jackie baughman

Who I'd like to meet:

There are two different dilutions of the black color possible,diluting it to blue or liver. A dog with normal black pigment can carry both the liver and blue gene,as blue and liver are at different places on the chromosome. In either dilution, the blue or liver color replaces the black pigment on the dog. As the color genes are seperate from the pattern genes,the dilutes may occur in any of the three breed patterns: agouti, two-tone,or solid color. Solid livers or blues are probably the least common as they would be genetically solid in pattern{which is recessive to the other patterns} and also dilute [both dilutions are recessive to the normal black pigment,}Blue or liver dilution also affects the nose leather and also eye pigment. A dog possessing only dilute genes for blue and liver, is possible. These dogs are of a silvery gray "Weimaraner" color. If a blue is bred to a liver, it is quite likely to get a dog with normal black pigment that possesses both dilution genes. This is because the dilutions for blue and liver are on separate locations, and each parent would have a normal pigment gene in the location for the other parent's dilution. It takes two genes of the same dilution to produce that particular dilute color. Similar dilutions of black pigment are found in many other species as well. The above puppy is a long coated blue and tan, pictured alongside its normal coated black and tan littermate. The blue gene may occur in any coat type or pattern of German Shepherd Dog, diluting the black pigment. This picture is of a liver and tan puppy with a normal coat. Again, the liver gene can occur in any coat type or pattern of GSD. The liver gene dilutes the black pigment. Although I don't have pictures, it IS possible for a double dilute (genetically blue AND liver) to occur, and I have recently seen pictures of them (and am hoping to get one to post here). They are a somewhat inbetween color, similar to Siamese kittens of the chocolate and lilac point colors at the early age when it can be very hard to tell if a Siamese kitten is going to be a chocolate point or a lilac point (when their point color first comes in.) Hopefully, it will be possible to see what their color development does as they grow up.There are no known medical problems that I am aware of associated with any of the German Shepherd Dog colors. Many of the most important dogs in the breed,including the first registered GSD,carry colors that are considered undesirable by todays written standards for the breed. There are so many undesirable things to try to eliminate when breeding dogs, health,temperment,and soundness problems,that color prejudice seems trival by comparison. There are reputable people selecting for sound,structurally and temperamentally correct animals in all colors of GSD's and there are people who want a good family dog of the color they personally like, regardless of what standard has been written by a breed club. When white and other colors were deemed undesirable, the knowledge of genetics was in its infancy. White was mistakenly associated with albinism, and dilutions of color were associated with weakness. Dilute colors may not be as pretty to some people, but there are other people who prefer the dilute colors. In some breeds there are problems associated with whites, but these are different genetically from the white German Shepherd Dog. Dilute blues and livers in some breeds have a reputation for skin problems, but whether that is a breed or merely a bloodline trait in those breeds,