keep looking until I found all the rest of the things I was looking for in a LC package. 

Sables used to be my least favorite before we got Halo, but they are definitely growing on me and now I'm not that picky about color as long as it's a coatie with the right temperament.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Because I already had two females, I wanted a male for the pup I was buying next. Also preferred a dark sable. I did tell the breeder I didn't want a black because I had a black GSD in the past and wanted a sable this time. 
I'd probably take a black and tan in that breeding, heck I would have kicked myself if I refused a pup due to any color.
Black dogs get so dang hot in the sun, my reasoning for not wanting to have another(my females are a blanket coated, and a bi-color-so essentially black)
A coat may have been a deal-breaker too, because I do have a coatie, and they are a bit more as far as bringing in mud, leaves, twigs, briers, snow, etc. But I'd take another coated dog I think! They are gorgeous, especially the dark sable coaties. 
So yes, I did have gender-color preference.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Stark was suppose to be a female. I had only ever had females up until him and so when I went to my breeder I told her I wanted a female, on the smaller side. She bases her picks on other criteria. I ended up with a large male. She gave me the option of waiting or transferring to another litter. So happy I went with her advice, because Stark is perfect for me - his 'ding dong-ness' and all. 

With Zefra's litter, I told her what I wanted in terms of temperament, nerve strength, work ethic, drives, etc... I said that colour and gender didn't even make the list. I let her choose the pup. She had four working prospects out of that litter; a male and three females. The females seem to dominate the male and Zefra was the one who stuck out to everyone who evaluated the litter. I secretly wanted a male but am sooo happy that she is here.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Lilie said:


> I was looking for tall, dark and handsome. I ended up with short, portly and just cute.........oh wait, you were asking about our dogs.
> 
> I really didn't care about color, but I was drawn to the black and tans.


 Being short, portly and cute .....
I wanted an Amazon
but I got a Black & tan
now I'm confused


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

I am weird.lol. If I want a black and red long coat male or black and tan(stock or long) if I decide to go the WGSL showline route.If I go the WL route I want a dark/black sable male or a light sable female, or black male or female or bi color male.

But if there is a dog that breeder feels is the best for me and isn't what I wanted in regards to color or gender, then I will be fine.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Jessiewessie99 said:


> I am weird.lol. If I want a black and red long coat male or black and tan(stock or long) if I decide to go the WGSL showline route.If I go the WL route I want a dark/black sable male or a light sable female, or black male or female or bi color male.
> 
> But if there is a dog that breeder feels is the best for me and isn't what I wanted in regards to color or gender, then I will be fine.


People put so much trust in breeders. Blind trust?
The breeder may also have an agenda and you have no idea what that agenda is. Frankly, if I can't visit the litter a few times and ask a few questions then I am not likely to get a pup with THAT breeder.
Caveat Emptor


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I would look at the pedigree and possibly be blind trusting...If you trust the breeder and what they've produced in the past, then it is transparent enough to know their 'agenda'.


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## NewbieShepherdGirl (Jan 7, 2011)

I would trust a breeder to be a better judge of temperament than I am. I've been an active part of my family's show lamb farm since it started and it takes a while to learn who to breed to who, what's going to make for a better specimen, what's going to make things worse, what traits are generally inherited from this line, etc. I don't know those things with dogs, and since I don't ever want to breed dogs (I'm pretty sure I'd never be able to sell the puppies and then you'd see me on animal hoarders lol!) I'm going to trust a breeder. Of course I'll do some research and not just go in totally blind, but ultimately what I'll know will be superficial compared to what the breeder will know, so I will defer to them.


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

PaddyD said:


> People put so much trust in breeders. Blind trust?
> The breeder may also have an agenda and you have no idea what that agenda is. Frankly, if I can't visit the litter a few times and ask a few questions then I am not likely to get a pup with THAT breeder.
> Caveat Emptor


Why yes I would. Why would the breeder have an "agenda"? They know their dogs better than I do, they have more knowledge than I do in regards to bloodlines and pedigrees than I do. Of course I will ask questions and visit the litter, and then the breeder should be able to pick out a pup for me.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

My next GSD will be a male, either solid black or a very dark sable.


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## Konotashi (Jan 11, 2010)

PaddyD said:


> People put so much trust in breeders. Blind trust?
> The breeder may also have an agenda and you have no idea what that agenda is. Frankly, if I can't visit the litter a few times and ask a few questions then I am not likely to get a pup with THAT breeder.
> Caveat Emptor


That would be a shady breeder, then, I would think. 

