# Black spots on White GSDs??



## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

I was just wondering, because a dog at the shelter I work at has acquired at what looks to be a White GSD. He looks pure to me, but the white spots threw me off. Do purebred White GSDs have white spots? This guy is still young so his spots may go away.His right ear is kinda floppy but since he is young, it may straighten up.

But do White GSDs have black spots? Is it when they are young and they eventually disappear?I know th epic isn't showing his whole body, but the black spots are on his muzzle.

His name is Ziggy Stardust.lol

Here is he is:










I am just curious about this.The shelter I work knows whether or not the dog is pure or mix.It says mix on his petfinder page, but I am just wondering about the black spots.


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## ChristenHolden (Jan 16, 2010)

Check this out. I found this looking up shepherd colors when I was deciding on what color I liked best. Lol its all of them 

Kerstone Shepherds - GSD Colors, page 2


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

ChristenHolden said:


> Check this out. I found this looking up shepherd colors when I was deciding on what color I liked best. Lol its all of them
> 
> Kerstone Shepherds - GSD Colors, page 2












That's got interesting photos! Wonder if the genetics are similiar for the Panda GSD's? Interesting cause the Panda's do seem to have White GSDS's in their lines..


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## Doggydog (May 12, 2009)

MaggieRoseLee said:


> That's got interesting photos! Wonder if the genetics are similiar for the Panda GSD's? Interesting cause the Panda's do seem to have White GSDS's in their lines..


Nope. The gene that results in panda is different. And they do not have white shepherd in them.


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

MaggieRoseLee said:


> That's got interesting photos! Wonder if the genetics are similiar for the Panda GSD's? Interesting cause the Panda's do seem to have White GSDS's in their lines..


I guess it's possible - it's an interesting thought. I don't "think" Franka (I think that's her name) was the first tri-color GSD from what I've heard, just the first to be marketed. I know some breeders have bred the so called Panda to WGSDs, but I haven't seen where the original "Panda", Franka, had any close WGSD relatives?

*THIS IS A QUESTION - NOT A STATEMENT*. I wonder if these black spots could be like the pigment build-up you find on dog's tongues? It is strange. I know I pulled out single black hairs from Tex's coat every so often - I always wondered about it (both his parents were also wGSDs) - his white hairs were strange looking - they were stripped - white/clear/white/clear. I've never found any black or stripped hair on any of my other WGSDs.


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## tkarsjens (Nov 30, 2009)

I've heard of several breeders in addition to the one who produced the picture posted who have had black spots or stripes show up on purebred white GSDs.

That said, Ziggy Stardust looks like a mix to me. He's very sweet looking and I hope he finds a home.

Tracie
www.atlaskennels.com


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

I was going to post an adoption thread for him, but I wanted to make sure if he was pure or not.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I can't tell for sure, but it looks like the spots may be on his skin rather than his fur?


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## White German Shepherd (Jun 8, 2010)

No they do not have back spots, either White and Cream


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

Lakota has a very small black spot on her shoulder, I'll try to get a pic up tonight, Im at work now. The people I got her from had an "accidental" litter from thier 2 White Shepherds, none of the pups were registered. She was the only one with a black spot.


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

tkarsjens said:


> I've heard of several breeders in addition to the one who produced the picture posted who have had black spots or stripes show up on purebred white GSDs.
> 
> That said, Ziggy Stardust looks like a mix to me. He's very sweet looking and I hope he finds a home.
> 
> ...


he did.=)

I saw him before he left, he was a total sweetie and really playful.


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## JudynRich (Apr 16, 2010)

I loved that site...the photos were very telling! The dog looks like a shepherd mix...ears are on the small side.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

I would guess that the dog in the original picture is a pure bred white GSD.
Weak ears and black spots are not an indication of being a mix....it simply can be caused by poor genes.
I have seen white colored shepherds with black spots on their face & sometimes sporadic through out their bodies.
JMO
Robin
Glad he has a home!


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

JudynRich said:


> I loved that site...the photos were very telling! The dog looks like a shepherd mix...ears are on the small side.


photos on what site?


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

Ziggy Stardust was adopted thanks to the Dr. Phil show. When they aired the dog fighting episode they showed dogs up for adoption and he was one of them, and one of the studio audience members saw him and adopted him. His new name is Yukon.


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## Deuce (Oct 14, 2010)

The OP picture appears to be a mix. His ears are on the smaller side and the fur is a bit long IMO...maybe that attributes to the spots as well?


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

You do know there are Long haired white GSDs.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

the subject dog of this thread was adopted from a shelther and I hope he has a good home and good life

he does not looik like a GSD -- not purebred -- possibly not gsd in there at all.


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

Carmen, I am aware of that. I posted this thread for the other posts, like Robin's above, that state it IS possible for a white GSD to have black spots. Since white is a masking gene, it's possible to get bleed-through, if one parent is some colour other than white.


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