# Purebred fawn german shepherd??



## lytrefry (Oct 20, 2016)

I purchased my beautiful boy this summer.. he was already a year old. The owners said he was purebred(they didn't have the info for the breeders they bought him from), but I haven't actually seen this color in my area very often. He is around 71 lbs. His name is duke and he is a sweetheart. I am just wondering if he could be purebred, and what causes this discoloration. I will upload a better picture from his back. He is almost completely golden but with random black hairs throughout, and some blackon his tail Thank you


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## lytrefry (Oct 20, 2016)

Here are a few more pictures.


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## Pan_GSD (Oct 2, 2016)

looks more like a belgian malinois to me


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## lytrefry (Oct 20, 2016)

Pan_GSD said:


> looks more like a belgian malinois to me


I thought of that, but I find his head and ears are shaped more like a gsd then a Belgian... possibly a mix of the both??


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

With the greying and black mid ring and black tip on her tail, I'd say she is more likely a very pale red sable.

Is his undercoat the same color as his top coat, or is it a lighter cream color?


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## lytrefry (Oct 20, 2016)

Castlemaid said:


> With the greying and black mid ring and black tip on her tail, I'd say she is more likely a very pale red sable.
> 
> Is her undercoat the same color as her top coat, or is it a lighter cream color?


It is a cream color turning into almost white underneath! When you run your fingers along his coat it changes color completely!


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## lytrefry (Oct 20, 2016)

Not sure if you can tell in the picture, but it goes from red gold to a cream to an almost white!


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## LeoRose (Jan 10, 2013)

Just out of curiosity, are those single or double dewclaws on his hind legs?


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Your close-up picture is too blurry and washed out to see. Has he ever lost some fur of had a patch shaven off? on the fawn color parts. If so, did the hair grow in white/cream at first, with the fawn/reddish color coming in a few months later, or did the hair grow back redish fawn right away?

Do you have any puppy-baby pictures of your dog? (All questions aimed at trying to find out is he is a black and tan who happens to not have a saddle (they do exist), or if he is a lightly pigmented red sable).


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## lytrefry (Oct 20, 2016)

His hair usually grows back almost white and then changes to red. I am trying to get puppy pictures from the people we got him from but so far no luck! I will post them as soon as they message back! Thank you for the help!! I would love to know what color he would be considered as as well!


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## lytrefry (Oct 20, 2016)

They are single dew claws.


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## Julian G (Apr 4, 2016)

He looks very handsome. IMO, he looks like a mix of GSD and Malinois, either way those dogs are very close cousins. Cute boy!


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## lytrefry (Oct 20, 2016)

Julian G said:


> He looks very handsome. IMO, he looks like a mix of GSD and Malinois, either way those dogs are very close cousins. Cute boy!


Thank you! He is beautiful and excellent all in one. Best dog I've ever had! I just wish I knew more about his lineage.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

I'm pretty sure you have a light-colored red sable, with poor pigment - pigment can range from the almost creme color, very light tan, to vibrant deep tans and red, and solid, deep black. 

So now if people ask you about her color, you can tell them se is a light-red sable. 

He is still very young and lanky, probably why some people may be leaning towards Malinois - but I don't see any Malinois in him at all. He'll probably fill out a bit more in a couple of years and look more GSD-ish.


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## lytrefry (Oct 20, 2016)

Thank you! I am going to do some research on the color ? do belgian malinois have different colors when you rub their fur? Or is it just one color?


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Just noticed that I've been refering to your dog as a she! I went back and corrected my posts - sorry!

A Fawn Belgian Malinois will have the undercoat the same color as the top coat. I don't think there is any Malinois in your dog though.


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## lytrefry (Oct 20, 2016)

He is very skinny right now.. two of my females came into heat back to back and it lasted a month.. poor thing barely ate for the entire month.. he is usually right around 90 lbs. But he lost quitw a bit when that happened! I agree I didn't really see any malinois in him either, but it's great to know others opinions to have more input in what he could be! It's hard to trust others words when you get him older and they won't even share the breeders contact information with me!


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## lytrefry (Oct 20, 2016)

It's okay!! He or she it doesn't change his breed ?


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## Cschmidt88 (Nov 24, 2010)

He honestly does not look agouti to me and definitely looks to be mixed, although I would guess predominantly GSD. That black marking on his tail is classic of tipped sables. Now, I'm not referring to GSD sable which is actually "Agouti", but true Ay dominant sable which is seen in Mals, Collies, etc. They can have lighter undercoats, and they can even have slight banding to their hairs as it is part of the "A" Agouti locus that is responsible for banding, just not as strong as true agouti.
Dog Coat Colour Genetics

BUT! If you really want to know for certain, DDC actually offers genetic testing for the A locus. 
https://vetdnacenter.com/cart/?spec...ase&breedId=63&breedname=German-Shepherd-Dog#

If you have puppy pictures that would also help a lot, as Ay sables are born darker than they will be as adults and continue to lighten up until they mature. Whereas our GSD's "Wolf sable" "aw" are born about as dark as they will be when mature, but will go through a phase where they lighten up to the point of being almost all tan before darkening again.


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## Bailey20225 (Aug 28, 2018)

I have the exact same GSD with a larger mask. She is the best!! She is my first shepherd and want to get another same color, but the breeder doesn’t breed GSD anymore, and I don’t know what color to search. She is also white on her undercoat. 

How can I post pictures on this site? I apologize, I am a newbie!!

Thanks!!


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## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

Not an expert, bit in your pictures, he looks pure gsd to me. Nice looking boy.


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