Hello from Banffy Haus to those on a search for black and red German shepherd puppies:
These days I at Banffy Haus German shepherds am consistently hearing clients asking for rich red and black hue on their German shepherd puppies. I have written before on this issue but would like to address it once more.
Although pigment is important, this obsession with deep reds and black, and the economic pressure of demand risks forcing pigment to the top of the list of German shepherd characteristics in the breeding programs of German shepherd breeders. This is not in itself bad unless it leads to a demotion of other critical characteristics such as phenotype, gender specific traits, temperament, working drive, or other breed standard requirements. We don’t want this to color our breeding programs, as it were.
This is what happened with the American lines in which the gene pool was markedly damaged by over-emphasis of show characteristics even to the disintegration of the health of the breed with increased exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, degenerative spine issues, joint dysplasia etc.
What are we doing? We had better beware if this overemphasis causes damage even to our breeding inventory of West German lines. Are we so vain that we choose our dogs based largely on color? The German shepherd is a working dog, a marvel of intelligence and ability, one of the top three most intelligent dogs in the world.
They are a marvel to see jumping gracefully over the jumps and rounding the blinds at blinding speed. I have witnessed what happens with overemphasis on outward appearances with the over-angulation. I remember watching with horror as a shepherd attempted to jump, only to be constrained by their distorted rear quarters and clumsily tripped and fell, rolling over in ignominy. How sad. Let’s hope that current fads don’t taint the breeding program and strategy of our breeders and that we remain dedicated to what this breed is all about, a balance of grace and power, of beauty and integrity, courage and loyalty, intelligence and a strongly built carriage.
Let’s be very careful that our focus on black and red German shepherd puppies doesn’t upset the genetic balance.