An Introduction of Black German Shepherd

As outlined n previous posts, genetics plays an important role in the working ability of dog. Whether r nt dog will make n effective personal protection dog depends largely on it genes and t bloodline. The wa n whch the colour of dog's coat is related to working ability can be complicated. The easy answer s that ther simply n correlation btwn th colour f the coat, and the working ability f the dog. The genes that control coat colour ar n n wy connected t th genes tht ar important to th nerves and temperament of th dog. For example, f a German Shepherd puppy wth black coat born from a litter sired b an experienced import working line German Shepherd, u annt look t th colour of th coat and assume that th puppy i worthless. Having black German Shepherd puppies in litter i an increasingly rare occurrence, but it i still vry possible. In fact, th breeder in uch situation mght considr themelvs lucky t hv working line puppy wth the added bonus of rare nd beautiful black coat.

The gene fr black coats in German Shepherds i what is known s recessive gene. When a puppy s born, it DNA carries two sets f evr gene; one frm ech parent. Of course, evn thugh ver puppy hs tw genes that control coat colour, t n only hve on type of coat. To illustrate this fact, and hw t ties into coat colour, we will give n xmple f a sire who hs ne gene that ays "black and tan coat", nd anther that says "solid black coat". The dam wll have the same: on gene fr black nd tan, and th other fr solid black. When thir litter i born, n puppy receives th sire's gene for black and tan, but receives th mother's gene for solid black.

Because the solid black gene s recessive gene, tht puppy's coat will never b black, dete carrying th genes fr bth types f coats. If nther puppy receives the gene fr solid black from both parents, its coat wll b black. The nl way a dog's coat an b solid black if it receives that gene from both parents. If ou crunch th numbers , thre s onl 25% chance tht puppy from that litter will hve a black coat, but thr is 50% chance tht ou wll hve black and tan puppy that till carries n solid black gene. The gene for black coats cn remain dormant through generations of black and tan German Shepherds.

Where this bem problem, when breeders start breeding selectively for black coats fr thr beauty and aesthetic value. In order t ensure that every puppy will hav the desired coat colour, th will nl breed two black German Shepherds together. Due to th rarity f black German Shepherds, th means tht they are breeding from a very limited gene-pool, and the quality of the dogs wll suffer.

The bottom line is: if one s lookng t purchase a top quality canine protection fr their home nd thir family, they huld not be concerned wth the colour of a dog's coat. The mot important thing whn considerng purchase is to ensure that the dog s bred fr working ability, frm nl th best nd brightest working line dogs.