German Shepherd Mix Breeds

Each individual dog is a unique character. Anyone who has brought a puppy into their family will tell you this, and even the breeds that are uniform in appearance will quickly let you know that they are one of a kind. The most common coloring for the German Shepherds is black and tan. The breed also comes in black and red, black and silver, black and cream, solid black, gray, white, liver, and blue.

A solid white coloring is a disqualifying feature in a GSD for a breed show ring. White German Shepherds can only compete in performance training events.

Black and red and black and tan puppies are born almost solid black, with their coloring coming in the first few years of their life. The gray, or sable, GSDs are born all tan, but within the first weeks black tipping starts to come in and continues to for the first two years of their life. The end result is a wolf-like coloration. The diluted colors, liver, blue, and white, are considered non-desirable because they are genetically diluted colors.

Short-Haired, Long Haired – Invest in a Vacuum Cleaner

The German Shepherd is also known as the Alsatian. Beyond the color differences, this breed can be separated into long-haired and short-haired dogs. The most obvious difference between the long-haired and short-haired is as expected, the long-haired has longer hair to their coat. The differences don’t end there.

The long-haired GSDs do not have an undercoat as do their short-haired cousins. This leads to two facts…

1. One is that the long-haired dogs are not waterproof.
2. And two, is one of the main reasons that long-haired German Shepherds cannot be American Kennel Club registered.

The German and United Kingdom Kennel Club, however, will accept the long-haired GSDs. Lastly, long-haired German Shepherds are rarer, because the long-haired gene is recessive.

The short-haired GSDs have an undercoat in addition to the upper coat. This makes them more waterproof then their undercoat-less cousins. Strangely enough, even though the short-haired German Shepherds have the hair that is not as long, they shed more than the long-haired dogs.

What is the Best Breed to Blend with My Beloved GSD?

Up to this point, this has only been about pure-bred German Shepherds. There is also the option of going with a German Shepherd mix. When going with a mixed breed the option to show or register your dog is removed, but there are benefits.

Mixed breeds are known to be more resilient against genetic diseases, in this case, hip dysplasia or skin infections. As a general rule, dogs of mixed breed descent tend to be hardier against health issues.

It is important to consider the temperament of both the GSD and the breed that is going to be mixed.

A German Shepherd mixed with a Chow Chow, Akita, Doberman or Rottweiler can be a problem because it will take on the worse traits of both breeds and lead to a very dominant and possibly aggressive animal.

A Golden Retriever, Labrador (lab) or Collie mixed with a GSD can be a positive thing because of the milder personality of those breeds.

A Great Dane, Boxers and Siberian Huskies are sometimes mixed with a German Shepherd because of the attractive-looking outcome.

What sort of German Shepherd mix breed do you have?…share your story below!