![]() Geneticists can currently explain about 70% of pheomelanin intensity and thus more research and gene mapping will provide further insight in the future. Without hair banding, the dog would be cream to almost white (ivory white) and not appear silver.īut since two copies of the intensity gene should be present, this “silver” coloration is not as common as might be considered rare. Blue silver sables typically have blue tips. Most silver sable German Shepherd hairs have a cream to almost white base with black or blue tips. When this happens the alternating cream and black/blue hairs give the dog an overall silver-to-grey appearance. The genes on the intensity locus are known as the intensity genes and two copies should be present to reduce the red pigment intensity to cream. However, the intensity locus can affect the pheomelanin pigment to lighter shades ranging from cream to almost white. ![]() ![]() ![]() The individual banded hairs alternate between eumelanin and pheomelanin pigments. Sable dogs have banded hairs, especially concentrated on their dorsal surface (the dog’s back/saddle). Eumelanin is the other pigment and is black by default that can be altered to appear blue, liver, or isabella. Pheomelanin is one of two pigments responsible for all possible coat colors and is red or yellow by default. These are shaded sable or sable GSDs with light pheomelanin coat pigment. Are Silver German Shepherds rare?Īs seen above, silver is not silver but a visual illusion. This is due to the intense dilution of the black eumelanin pigment to pale blue shades that appears grey. However, blue-grey German Shepherds can also appear grey but not silver. The individual hairs are not silver or grey but the banded sable hairs give it an almost similar appearance. Intensity genes only affect the red to yellow pheomelanin pigment but do not affect the black eumelanin pigment.ĭue to alternating bands of cream to almost white and black or blue pigment, these sable GSDs appear to have a grey-to-silver hue. The intensity locus is postulated to cause the reduced pigment intensity. Instead, this coloration is caused by the reduction of the red/yellow pheomelanin pigment intensity to lighter shades. Silver German Shepherds are not grey-silver like the Poodle caused of the progressive greying of black eumelanin by the greying gene. The blue puppy is a blue sable, while the other pup is a traditional black and tan.Silver also known as Grey German Shepherd is a Sable dog with a cream to light cream pheomelanin shade. These pups are out of P1 Cher Car's A Shout in the Woods X Cher Car's Hey Jude. The two photos immediately below show two German Shepherd littermates. These dogs are as healthy and long lived as any of my dogs. The blue Dutch Shepherd is much more noticable. However, when adult, it can be very hard to tell the difference between a blue and another colored dog in the German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois breed. with light "baby blue" eyes, and stand out in any litter. In my German Shepherds, I've had blue "black and tans", blue sables, and blue blacks.īlue puppies are very attractive. The blue pup will be blue, or gun metal gray, where another pup would be black. Both parents have to have this allele in their genes to be able to produce a blue puppy. Great Danes, Collies, Dobermans, and of course, German Shepherd, Malinois, and Dutch Shepherds all can have blue pups.īlue is considered to be a dilution gene, actually named an "allele", that is found naturally. Blue, as a color, occurs in just about every breed, and especially in the herding breeds.
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