# Most intimidating color



## Junior21 (Dec 23, 2016)

What do you guys think is the most intimidating color in a GSD?


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## MayzieGSD (Aug 28, 2006)

Dark sable


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

Agreed dark Sable. Next would be black. Then black and tan. Then light Sable, Then black and red, then white.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

Black sable (nearly all black face w/ just the tan outline around the eyes)
Very closely followed by solid black.


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## mycobraracr (Dec 4, 2011)

My vote is solid black. When all you see is black face and shiny white teeth, you start to question your life decisions haha.


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## scarfish (Apr 9, 2013)

yeah white is the least intimidating. i have a white, it doesn't bother me she doesn't make ladies scream. thorn, the head vampire's dog from the lost boys was pretty intimidating. he almost tore kid's mother up.


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## girardid (Aug 13, 2015)

@Fodder like my my boy lol I personally think all black is more intimidating but a sable is combination of intimidation and beauty


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## Kazel (Nov 29, 2016)

I think dark sable or bicolor. Really kind of depends on the dog though. Some GSDs just have a 'look' about them that makes them look serious regardless of color while others are just too goofy no matter the color.


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## Dotbat215 (Aug 19, 2015)

mycobraracr said:


> My vote is solid black. When all you see is black face and shiny white teeth, you start to question your life decisions haha.


Or when you can just make out the eyes and then you see the teeth...

Though it's less intimidating when you see the tail wagging so hard the butt goes with it.


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## RainE (Jan 4, 2017)

I have to say a BLUE shepherd. They give me this like ghostly feel if the coloring is right. Haha.


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## Liffey (Jan 12, 2017)

I have a white GSD and people tell me he looks like a wolf, or ask if he has wolf in him. My friend has an all-black GSD and people are equally scared. Whatever color happens to be on a growling, jumping, snarling dog is the most intimidating color! I'd go with black, though.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

Whatever color _well trained _is


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

Black ... even people people that were familiar with "GSD'S" kept a respectful distance from "Rocky. Very few even bothered to challenge my no "Pet Policy" most of the time ... and I never said a word. I never volunteered to let folks pet him and most did not ask and "Rocky" did "nothing!" Pretty much "zero feed back" from him, to onlookers!

First question asked by the uniformed ... is he a wolf??? That one is pretty much standard. And I did get stunned once by a child who of course asked the wolf question. And the answer was "NO." After a monents pause ... he asked ... "well is he a "Werewolf??"

OK ... that one gave me pause but I said ... "no I'm pretty sure he is not as he is with me under full moons and i have noticed no issues???"


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## telavivgsd (Jul 6, 2016)

Chip18 said:


> "well is he a "Werewolf??"



lol that's adorable  

I think in general black dogs seem more intimidating - I remember learning that they're the least likely to get adopted, I think for that reason. Granted, our black Pomeranian never really struck fear into people's hearts 

For black and tans and black and reds, I think the black face ups the intimidation factor. As someone else said I think it's something about the black around the eyes.


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

Black GSDs, when we walked Tanner we'd get all sorts of worried/scared looks. Black and Tans can be kind of intimidating to people too. GSDs in general can intimidating in general. Once when Molly was 6 months old I was waiting for my brother to get out of school and we sat on the grass out of the way and a lady saw us, crossed the street walked a ways then cross back over.


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

Fodder said:


> Whatever color _well trained _is


 I will agree with this. There is something about a well trained dog. Or maybe it's just a quiet attentive dog that ups the intimidation factor. Regardless of color.


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## zetti (May 11, 2014)

Black sable.


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## JessicaR (Oct 25, 2016)

Chip18 said:


> "well is he a "Werewolf??"


I had a little kid ask me if my blue merle sheltie is a werewolf. Umm yeah a 20 pound werewolf :laugh2:


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Camouflage colored GSDs tend to be intimidating.....well....that's if you can see them.


SuperG


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I think any color can be intimidating to those that can be intimidated.


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## RZZNSTR (Jan 24, 2015)

Dark sable coupled with a take no prisoners attitude. I have a black Czech GSD and he is impressive to see come out of a dark room or dark place when all you hear is barking and see the flash of white teeth.


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## islanddog (Jun 27, 2016)

I would have said black, as when I had Dynamo (black & tan blanket back) I had more people than usual crossing the street regardless how mannerly her behaviour,
BUT now I have my little tuxedo's floof eared forty pounder, and I still have people parting the sea around us. So, hmmm... not so sure.
Personally I think a very dark sable would be most intimidating, and I think they look awesome. Some folks in our neighbourhood have them (exceptionally well trained--likely belong to a VERY local club) and love to see them prancing by.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

I don't really think any of the colors are more intimidating than others, but there is something very striking about a bicolor.

When I see one, I have trouble not staring at it.


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

Eye color has something to do with it, IMO.

Some dogs have soft eyes, others have piercing laser gazes.


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## sebrench (Dec 2, 2014)

I think people are intimidated by any color of GSD associated with police and military work. Black and tans/reds probably aren't used in real world protection work that much anymore, sadly, but I think people still associate them with that work. 

