Brindle .... test results - Page 1

Many probably remember the Brindle GSD thread. I got the test results back from VetGen. Avanna vom Goldwald, a dog of my own breeding, came back kyky ----->sable. I did only test on the K locus as this is where the brindle gene is attached.

So we want to call my little stripy puppy a freak of nature, but clearly a sable :)

That is a beautiful pup! Do you think that the brindling with fade or blend into the coat as he ages?

Thank you Shandra. The striping is not visible anymore. Sometimes I think I still see the "rings" on her neck though. This girl will be 2 years old now at the end of January.

Here is a more updated picture of her.

Elkoor - hard to believe your litter is already 2 almost! Interesting about the test results though. I wonder if she were to ever have pups if some of them might have similar markings? She is a beauty either way.

I know, Dawulf, it still seems like almost yesterday those fuzz balls were running through my yard! I have very good contact with two of the puppy owners and its interesting to see what traits have been inheritet from the parents.

For Ava I could never really find the right home for one reason or the other, so I just held onto her. She is training in Schutzhund and is a very good tracker. She has extreme food drive as well as ball drive. But she is still more defensive toward the decoy and reactive towards other dogs. I will attempt an AD with her in 2 weeks and just hope she keeps her big mouth shut....LOL Because of her reactiveness I dont know if I ever will breed her.

I understand that. She is such a pretty girl at any rate. Good luck with her AD! I bet it is interesting to see who got what. Before I really got into dogs I never even paid attention to that kind of thing, so it still kind of amazes me when I see a pup that looks so much like a parent... let alone acts that way too.

Do you think you will ever breed Apache and Tonga again? I'd be curious to see if any more of those 'brindle' sables pop up between them again or if maybe Ava was just special in that regard. :)

I dont think I will breed Apache with Tonga again. The boys of the litter worked out very nice, but the girls were a little more reactive to things. Apache puts A LOT of drive onto his pups. He need to be paired up with a strong nerved and calm bitch. Tonga is a pretty girl, but not as strong in nerve. She has her shortcomings. If I ever breed her again then it will be to a nice easy going dog; and yes, I actual have one in mind....LOL

I'd love to see the brindle's come back.......wonder if any breeders are working toward it.

Your pup has grown into a beauty

Elkoorr, I have a male GSD who is extemely reactive to other dogs. It has gotten better in the last year (I moved into a condo where it is basically small yippy dog city, ugh) but some days I really struggle with it. Do you have any suggestions? I know this is a broad question. I have tried: distracting with high value toys, distracting with treats, using small prong, using big prong collar, using e-collar on vibrate or stim, smacking him with the end of the leash, etc. It is a two steps forward and one step back deal but I really question my sanity sometimes. Popping him HARD with the big prong collar seems to work but then he goes from lunging and reactive to anxious screaming/whining. It's weird because the few dogs he comes in contact with he is relatively good around and is very easy going.

andhourspass....it is nearly impossible to assess why your male is doing what he is doing, and why your corrections arent working from a computer. Reactiveness to dogs can have many different reasons. To find out what makes him react, a trainer or behaviorist needs to lay eye on the actual situation. It can be territorial, it can be out of insecurity, it can be truly aggressive, or it can be that he just really wants to meet the other dog. It can even be a learned behavior. Depending on what sets him off will determine on how to fix it.

To sum it up.... you need help from a real person who can see the scenario, assess it and come up with a plan.

Where do you live? A friend of mine has alot of connections to trainers around the country; she might be able to give a recomendation.