The birthday of the German Shepherd is April 3, 1899. Her "father" was the German cavalryman Max von Stefanitz. This man was seriously interested in selection. And dreamed of a universal dog. That she was smart, and beautiful, and she fulfilled her functions.
As a result, a German shepherd was born. Only the dogs were completely different from what we now see. First of all, the shepherd color of the German shepherd was very different from the current bright. But let's not beat around the bush. Getting to the main topic of the article.
A brief excursion into history
Before talking about the zoning of a German shepherd, you need to find out what the breed was in the past.
Now we see very beautiful, bright dogs. They are good to everyone, only the croup is very slanted. This is the so-called show breeding.
The line of "showers" arose in the 70s of the last century. We will not go deep into history - this is a long time. Note that show dogs differ from the German shepherd zonar color not only in color. Also anatomy.
The first dogs brought up by von Stefanitz had an absolutely straight croup. And remotely looked like a wolf. And their color was "wolf" - zoning. To this day, such dogs exist. These are the working lines that professional dog handlers are involved in.
Color of working shepherd dogs
To have a clearer picture of such a dog, take a look at the photo below of a zoned German Shepherd puppy. What does this color look like in accordance with the description of the RKF?
The lower part of the coat is light. A slightly higher wool color. Behind "cheprak" follows a tan shade. It alternates with gray. And the finishing touch is black.
This color is most reminiscent of wolf. Among dog lovers who love the shepherd working breeding, he is called wild.
Sonar Gray
The zoning of the German Shepherd was very popular in the 20th century. More precisely, zonal-gray color. Now these dogs can be found only in a certain cynological circle. "Zonariki" gave their popularity to dogs of other colors.
What does a gray-gray color look like? It is darker than the classic zoning. The back and sides are saturated gray-black. Mandatory dark mask on the face. Chest, belly and paws bright.
Sonar red color
The zoning-red color of the German Shepherd is not recognized by all dog handlers. Although it is included in the list of colors approved by the RKF. Just not every dog lover likes this color.
What is he like? The animal has dark gray, closer to black, back, head, upper part of the tail and sides. On the face, a “mask” of the same color is acceptable. Forelegs, chest, abdomen, hind legs - brownish-red. The redhead can be found behind the ears and in the face.
Below you will find a photo of a German shepherd of zoning-red color.
Color changes
Is this even possible? To completely change the color of the coat - no. The older the puppy becomes, the more pronounced the pigmentation.
How is the zoning-red color of the German shepherd changing? A very small puppy has an additional color - pale red. Or pale brown. With age, it begins to acquire its brightness.
The most interesting is the zoned gray dog. Quite small, it resembles a dirty rag. Forgive us lovers of this color. And as the baby grows older, we can observe how the “rag” turns into a charming teenager. And how is the saturated coat color manifested.
Show line colors
Above, we described what the shepherd color of a German shepherd is. The photo was also provided in our review. Now let's talk about the colors of dogs, "showers."
These comrades are radically different from their working brothers. They are brighter, attract attention. And in the city it is more familiar to meet such a dog.
The most common color among show dogs is black. This is the same black "mantle" on the back and sides of the animal, as in individuals of working breeding. But the tan can be very different. Starting from brown and ending with orange, more reflecting in red.
Above was a photo of a puppy of a German shepherd zonar color working breeding. Below you can see what the zoning color of a show-class dog is.
Black "Germans"
They are very rare and few of them. What can be seen at German shepherd shows has nothing to do with the true black color. Why? Yes, because the representatives of the breed are black-brown. That is, visually their color seems black, but if you look at each hair of the hair, you will find a brown pigment.
A black German shepherd should not have any impurities in the color of the coat.
Black and tan dogs
With zoning German Shepherd of both lines, we met. And what do the black and tan representatives of the breed look like?
They have pale red paws and a stomach. A tan may be present on the face: eyebrows, eyes, cheeks. Sometimes the "pieces" of red color can be seen on the ears.
White shepherd dogs
Do such exist? Yes, but white coat color is not standard for the breed. This is a defect, and a dog with this color cannot take part in exhibitions and breeding.
Although the white shepherd is a pretty beautiful dog. Take a look at the photo below and see for yourself.
Red shepherd dogs
There are such representatives of the breed. They completely lack the “mantle” on their backs. The dog is completely red. Moreover, the color can vary from pale to saturated.
This is a deviation from the standard. Such individuals are not allowed at exhibitions and breeding.
Spotted shepherd
Another deviation. A very small puppy shows this mutation. Spots are scattered throughout the coat. Of course, this is considered a vice. And the road is closed at the exhibition.
Types of wool
Speaking of the colors of the German shepherd, one cannot fail to mention the types of her hair.
Representatives of the breed are smooth-haired or standard. And they are long-haired. The latter are found among dogs on show lines. "Longs" resemble teddy bears. Only with the psyche do they have problems, as a rule.
Long-haired shepherds can be excessively cowardly or aggressive. The former hide their cowardice behind passive-defensive reactions of behavior. That is, such a doggie can bark menacingly and pretend that it is about to bite. But it is worth swinging at him, as the dog tightens its tail and falls to the ground. Especially terrible it looks at a specialty show, when the animal passes the cross-test. In other words, bites off the sleeve.
The latter have irrepressible aggression. In a city with such a pet is very difficult. He is trying to try on the tooth everything that moves. And this should never be allowed. If such a dog once feels its superiority over a person, it is likely to lose control of it. The pet may stop obeying the owner.
Who is better: a working dog or a show?
On this occasion, disputes do not subside. Proponents of working breeding claim that there is no one better than their dogs. Those people who love show shepherd dogs consider workers very ugly and vicious.
Is it so? The family, as they say, is not without a freak. And among working dogs you can find pronounced choleric. These choleric are extremely aggressive. And if you do not direct their energy into a peaceful direction - wait for trouble. Such dogs require constant training.
Among show dogs there are quite worthy individuals. No matter how the breeders of the working lines scolded them, saying that the saffron is inferior, this does not always happen. Sometimes show shepherds overshadow the working brethren at the samples.
But the dog with the weak psyche among the "showers" is full. This is hidden by many breeders, for dogs are a lucrative business. Puppies cost from 30,000 thousand rubles and above.
What is a shepherd dog for? If for sports with a dog, then it is better to choose a working breeding. For exhibitions and for the soul - pay attention to the show level.
Puppy cost
We noted above that an exhibition puppy costs from 30,000 rubles. This is the minimum, the weakest and inferior, let’s say so. The better the blood of a dog, the more expensive it is. The price can go up to $ 2,000 per puppy.
Working breeding costs more: the minimum price for a puppy starts at 50,000 rubles.
You need to buy an animal in a nursery specializing in breeding a particular line.
Conclusion
In the article, we examined what the shepherd color of a German shepherd is. You can also find photos of individuals in our review. At the same time, we found out what colors are in general. We talked about the types of dog hair.
We touched on the topic of show dogs and working breeding, revealing the features of both lines. We hope that now it will be easier for readers to choose for themselves, in case of such a need, a shepherd shepherd of zonar color.