As far as most intimidating, I'd say probably black or sable. 

White is probably the least intimidating, possibly because people don't know what they are. I'm frequently asked what breed my white GSD is. When I'm out with both dogs, people have specifically asked to pet the white one. They'll look at the black/red GSD wide-eyed and say "oh no, not that one."


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

WIBackpacker said:


> Eye color has something to do with it, IMO.
> 
> Some dogs have soft eyes, others have piercing laser gazes.


That's a good point. Color and expression.

I've been told my dog has "kind eyes." Her expression is nearly always mild unless she's expressing disdain. ("I can't believe you are so simple" is a common expression for her.) She doesn't really do a hard stare.


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## EJQ (May 13, 2003)

Our Missy was a black sable. She looked very intimidating; she was indeed a sweetheart!?


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## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

Definitely black.


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## MayzieGSD (Aug 28, 2006)

cloudpump said:


> Definitely black.


Black and tans can be pretty intimidating too!


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Lol! Cute bunny ears! I think the dark the face it it may be harder for others to see the softer expression.


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## zetti (May 11, 2014)

MayzieGSD said:


> Black and tans can be pretty intimidating too!


He wins the whole internet for best bunny ears and best head tilt.


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## Poisontail (Jan 18, 2017)

Athena Marie is super intimidating!!


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## RZZNSTR (Jan 24, 2015)

Great pics but remember! They know where you sleep! lol


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## Kirkiko (Jan 17, 2015)

When my brother and I walk our dogs together people seem to avoid my brothers dog. Everyone thinks he's a wolf but what's ever funnier we don't have wolves in new Zealand. He's a black sable but the thing is he is far too friendly. He would jump in the car with a stranger and go home with them. While everyone wants to Pat and touch my girl. But she doesn't even want to know them.


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## RZZNSTR (Jan 24, 2015)

Beautiful!


BSM


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

WIBackpacker said:


> Eye color has something to do with it, IMO.
> 
> Some dogs have soft eyes, others have piercing laser gazes.


Eye color and facial expressions. Apollo who at 8 months is now my biggest dog always has a Goofy look on his face from 10 weeks until now. 
Athena on the other hand always looks like she's annoyed or just top serious. This is a typical picture of them most of the time. Although it's true. She is a lot more serious and quick to take it there, than all the other dogs I have.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

MayzieGSD said:


> Black and tans can be pretty intimidating too!


Bunny ears make for intimidation, sables can play that role


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

JessicaR said:


> I had a little kid ask me if my blue merle sheltie is a werewolf. Umm yeah a 20 pound werewolf :laugh2:


Well to e fair ... the lore does not really have a size description of the pre werewolf stage??

Maybe all the '100+" lb'er's were eliminated hundreds of years ago??? And now the werewolves among dog owners are smaller??? Keep a close eye on him on the next full moon ... you just never know.


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## maxtmill (Dec 28, 2010)

I think the dark sables- they seem more "wolflike".


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## VTMatt (Apr 2, 2014)

Have a solid black GSD, but my vote is for black+tan, to the 'general public' anyway. While a good number of people do recognize her as a black GSD, and I have been asked if she's a wolf before, I'd say more people think she's a cross between a GSD and a black lab, or something similar. The distinctive black+tan combo is immediately recognizable as a German Shepherd, and I think a lot of people are more intimidated by that than by a dog they think is mixed, or not a GSD.

For GSD owners, and those who recognize them no matter the color, I'd agree with the consensus, dark sables or black can both look pretty intimidating, but it really comes down to personality and setting. Caprica can certainly be pretty terrifying looking if she's focused on something and fully alert, but when she's laying by the fire or something, there isn't a bigger baby in the entire world! I think my mom (who used to be afraid of GSDs after being bitten as a kid) described very well what can make GSDs intimidating to some people. They don't tend to just gaze aimlessly around, no matter what their intention is, they are focused on it. Coming over to give someone a kiss? Still focused on them, ears and tail up. Chasing a ball or playing? 100% focused on getting THAT toy. They don't exactly have a casual, disarming look about them, no matter how friendly they are.


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## BigHemi45 (May 10, 2016)

mycobraracr said:


> My vote is solid black. When all you see is black face and shiny white teeth, you start to question your life decisions haha.


I say your Kimber looks pretty scary lol.


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## zetti (May 11, 2014)

I say Raff by far is the most intimidating.


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## RZZNSTR (Jan 24, 2015)

This was taken on 03/2016 when he was just 5 months old. He already had that don't mess around with me look!


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## Kyrielle (Jun 28, 2016)

I would guess the top three would be: dark sable, black, and sable.

The bottom three would be: liver and tan, solid liver, and white.

I think the intimidation mostly comes from an inability to quickly assess the facial expression on the top three colors. In most cases, those GSDs have very dark faces where the dark eyes melt into the fur. The lips, also being black, are hard to distinguish in terms of expression. It is much harder to discern the softness of the eyes or the curve of the mouth, and thus it is much harder to determine the attitude of the dog at hand. All you tend to see is the eye color itself, that seems to stare even when the face is soft, and the whiteness of their teeth in terms of stand-out features. This is obviously frightening to most humans since that is a very predatory set of features and results in a very predatory expression.

