Panda Pattern coat
The term Panda (Pattern) is the name of the gene that is the result of a spontanous mutation that ocurred in one puppy born to AKC German Shepherd in the United States. This Original pair of GSDs that produced the one pup with the white pattern and blue eyes,(Here I will mention not to get the Panda gene confused with the S locus that causes the white spotting in the GSD breed,this is a gene in it self) they had their DNA studied by US Davis. Proving that the litter was produced by the documented Parents and not another dog of any sort that produced the white markings. Panda pattern puts white on the face/head,chest,feet,up the legs,tip of the tail.This gene is a dominant gene(one parent can carry itand will produce the pattern) but the pattern is secondary to the color and original pattern of the dog, like sable,blk/tan,blue/tan,solid blue or blk and so on, they will still be these colors with the panda pattern. Most of the panda pattern GSDs that are found in the US are descendents of the original Panda: Lewcinkas Franka Vom Phenom. though the Panda Pattern is fairly new it is catching on and everyone is wanting a beautiful healthy Panda pattern German Shepherd to add to their familys and breeding programs!
Our Panda Pattern GSDs are registered with the AKC with the Panda Gene and are NOT a mix of Breed or associated with those making new breeds.
We are adding a Panda Patten girl to our breeding program! About Blue color GSD
Sientific gentic explanation and inheritance!
The Blue color in German Shepherds is the result of a dilution gene. This recessive gene dilutes any black pigment on the dog including coat color, nose leather, foot pads, eye rims, and lips. It also affects their eye color. Most Blue German Shepherds have lighter colored eyes, including but not limited to, yellow, amber, and varying shades of light brown. When puppies first open their eyes they are colored blue. This is due to a protective film nature provides. Blue colored German Shepherd puppies often retain this blue eye color 8-10 weeks after birth which is much longer than a puppy not affected by this dilution gene. Below is a simplified explanation of the genetic activity which results in a puppy being born expressing the blue pigmentation.
*Note: This same explanation and mode of inheritance outlined below can be used for the Liver coat color as well as well as the pure White coat color. The difference between the Liver gene and the Blue gene is that the Liver gene blocks the formation of the black pigment entirely rather than simply diluting it. Further explanation of the differences between these two recessive color genes is explained farther down on this page. The White coat color is due to a masking gene and is unrelated to affecting black pigmentation as the blue and liver genes do. Further explanation of the White masking gene will be explained farther down on this page as well.
Two genes are at work in producing the coat color of a GSD: a color gene and a pattern gene. The pattern genes produce either the familiar saddle markings (which we will use here for ease of explanation) or facial mask markings. Usually those markings are Black, and the most familiar pattern for a GSD is probably the Black and Tan Saddle pattern. In a Blue colored dog, the recessive Blue color gene dilutes--acts upon--only the Black pigment on the dog. As a result, a Blue dog can be Blue and Tan, Blue and Red, Blue Sable, Solid Blue etc. To simplify the explanation below I am using the term "Blue" as a general statement to describe a Blue GSD of any pattern, and the term "Black and Tan" to describe a GSD of "traditional" coloration. Further down I will discuss the solid black pattern gene which is often mistaken as a color gene.
For a puppy to be born expressing the Blue pigmentation in a litter, both parents must carry this Blue dilution recessive gene. When the pups are developing during the gestation period they have a "choice" of color genes to choose from. Color and all other genetic characteristics are determined at conception ie; when the sperm fertilizes the egg, not during gestation. It is at the moment of conception that the pups receive a color gene from each parent.
Someone had told me to think of it as containers of paint. Let's say both the dam and the sire are Black and Tan in coloration. Each parent carries a gene for this color and shows it since this is a dominant gene. Now let's say that each parent also carries the Blue recessive gene. Since this Blue gene is recessive they will not show the color Blue but do have the ability to pass this it on to their offspring. So each parent has two "containers" (color genes) for the pups to receive from. That is a total of four color genes and each pup will only carry two; one from each parent. So let's say pup #1 receives a Black and Tan gene from his dam, and a Black and Tan gene from his sire. This pup will be Black and Tan in coloration and will NOT carry the Blue recessive gene. Now let's say pup #2 receives a Blue gene from his dam, and a Black and Tan gene from his sire. This pup will be Black and Tan in coloration but will carry the Blue recessive gene and have the ability to pass it on to his\her offspring should the dog ever be bred. Also keep in mind that this dog is capable of producing Blue pups if it is bred to another Blue carrier. Now pup #3 receives a Blue gene from each parent. This pup will be a Blue. He is carrying a double recessive, or two Blue genes. So the pup will not only show the Blue color but pass on the Blue recessive to all of his\her offspring if it is ever bred.
*Note that if two Blue adults are bred together they will produce an entire litter of Blues. The reason is there is no choice for the pups. Both parents carry two Blue color genes. Therefore they will receive a Blue gene from each parent causing them to carry the double recessive and be Blues themselves.
