Is it true? - Page 5

No VA 1 for Timo, he was VA 6, VA 4, 2 times VA 2.

ooops - sorry - did that grading from 'memory' w/out
checking ! my bad.

Maybe you were thinking of this.
Timo was VA1 in Austrian Bundessieger-Zuchtschau 2000

Thanks, Fantom, quite possible that had stuck in my head somewhere !

After all it´s not important - at least over here breeders don´t tend to care about VA1 or VA10 ...

Is it possible that the so called black/silver color ( almost unknown in Western Europe, but promoted in the US ) might have to do with the white color gene? I don´t know, maybe someone else knows...

"White German Shepherds" : This color was forbidden more than 80 years ago. Why? The people responsible for the breed didn´t like the color. I think we have to accept this.
There were and there are lovers of the whites, at least in Europe ( FCI ) they were able to form a "new" breed, the Berger Blanc Suisse, but these lovers were only interested in color and pet dog qualities, not at all in working dog abilities.

A working dog breed, not tested for working ability for decades, but for pet dog qualities only, will loose ( and has lost ) the traits we like in our German Shepherd dogs.

There are exceptions ( congrats to the breeders ! ), but honestly, in case I´d be looking for a German Shepherd dog, I wouldn´t look for a white one...

These dogs are beautiful, but they are no German Shepherd dogs.

I read somewhere that the silver/ black dogs were selected for early black and white movies. These dogs were better exposed by film and light of the old days, and what people saw at the movies they wanted as ''good examples'' of the GSD.

I also heard or read that sheep are more aware of dark dogs and dogs with more wolf like body types. The early breeders recognized structure and color for its positive effect on their real world sheep work. Color was another form and function subject.

That´s what I heard too, and it seems to make sense.