Gene Dilution in German Shepherd Dog – Blue and Liver Dilution

Blue German Shepherd Dogs and Liver German Shepherd Dogs

The blue and liver GSDs had been the rarest genes once upon a time that have always captured breeders’ attention. Fortunately these genes are not as rare as it used to be some years back. The search volumes for the blue and liver GSDs in the Internet have been on a rising, which is gives an indication that people are looking for these genes more these days, either for puppies or to get information about the blue and liver German Shepherd Dogs. There are actually two possible dilutions for the black color in German Shepherd Dogs - “Blue Dilution” and “Liver Dilution”. Here’s just some information about these rare German Shepherd genes – the recessive blue and liver gene.

Colors of these German Shepherds are different from the regular ones that we usually see in the dog shows. They are real striking in appearance, if bred correctly. If not bred well, these dilutions usually come with blues and brown nose, while the standard requires the nose, nails, eye rims and lips to be black strictly.

Patterns of Blue Dilution in GSD

The blue gene in German Shepherd Dogs actually turns the pigmentation of both skin and coat into bluish or steel grey, which is usually very dark. The tan area, on the other level, remains almost the same tan markings as we see in regular shepherds. Sometimes the tan ground may take a faint silvery tint. In the German Shepherd Dog breed, there are great chances of the blue gene to occur in any pattern and type of coat. This finally dilutes the black pigment.



Patterns of Liver Dilution in GSD

The liver gene affects the dog’s pigmentation in almost the same way. The liver gene in German Shepherd Dogs dilutes the black pigment, thereby turning both the coat and skin into liver brown color. Like the blue genes this also dilutes the eye pigmentation by giving the eyes a wrong tint – silvery-yellowish-brown color. The liver gene can come in any pattern alike the blue one. The tan markings seem almost the same as in the regular GSD.

In either of the two dilutions the dog looses it black pigmentation, which is replaced by either blue or liver pigments. Remember the gene that gives color and the gene that gives pattern are two distinctive genes. This ensures a good chance that either dilution can come with three different patterns, viz. solid color, two-toned pattern and agouti. Both these dilutes in German Shepherd Dogs are seen with two-toned pattern and agouti, more commonly than with solid colors. Solid blue and solid liver German Shepherd Dogs are rare of the rarest genes in the world. In most cases the liver and blue German Shepherd Dogs comes with liver-brown and blue noses respectively. Both these gene dilutions in German Shepherd Dogs affect the eye pigmentation too!