Livers and blues - Page 3

Lots of blue dogs here: http://www.bluedogs.8m.com/photos.html

There are several pictures of liver dogs in the other thread on this topic:

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/bulletins_read/151873.html

Re:  GRAY Boy, do we KNOW he was a "true blue"? Any color photos?  Maybe he just had a steel-blue look, but no dilution.  Many graying dogs look blue (as do other animals basically black).  I can't tell here whether he was ripe for disqualification.

OK--to the best of my knowledge, there were two alleged, blue, AKC champions: Hoobin's Gray Boy and Gernda's Ludwig (handled by Ernie Loeb--imported by??). Except for their dark, charcoal gray lips and eye rims plus unusually light eyes, blues can easily pass for B/T as adults. However, at birth, they look very much like dark Weimaraners (gun metal blue). I recall that a friend's son called one such pup  "Mousey"!

Hell, I've seen a solid black adult that was a blue and could spot him in a flash--even though I had never in my life seen a blue black..

whites were allowed in the show ring until 1935 in Germany and until 1968 in the US - so they did used to be allowed.  According to Willis (pp.40) Hoobins Gray Boy was the only and last dilute to win in the ring because it became a DQ after that - he won in 1964...and along with the whites the standard was changed in 1968 to ban the blue (and I imagine the liver) as well.  Looks like '68 was a bad year for the non-agouti series in the US O.o

~Cate

I used to know someone with vast breed knowledge, who actually saw Ch Hoobins Gray Boy when he was being shown.  She said he was a magnificent dog in appearance, showy with very nice structure, a dark blue and tan bicolor, and a beautiful mover as well.  

While it's true that dogs who are handled by top handlers in the breed have a definite advantage in show competition,it's also true that top handlers will not accept dogs for handling that aren't of reasonably good quality because the dogs a handler takes into the ring also reflect the handler's breed knowledge.  A handler who takes dogs of low quality into the ring will never become a top handler or gain any respect from the judges, most of whom are also breeders and handlers too.

Saddle pattern dogs are usuallly favored in the show ring partly because the pattern itself gives illusion of angulation and bone.  Bicolors and solid black dogs usually have to actually be better in quality than the saddle pattern dogs they compete against, because they don't have the illusory advantages that saddle pattern dogs have.

Here is my Blue male. I can tell you he has never had skin problems.Aside from his color, there isn't a thing wrong with him.(I happen to like the blues!) Anyone that has seen him,states what a beautiful boy he is,and his personality is great too. There are lots of people that have asked me to sell him to them. I wouldn't part with him for any amount of money.