If a Blue adult dog is bred to a dog who is normal colored and does NOT carry the Blue recessive, then NO pups will be born Blue but ALL pups will carry the Blue gene. The reason is each pup received ONE gene for color from each parent. Since one parent was a Blue and carried two Blue genes, the pup has no choice but to pick up the Blue gene from its Blue parent. Since the other parent was not a Blue, nor carried the Blue gene at all, he had no choice but to grab a normal colored, or dominant color gene. So he will show the dominant traditional colored gene but will carry the recessive Blue gene.
Sadly enough many times Blue puppies are killed by the breeders. This was much more common years ago, but still occurs today with unsettling frequency. For each person there are many different reasons why this decision is made. Some breeders view their breeding as a business. Especially in Germany or other European countries, it is not uncommon for them to cull or kill a Blue pup so that it doesn't take away from the milk supply the other normal pups need to thrive. In certain countries there is a requirement by certain governing agency(s) that nursing litters do not exceed 6 puppies. The breeder will choose the six most promising pups and cull the rest. In countries where this is not a requirement, blue, liver, or white colored pups are often killed as well. Some do it because they erroneously believe that these non-traditional color genes are a certain trademark of poor health and believe they are doing the pup a favor and sparing it a lifetime of suffering. Many others simply refuse to allow a fault to survive. Their reasoning may be, "Why keep this dog alive? It is a disqualification and will never achieve a conformation title or the papers needed to breed it." It is a waste of time and valuable resources for them to raise a puppy who is a serious or disqualifying fault, according to the breed standard, as far as they are concerned.
*As side note the word "cull" can mean two different things. One is to outright kill the pup. The other is to simply spay\neuter the pup thereby effectively removing him from the breeding pool. What is ironic about this latter choice is that many breeders are unaware that many of this blue pups traditionally colored littermates ALSO carry this recessive but do not express it. The breeder believed they were ridding the gene pool of this non-traditional color gene but in fact if any of the littermates are bred they too may be carrying the gene and subsequently be passing it on to their offspring. Recessive genes (of all types) can be passed on in this manner from generation to generation with breeders being unaware of its existance in their lines until a Blue, Liver, or White pup suddenly pops up seemingly out of nowhere when finally a dog who carries this hidden recessive is bred to another dog who also is secretly carrying this gene.
Still yet more reasons come to light as to why a breeder would kill an non-traditionally colored pup. One reason continues today and is unscrupulous to say the least. In the highly political world of showing dogs in competition events it is not unheard of for a breeder to kill a Blue pup that pops up unexpectedly and not tell anyone about it. Why would someone do this? Well these people may have spent several thousand dollars on a well bred pup and spent an enormous amount of time, money, and resources to achieve a championship title on their dog. Now they anxiously await the time to breed, they've spent large amounts of money on proper nutrition, health tests, etc. Excitedly they watch every health test come back clear. The perfect dog! They hunt down a perfect mate, perhaps shipping their bitch across country for the mating to occur. Now the pups come, and one is a Blue! Many breeders would find this an insult. "YOUR dog carries the Blue recessive?" Many other breeders may not want to breed their top stud or bitch to this dog in the future fearing that some of the pups would surely pick up this gene, which they would! Since some don't understand the genetics of this they may automatically blame the other dog not knowing that it takes two with the Blue gene to create a Blue pup! For instance they may say, "Well my stud has been bred to "X amount" of bitches and has NEVER thrown a Blue. It must be your bitch who carries the gene!" Perhaps this is the bitches first breeding. If both parties don't understand the genetics of this, the owner of the young bitch may choose to kill the pup and cover up the fact it was ever born. She fears having to spay her bitch or have it marked as a "carrier". Unbelievable as this sounds, it HAPPENS. Again the ironic part of this reasoning is that they usually don't realize that many of the pups in the litter who are of a traditional coat color also carry the recessive dilution gene. They just don't express it. This recessive can be passed on through several generations unknowingly, until one is bred with another carrier and another "surprise" Blue pup pops up, seemingly out of "nowhere".
Unfortunately many myths surround this color variation. The largest one is about their supposed "poor health". Rumor and speculation always surround what is not understood, and Blue German Shepherds are no exception. This is yet another reason why someone would choose to cull a blue pup. Honestly believing that the dog is a genetic nightmare just waiting to happen, they'll choose to "put it out of its misery" as soon as it's born. Unfortunately for the pups that are born to uneducated breeders, this is an unfortunate and irreversible occurrence. As of this date no known medical problems directly related to the Blue dilution gene within the German Shepherd breed have been documented. This is not to be compared with problems plaguing Blues in other breeds. On the same note, stories of people who have seen ONE Blue pup that had health problems should not be used as proof that the Blue gene was responsible for those problems. The German Shepherd breed is plagued by a variety of medical conditions just like every other breed of dog. If you saw one Black and Tan puppy who was plagued with medical problems, would you blame it on the fact that the puppy was Black and Tan in color?
The good news is many breeders who strictly adhere to the German Shepherd breed standard are allowing these Blue pups to mature and are selling them on a spay\neuter contract with limited registration or no registration at all. At least this is better than an instant death sentence!!!
Today many breeders are becoming more open minded about breeding for the "Total dog" without regard for something as minor as a color.
Our adult and pups have the good dispostion,nice conformation,gait,and trainablity as the traditional and we strive to get that in all our colors!! Along with champion bloodlines!
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