Blue German Shepherds
Blue German Shepherds have a color variation that
simply comes from a recessive gene.
Blue shepherds can be born in a litter with
traditional colored puppies. The blue gene dilutes black pigment on the
dog.
They can be somewhat hard to find. Many breeders
put down their blue colored German Shepherds. They are still AKC
recognized, but the blue color is considered a serious fault.
They can compete in all AKC events, except for
conformation, since the purpose of the conformation ring is to show a
dog who most closely exhibits the breed standard.
As puppies, blue shepherds are easy to
spot. They are born a silver/grey, which soon turns to a bluish gray.
Noticeable differences can be seen on the nose and
eye color.
Blue Eyed German Shepherd
As puppies, their eye color may be blue or green.
A German Shepherd puppy's blue eyes will usually change to amber or
light brown by the age of six months or so.
Steel Blue vs Powder Blue
The blue shepherd normally falls into two
different classifications, which are basically darker and lighter
variations of the same blue dilution gene:
Steel Blue German Shepherd
This color GSD is especially hard to spot as an
adult, since they are much darker than Powder Blues.
An easy way to tell a Steel Blue from a
traditional black and tan is to stand them side by side. Then, the
color differences can easily be seen. Especially the nose, eye color,
eye rims, lips, toenails and foot pads.
Powder Blue German Shepherd
Powder blue puppies are born with a silver sheen
on the tip of their fur. This remains until after the first week or
two.
Their coat and eye color will drastically during
the first year. Changes occur at a much slower rate in the following
years.
Health and the Blue GSD
While the blue color is cosidered a fault, a
German Shepherd
with this gene is no different from traditional colors. Some
breeds have issues with blue coat color. Doberman's can suffer from
Alopecia. But in GSD's the blue pigment will not affect their health.
The information and
products recommended by german-shepherd-lore.com are not intended to
take the place of expert veterinarian care. Please consult with your
vet and ask about using a natural and alternative approach for the
healthcare and treatment of your pet. Find a holistic vet.
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