You know how they say “Don’t judge the book by its cover”? Well, we often do.
We buy nice looking furniture, clothes, shoes (even if they’re not that comfortable) and so on. Obviously, pets are a much more serious issue. This is a decision that we have to approach with utmost responsibility. But, who can stay ice cold when looking at a cute puppy or a little dog left by someone in the shelter? It melts the heart and you simply can’t resist but take it. This is what we want to discuss today – does the dog’s coating color impact its character and personality?
Bosanski kinološki savez via Flickr
German Shepherds are, without a doubt, unique and extremely popular dogs. Even though we’re used to the classic German Shepherd look – black and tan, they come in a wide variety of coating and colors.
Coating
Basically, there are four types of coating. First, we’ve got short, medium, and two types of long coating – with and undercoat and without. There are also minor differences in the coating in terms of how ‘fluffy’ it is or how thick. If you browse long enough through pictures of some German Shepherds, you will definitely find one, where they are as fluffy as a dog can get! In case someone looks for an ultimate crime-fighting animal and a perfect pet to snuggle with at the same time – this is something you should look into.
Coal Coloring
This is where the most fun begins. Basically, you’ll be able to find a wide range of coat colors with the German Shepherd. While some are disqualified from the American Kennel Club, none are considered to be a result of an illness or a health condition. For example, a White German Shepherd is a rare coat color, but there is no indication that it is a genetic mutation, a case of albinism of a sign of an illness in a dog. White German Shepherds tend to showcase the same physical, mental and overall health traits that other German Shepherds do.
The accepted coat colors are the variety of mixed and tan colors, like black and tan, black and cream, red and black, solid black, sable, black and silver. And, ultimately, the combination of all of the above-listed. There are also some colors that fall into the category of rare, but acceptable German Shepherd colors. These are gray, liver, light blue and panda pattern. Finally, some colors of the coat are banned and you will be unable to show your dog at a Kennel Club show. These colors are pure white (which we’ve already mentioned), blue, fawn color, pure red and spotted black and white.
The most important thing to understand here is that coating and color have almost no impact on dog’s character, fitness, health or mental state.
German Shepherds are generally very healthy active and lovable dogs. Your coating and color pick will be just that. You will not be playing a round of Russian roulette, wondering what your dog will turn out to be, based on the coating color. This is a matter of personal preference. And, thankfully, there are lots of options choose from!