Reputable breeders want (or should want) their pups to go to the best home possible. The best way to do that is to match the temperament of each puppy to a home's wants/needs. Given a lot of breeders require the dog be returned to them if they want to get rid of the dog, they want to ensure each match is as accurate as possible so they don't get most of their dogs returned to them because the family was matched with a dog that was too much for them. 

I agree with visiting the breeder and maybe the litter, but not just for my sake. That would also give the breeder more to work with, as far as matching a pup, than what's said over e-mail and telephone. (I would think, anyway). 

I'd prefer someone who knows the pups, knows their temperaments, is experienced about what type of dogs they will grow into, and match a puppy to me based on that. (As long as it's a male).


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## WendyDsMom (Nov 18, 2011)

I think a breeder can tell you about what type of puppy you are looking at - and you have to evaluate if the pup will fit you and your situation. Ours told us she was a little shy, but that she was a fun goof off while playing with her sibs. She was up front that she hadn't socialized her much and that would probably mean extra work for me.... etc etc. Guess what? No problems.

I have always been partial to females black/tan - somehow ended up with Trigger Black/Tan (male) because he really needed me and what I could teach him.

Wendy is a sable - so completely unexpected, and her personality was too darling to say no too.... Looks weren't where I was looking to take on, but the personality won me over! She fits so perfectly into the family - that I am grateful every day to my wonderful husband for finding her for me.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

we were looking for a girl, because we have a male. but it wasn't a breaking point. Our one and only hard and fast rule was no solid black dogs. If that was the option, then we would have waited for another litter. 
Singe is sable (check) not a girl though. He's a great fit for us, even if he does have some extra danglely bits


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## Dogaroo (Mar 4, 2003)

Almost fifteen years ago, I was in the market for a female Golden Retriever with excellent bloodlines. When I finally found just the right dog for me, this is what she looked like:









His name was "Gunnar."


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

why get a dog that's not the gender or
color you want? the color, gender and type
that you want is out there and i don't think
it's hard to find.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

I think the question, though, is if a good fit came along that wasn't your gender/color preference, would you decline?
for me, the only deal-breaker was a solid black dog. The other stuff was just icing on the cake


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## bianca (Mar 28, 2010)

Well I wanted a male (already have a female) so I was prepared to wait for that. I really have no colour preference but have never really wanted a solid black....yup new puppy Cooper is a solid black!


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## Discoetheque (Nov 2, 2011)

doggiedad said:


> why get a dog that's not the gender or
> color you want? the color, gender and type
> that you want is out there and i don't think
> it's hard to find.


Sometimes, when the right dog is right there in front of you, the stuff that seemed to matter before becomes less of or a total non-issue.
I guess it depends on how much of a dealbreaker each individual preference is. For me, I KNEW my next dog was going to be black and red and I love them. I had no trouble letting go of the fact that a male wasn't going to be the best option for me at that time. And Discoe's personality and her attachment to me, even that early on was something I couldn't ignore. 

I doubt it's really that easy to find the 'total package' regarding color, gender and personality, among other variables like health, the aptitude and ability for the type of work that you want to do, the timing, etc. There are too many variables for them to match up all that conveniently too often. Those who do get exactly what they want, I feel either have wiggle room in their variables, or are extremely fortunate.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

Dainerra said:


> I think the question, though, is if a good fit came along that wasn't your gender/color preference, would you decline?



If it was the wrong gender, then yes, I would decline It wouldn't be a "good fit" if it was the wrong gender! I've had 4 male GSDs in the last 30+ years. I will NOT have another. So in my case, gender isn't just a "preference", it is a MUST. Color would only be a deal breaker as far as I don't like black and tan/red and will NOT have another. But, since I like working lines anyway, it is easy to avoid litters that have black and tan puppies. Black and sable are easy to find in working lines.


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## Dogaroo (Mar 4, 2003)

A good personality/temperament fit is more important to me than any external features because my dogs are my partners & companions, not furniture or fashion accessories.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

Discoetheque said:


> I doubt it's really that easy to find the 'total package' regarding color, gender and personality, among other variables like health, the aptitude and ability for the type of work that you want to do, the timing, etc. There are too many variables for them to match up all that conveniently too often. Those who do get exactly what they want, I feel either have wiggle room in their variables, or are extremely fortunate.


I disagree. It isn't that difficult, UNLESS ones wants aren't realistic.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I don't think it's impossible either, especially if you're patient and are willing to wait awhile for the right dog to come along rather than being on a particular timetable. And as Tracy said, if your requirements are realistic.


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## amaris (Jan 6, 2011)

Doesn't all these only apply to when one is purchasing a puppy?

