German Shepherds are one of the most popular dog breeds in the world. The dog bosts of being useful in almost any circumstance. Because of the dog’s popularity, there has been a lot of breeding done over the years, which has changed the look, color combination, and shape of the dog.
In recent years, it has become very difficult to differentiate a real GSD from a fake one. Despite the change in genetic makeup, the German Shepherds still stays true to its original design and color pattern, which people have used to recognize the breed. The German Shepherd has five major coat combinations used to identify it. They are black, black and tan, ebony, black and silver, and white. Any other color is considered unacceptable. So why is your Golden German Shepherd not pure?
This is because the Golden German Shepherd is considered not breed standard and most likely a mixed breed. This is also because most Golden German Shepherds are mixed breeds. But, now you may be wondering, is my Golden German Shepherd mixed? Can two pure German Shepherds produce Golden Shepherd? What are some breeds of dogs mixed with the German Shepherd to produce a Golden GSD? These blog posts will give answers to these questions.
IS MY GOLDEN GERMAN SHEPHERD MIXED?
The only way to find out is to look at the German Shepherd breed. Despite the color of your German Shepherd, some things are still true about the breed and could be used to assert if the dog is pure or not. Let’s look at a few things to look for to assert that your GSD is purebred.
A PURE GSD ALWAYS HAS A BLACK SNOUT. ( NOSE )
One of the fastest ways to identify a German Shepherd is through its snout. A pure German Shepherd must have a black snout. A mixed German Shepherd usually has a pink snout that works black with white markings. If your German Shepherd contains any discoloration on its nose or does not have a black nose, your German Shepherd is most likely not pure.
A PURE GSD ALWAYS HAS A BLACK MUZZLE.
Aside from a black snout, German Shepherds are also known for having black muzzles. The muzzle is the area around the dog’s mouth, and German Shepherds are known for having that area black. The muzzle could be only black around the mouth area or black up to the eye area. The image below is an example of the former. If your German Shepherd’s Muzzle is not black, scratch it out; it is purebred.
PURE GSDS ARE DOUBLE COATED.
Another way to know if your German Shepherd is pure is through its coat. Because many backyard breeders are springing up, it can be difficult to tell if your German Shepherd is pure. One good way to test the quality of your German Shepherd is through its coat. German Shepherds usually have a light coat underneath their main coat. This helps them warm and adds texture to their coat. This type of coating is referred to as a double coat. The only time a German Shepherd can be allowed not to have this type of coating is it comes with a long coat instead.
GERMAN SHEPHERDS HAVE POINTY HAIR.
Another cool way to spot a pure German Shepherd is through its ears. GSDs are known to have pointy ears. There is also something about how their ears are pointed that is different from other dogs. The German Shepherd’s ears are Pointy from underneath, giving them straight and firm ears. The German Shepherd’s ears drum also faces forward and are not too far apart. A purebred Greman Shepherd should have ears like that of the one below.
So if your German Shepherd, Golden colored or not, does not have a pointed ear, then your German Shepherd is most likely not pure. But is it possible for two purebred GSDs to produce golden-colored puppies?
CAN TWO PURE GERMAN SHEPHERDS PRODUCE GOLDEN-COLORED PUPPIES?
Well, for the issue of breeding and German Shepherds, there have been lots of issues concerning color pigmentation. Suppose you are an experienced breeder of the German Shepherd dog. In that case, you might have encountered situations where two normal-colored GSDs produce one or more puppies with a different color combination than theirs. This is how some rarest and most controversial German Shepherd colors are formed.
So the straightforward answer to the question above is yes. Two normal-colored German Shepherd can produce a Golden colored puppy. And though this is possible and has been seen happen a couple of times, it is not a good color for the breed due to the number of mixes already associated with the color, making it very difficult to determine how pure and pedigree the German Shepherd is.
So, if you got your golden Gsd from a reliable source and saw the puppy interact with its parents and suck with the rest of the litter, your Goolden Greman Shepherd is most likely pure. But just in case you didn’t see that happen and wonder what dogs could have been mixed to produce your golden GSD, here are a few suspects below.
FIVE GERMAN SHEPHERDS MIXES ( FOR GOLDEN GSD )
- German Shepherd + Golden Retriever.
- German Shepherd + Labrador Retriever.
- German Shepherd + Akita
- German Shepherd + Newfoundland.
- German Shepherd + Rhodesian Ridgeback.
