white-muzzled gsd, or possible mix

by bill pia
(norwich, ct)

Attached is a photo of our three year old maxwell we rescued. i recently watched your youtube video on gsd coats and colors and also searched photos online, yet have not run across any photos of a gsd w/ a white face such as our maxwell.

his papers say he's purebred, but again, i've never seen one like him. I was just wondering if you've ever come across coloring like this in gsd's or if he's truly a mix.

Regardless, he's a great dog and wouldn't trade him for the world. size-wise, he's 105 lbs, and stands about 27" from floor to shoulder.


Total German Shepherd:


It's kind of hard to tell from the picture since he's in the snow and he is a ways away from the camera but from what I can see I can tell you that I've never seen a white muzzled GSD quite colored up like your Maxwell before - except in much older, senior German Shepherds, and even then they have the black muzzle colors underneath and it's obvious that it is an older GSD with a graying mask.

Now white color in German Shepherds can crop up from time to time - and in strange places on an otherwise "colored" German Shepherd Dog (not a white GSD). I have seen "normal colored" GSDs with white paws, tail tips, in patches on the chest and belly, etc - even one time as a blaze on the face - so I can't say that this isn't a possibility. Just unique in your boy.

And that's not to say that he might be a mix too - I can't tell you that for sure. But I can't say that having a white muzzle showing up on a otherwise "regular colored" German Shepherd is totally out of the question either - because there are always chances - and genetics are terribly complex and a little mischevious too sometimes.

So wacky things like a GSD with a white muzzle, not something you see everyday but not totally impossible either. So enjoy your uniquely marked Maxwell, he's a handsome fella - and you can truly say that he is "one-of-a-kind" too!