About German Shepherds

American/Canadian Show Line

Popular in North America since the 1970's, the American and Canadian show lines dominate the national kennel clubs and are intended to conform strictly to the standards set by each of the governing kennel clubs. The American line dog is what you see most commonly here in the US, or a variation of it.

Also referred to as the Canadian Shepherd, they have a common ancestor in the original shepherd. Typically they are large, heavy, have more angulation, thinner bones and significantly smaller heads. Most are proficient at herding and obedience, but few of this line type are in protection work, regardless of natural instincts. They come in a variety of coat colors and patterns, but the most popular is Black and Tan, although they can come in Sable, Blue, Liver, Isabella, Panda and Seal.

West German Show Line

The most popular type of GSD in Germany, the West German show lines are bred to conform to the SV standard which also requires the dog to gain health clearances for hips and elbows and a working title (often herding or IPO) along with their show title prior to being bred. The "look" of this type is very specific and typically very uniform, most commonly presented as a black and red saddle back, although they can come in Sable, Blue, Liver, Isabella, Panda and Seal.

The German Show Line dogs are large, beautiful dogs. Most have deep, rich pigment. They have an excellent temperament, strong nerves, and are instinctively protective. They are meant to be not just a companion but a family member, guardian to their pack, may be used as working, and are very energetic. Socialization and exercise are mandatory.

White, Liver, Blue, Isabella German Shepherd

White-colored German Shepherds were once banned from registration in their native Germany, but in the United States and Canada the coloration gained a following and a breed club was formed specifically for white colored German Shepherds, calling their variety the White Shepherd. The first stud dog of what became the White Swiss Shepherd Dog was an American dog born in 1966 that was imported to Switzerland. They have since attained recognition by becoming their own breed in Europe. They are still German Shepherds in the USA. They are bred for a more agreeable temperament with similarities to their West German Show Line cousins, although few are worked in protection sports, the majority are shown. They are exclusively White in color, although they can 'mask' a variety of colors and coat patterns.

Liver and Blue colored German Shepherds are, like White, recessive genes and can often be carried by standard colored dogs. When a dog is liver or blue, the black portion of the coat color is changed to liver or blue. There are no health or temperament differences between coat colors. Liver and Blue are both currently faults with most registry organizations.

Isabella colored German Shepherds are a combination of Liver AND Blue, the black portions of the fur are given a purple, almost lilac hue.

Panda Shepherd

Panda German Shepherds are German Shepherd dogs that exhibit a rare genetic mutation that causes white spotting in the traditionally non-white marked breed. The first ever recorded Panda mutation occurred spontaneously in a female dog, Lewcinka's Franka von Phenom, in 2000. A study published by UCDavis in 2016 found that the Panda marking is the result of dominant mutation of the KIT gene, or the CD117 gene.[1] DNA tested conducted by the American Kennel Club proved her lineage to be, for a fact, a pure German Shepherd Dog.

Panda is a dominant gene and will therefor show up on ANY colored German Shepherd, it can only me hidden by White.

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