Rescue dogs are a totally different case aren't they? >.<


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## robrea (Nov 27, 2011)

amaris said:


> Doesn't all these only apply to when one is purchasing a puppy?
> 
> Rescue dogs are a totally different case aren't they? >.<


I think a good dog is a good dog. I have always had females but was ready to take a big male wagging it's tail at me the last time picked my pup up at the breeders. I like to stick to weedy German lines because they fit me best.


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## robrea (Nov 27, 2011)

Oops. West German lines


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

PaddyD said:


> People put so much trust in breeders. Blind trust?
> The breeder may also have an agenda and you have no idea what that agenda is. Frankly, if I can't visit the litter a few times and ask a few questions then I am not likely to get a pup with THAT breeder.
> Caveat Emptor


Got my pup on blind trust. Never met breeder, never seen parents, know nothing about bloodlines. Got lucky. :wub:

Don't know if my breeder can say the same though. 

I wanted a red/tan and black male, with a nice big head. But for me the most important thing was timing. 

Have a red/black female, and her head looks cute to me as a puppy.


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## asja (Mar 22, 2011)

Ronda said:


> I *wanted *a *sable* (the darker the better but would have taken a lighter one too) or* bicolor* *male*. I always favored males before and the darker the faces, the better. I would never trade the temperament for color but we all have our favorite combos.
> 
> I *got* a* black female*...pretty much my last gender/color choice combo. When the breeder called and said the whole litter was female and that most of them were solid black I was a little disappointed. Then I resigned myself to having this little (no more than 60-65lbs), feminine black gsd. Well, she's black but she's a freaking moose! Almost 66lbs at 9 months and that's with a rib or two showing. However, I totally feel like I *got what I needed*. Saphira has been everything that the breeder promised she would be and more. :wub: Wouldn't trade her now for the world.
> 
> ...


Ronda, what do you think of that breeder? 

Ps, my sister's name is Ronda. You're the first I've seen without the "h".


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## Ronda (Aug 23, 2010)

asja said:


> Ronda, what do you think of that breeder?
> 
> Ps, my sister's name is Ronda. You're the first I've seen without the "h".


I've got no complaints about AlpineK9, Hans, or the puppy. Whole experience was smooth and I am beyond pleased with Saphira. I told him what my my ideal gsd was and he found just that for me....except I didn't know my perfect pup was a black female, I thought it was a sable male!

Another no "h" Ronda! Bet she gets the same as I do...nothing but extra "h's" and mispellings on paperwork, even my social security card one time!

Ronda
Ohen z AlpineK9 "Saphira"


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## asja (Mar 22, 2011)

Ronda said:


> I've got no complaints about AlpineK9, Hans, or the puppy. Whole experience was smooth and I am beyond pleased with Saphira. I told him what my my ideal gsd was and he found just that for me....except I didn't know my perfect pup was a black female, I thought it was a sable male!
> 
> Another no "h" Ronda! Bet she gets the same as I do...nothing but extra "h's" and mispellings on paperwork, even my social security card one time!
> 
> ...


Thank you for the response. I like his dogs. Did you go there in person? I always like to see the dogs firsthand. 

I always liked the name Ronda, nice to meet another one.


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## Ronda (Aug 23, 2010)

asja said:


> Thank you for the response. I like his dogs. Did you go there in person? I always like to see the dogs firsthand.


I did go there in person...I had already sent my deposit in but since it was only 5 hours each way, I headed down there when the pups were about 3 weeks old, not really to see them but to see the place, meet him and the rest of the dogs. He showed me around, I got to meet some cool dogs, got to talk gsd's, and then I got to leave knowing I'd made the right choice in breeder (for me). 

Ronda
Ohen z AlpineK9 "Saphira"


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## Cdn_Cuda (Oct 26, 2011)

I originally wanted a male dog, as I have only ever had male dogs, but after doing some reading I decided the best thing to do was to tell the breeder what I wanted out of a dog and what my family situation is and she did the picking, after all she knew all the pups the best.

We had visited the breeder several times and had no idea which pup would be ours until we came to take her home. At that age she was just a black poof-ball with light eyebrows, so who know how she's look in the future anyway.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I'm somewhat flexible on color preference; coat or gender preference, no those are deal breakers. No offense to the breeders. There are enough good dogs to choose from to get what you really want.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Nope. 

I agree with Liesje-- there are a LOT of GSDs out there. Color should be your last consideration, but unless you're looking for a blue, liver, or panda, there are probably several out there with the temperament/health/gender/color combo you need.


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