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Here is what the FCI says about eyes in the GSD standard:

Have middle size, almond-shaped and slightly angled, whilst they must not protrude. The eye color should be as dark as possible. Light eyes are not desirable as they spoil the expression of the dog.

 

Sueincc,

Thanks for FCI posting. I view expression as more cosmetic than necessary for working....but what do I know!

Me too!  I rarely have seen a GSD with really yellow eyes anyway.

I personally like a dark eye more, but I would never make a decision on the quality of a dog based on eye color. Its a recessive that doesn't affect working and though i have my preferences I never allow my likes to overrun my view of whether the dog is a good working dog...period!

I absolutely cannot STAND hare feet, cowhocks, weak pasterns, and overly long weak backs/broken toplines. I'll take a dog with a short croup or amber eyes over a dog with those faults any day of the week.  I also deeply dislike a dog so hyper it is incapable of clear thinking.

I must say I agree with KCzaja.  I hate big, flat feet, weak pasterns and cowhocks.  They make the dog look like they use much too much energy to move and it looks just plain sloppy.

My youngest (just turned a year on the 3rd) had weak, sloppy feet and was down on her pasterns for the first 6 months.  She is now fine (thank goodness) but, it really ruined the way she moved and seemed to tire her more in the effort to move.  She was also cowhocked and seems to have outgrown most of this however, every so often, when she is standing, she still looks a little hocky from the rear but, once moving, straightens up.

My other girl moves like a dream and is so fluid in movement.  She can go forever and not stop.  The other girl stops and flops down often.

k) Long stock coat (long, soft loosely fitting outer coat with undercoat, flags on ears and legs, bushy pants and bushy tail with flag on underside);

Okay...this was taken from the GSD standards that were in the first link posted by Sueincc....both of my dogs have tight outer coats, 'bushy pants', and my girl has a little hair that runs down the back of her front legs...she looks like any German showlines, less hair than some...And Beckett's coat is softer than hers, but you could use those terms to describe Kali (my girl). So, I thought she was a stock coat, am I wrong? jh

ok...i just woke up and my caffine hasnt kicked in yet so lets see if i can get this right...

sue...i looked thru boss's pedigree and saw that his dam's sire has what looks like , very light eyes...so i went and pulled boss's folder and looked at the pics of his dam, she also has light eyes- hers about the same color of boss.... boss's sire also has eyes on the lighter side, tho not as light as his.....so does that mean that boss's eyes are less likely to darken considerably?....maybe slightly darker but will always be on the lighter side?

i had look thru the links you posted last night, but didnt have time to post...i have looked at the breed standard one before but don't think ive ever seen the breed survey page..thanks for pointing that one out.....

the only thing i could find about light eyes, is the same quote you posted....>>>>Light eyes are not desirable as they spoil the expression of the dog.<<<<......lol, if thats the only reason a dog shouldn't have lighter eyes....(i dont want to offend anyone) but i think thats prettty silly....i don't see anything wrong with boss's expression...actually some of the darker eyes on (some) dogs make them look tired or bored..(not boring, bored)  or a sad expression....to me most with the lighter eyes have a more excited, alert, curious, expression....i dont find that a bad thing.......but....the GSD  is suppose to be a serious, aloof dog right, so maybe thats why it ruins the expression? they are suppose to look like everything bore's them?...even when it doesn't ?

Gustav----
The great breeder Alfred Hahn of Busecker Schloss kennel who bred shepherd for infinity and produced some of the great GS in the history of the breed always asserted that he found a higher correlation of light eyes to better working dogs. He also felt that there was a higher percentage of working dogs that came from sables. The definition of this breed is a working dog by intent, so why would not either of these traits not be preferred or encouraged by top breeders. Afterall, isn't shepherd breeding working dog breeding???????----

thanks for that...very interesting

someone, somewhere, had said something about why do animals in the wild (wolves) have lighter eyes........got me wondering...seems long ago iv seen on TV, or read something about wild animals who have light colored eyes can see better in the dark...something about the lighter eye color reflects the moonlight better and that overall lighter  eyes meant better vision....(most cats have light colored eyes right? doesn't cats have some of the best vision in the animal world?).....so if thats right, (not sure, just wondering)...why would light color eyes be a fault at all?...seems like better vision would be my important for a working dog than expression.... 

lol...nancy ...

everytime i scroll thru i find myself stopping to stare at that pic you posted....beautiful dog..

I wish some of the people who have expertise in the  SV show and breeding world (Chris, Louise, Preston, Ulli, Oli, to name just a few) would weigh in on this thread.  Yes, I think Boss's eyes will continue to get darker, but also I looked at his picture and his eyes are not so light that they appear unattractive to me.  Same as with the dog in Nancys' picture.