Add in the difficulty in discerning body expression due to mottling (sable) or low reflection of light (black), and you have a little bit of a perfect storm.

The bottom three are less intimidating for the opposite reasons. The liver and white colors are lighter and do not hide facial or body expressions as much. The eyes are very easy to spot as is their expression. White in particular seems to give GSDs a doe-eyed, soft expression. Those colors also tend to remind people more of other breeds, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn if a lot of those owners get asked if their dog is either some other kind of herding breed or a mix. 

I know we do. Jack as been suspected as a: husky, husky-something, shepherd-something, actual wolf, wolf-dog, and only rarely as a GSD.


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## Slamdunc (Dec 6, 2007)

Depends on the dog, but dark sable works for this guy:


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## Slamdunc (Dec 6, 2007)

I think he's cute, not intimidating:


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

Sable? This is Halo's flyball face:


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## zetti (May 11, 2014)

Slamdunc said:


> I think he's cute, not intimidating:


Magnificent dog.


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## mycobraracr (Dec 4, 2011)

BigHemi45 said:


> mycobraracr said:
> 
> 
> > My vote is solid black. When all you see is black face and shiny white teeth, you start to question your life decisions haha.
> ...




Lol she has her moments


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## HRC (Jan 20, 2017)

Most intimidating ever!


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## LoboFloppyEars (Oct 15, 2016)

telavivgsd said:


> lol that's adorable
> 
> I think in general black dogs seem more intimidating - I remember learning that they're the least likely to get adopted, I think for that reason. Granted, our black Pomeranian never really struck fear into people's hearts
> 
> For black and tans and black and reds, I think the black face ups the intimidation factor. As someone else said I think it's something about the black around the eyes.


There is evidence out there that says the color black doesn't actually affect the chances of a dog's adoption as much as it has been exaggerated to.

A study showed that a very large portion of dogs that come into shelters are black but people adopt them at high rates. What happens is that there are so many black dogs that there are a lot of black leftovers that for whatever reason do not get adopted and are therefore overrepresented.

As far as GSD color goes, I would say Solid Black and Black Sable. But I would say a hard stare in general is super intimidating. 

My dog who's solid black generally for the most part has soft happy eyes. Especially when petted. He doesn't do that hard stare because for the most part, people are nice with him and I only see the back of his head during walks so I can't tell if he has a hard stare. Yet for some reason people are scared of him and get an anxious look on their face when they see him.

Any coat color GSD that gives you a hard stare and a stiff body with a tail raised looks intimidating.

I mean just look at that face. He's adorable.

EDIT: I had no idea this image was gonna flip over


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## zetti (May 11, 2014)

HRC said:


> Most intimidating ever!



Whoa! This one is even scarier than Raff!


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## zetti (May 11, 2014)

Intimidating? I'll show you intimidating! Here's Raff doing protection work.


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## mycobraracr (Dec 4, 2011)

Xander doesn't look too bad either.


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## Glaicer (Aug 6, 2016)

In general people seem to find dogs that are dark or with dark faces more frightening. My boy is a dark sable and his face is almost completely black, he makes a lot of people uncomfortable simply glancing their way.


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## zetti (May 11, 2014)

Glaicer said:


> In general people seem to find dogs that are dark or with dark faces more frightening. My boy is a dark sable and his face is almost completely black, he makes a lot of people uncomfortable simply glancing their way.


Gorgeous dog!


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## Dalton23 (Sep 1, 2016)

I definitely love the dark sable lol my doesn't look to scary yet


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

This is Max's most endearing expression " come on let's keep moving" for some non dog people it might make them feel uncomfortable.
https://instagram.com/p/BMBoZMdl2NW/


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## Deb (Nov 20, 2010)

Enya at five months old at the lake.


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## Crunch Hardtack (Dec 22, 2016)

Deb said:


> Enya at five months old at the lake.


SHADES OF CANIS LUPUS!:grin2:


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## Swithins (Jan 25, 2017)

Our neighbours have "Beware of the Dog" signs, we have "Beware of the Trip Hazard". As you can see, dark sable and not in the least intimidating. She's well known in our village and always receiving plenty of fuss.


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## MyHans-someBoy (Feb 23, 2013)

Swithins said:


> Our neighbours have "Beware of the Dog" signs, we have "Beware of the Trip Hazard". As you can see, dark sable and not in the least intimidating. She's well known in our village and always receiving plenty of fuss.


:rofl:

Thank you. I needed a laugh today!


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## Swithins (Jan 25, 2017)

2 months to 4 months, now getting too big at 6 months but attempting an update this weekend. The girl holding Sasha is a German student staying with us for a year and before coming to stay with us was terrified of dogs. She now has absolutely no problem petting dogs of all sizes and knows the signs of when to leave alone.


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