# Sable puppy color question



## Brinapayton (May 16, 2013)

I know a lot of these topics are on here, I'm just a little confused right now . my sable 16 week old puppy started out really light when we got him. I know this is normal cause they usually get darker. At about 12 weeks he got the usual black stripe on his back. He's gotten progressively darker and now all of a sudden I'm seeing white/or silver on his shoulder blades,stomach, scattered on his neck.and bottom of his neck. It looks like its his adult hair because its course. Ill post pictures. But anyways his mom was solid black with tan feet and his dad was a really dark sable. I looked in his pedigree and I didn't see and silver in the GSD's. Ill post the pedigree so correct me If I'm wrong. I didn't know if this was something that will go away or he's just different haha. I like it though. I was just thinking he would be like his dad.
























In the pictures the areas look darker but there actually white or silver. 

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/breeding.result?father=1852817&mother=683088

Let me know if the link won't work!
Thanks everyone ! 


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## Brinapayton (May 16, 2013)

Never mind !! I was looking at the pedigree on my iPhone and I couldn't zoom. But now that I'm looking on my computer I see where he gets it from. So on another note how does his pedigree look ? 


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Ranger has a longer coat but similar lighter coloration.


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## Brinapayton (May 16, 2013)

Nice ! He is very similar to mine. How old is he there ? 


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## Msmaria (Mar 2, 2013)

Your puppy looks alot like mine. We do not have a pedigree so I cannot help you with that. However, everywhere we go we are always getting complements on his color. Sometimes we get asked if hes mixed. Just yesterday we were at the dog beach and someone came up to us and said his parents raise shepherds and said "you have a very beautiful sable there" so I take that as a compliment. Although wed love him even if he looked a mess lol


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Do you have a pic of the Mom? She may be a bi-colour, or a blanket black and tan. Your puppy may end up being patterned sable with the sable coloring receding up his legs and side - seems like a very common outcome between a black and tan and sable mating.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Brinapayton said:


> Nice ! He is very similar to mine. How old is he there ?
> 
> 
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View attachment 74066


I think he was about 5 months in that first pic. This is him at 8 month. He keeps changing, never seen a dog go through so many changes.


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## Brinapayton (May 16, 2013)

Castlemaid said:


> Do you have a pic of the Mom? She may be a bi-colour, or a blanket black and tan. Your puppy may end up being patterned sable with the sable coloring receding up his legs and side - seems like a very common outcome between a black and tan and sable mating.











This is his mom. She's pretty dark. 


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## Brinapayton (May 16, 2013)

Msmaria said:


> Your puppy looks alot like mine. We do not have a pedigree so I cannot help you with that. However, everywhere we go we are always getting complements on his color. Sometimes we get asked if hes mixed. Just yesterday we were at the dog beach and someone came up to us and said his parents raise shepherds and said "you have a very beautiful sable there" so I take that as a compliment. Although wed love him even if he looked a mess lol


Haha yeah ! I always get asked if he's a husky mix. It doesn't bother me though. 


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

From the pic you posted, looks like Mom could be a patterned sable - but hard to tell from the light and the front view. Side view and natural light would be best, if you have a pic like that. 

The Mom is definitely NOT a bicolour, so with the tan on the legs, that leaves a black and tan, or a patterned sable. So your pup will most likely be a patterned sable once his final colour comes int - but that could take a couple of years yet.


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## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

Your pup looks pattern sable to me, I say that based on the chest. My dark sable has a black face and chest except a bit or red near the eyes and very red ears.


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## Piper'sgrl (Apr 20, 2012)

Your pup is for sure a pattern sable. No doubt in my mind. Mom looks like a blk/tan or a bi colour. I see no pattern sable in her but its kinda hard to tell from the pic


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## Brinapayton (May 16, 2013)

Piper'sgrl said:


> Your pup is for sure a pattern sable. No doubt in my mind. Mom looks like a blk/tan or a bi colour. I see no pattern sable in her but its kinda hard to tell from the pic


I wish I had a better pic of the mom but I don't. When I met her it did look like she was a sable with the red underneath and black on top. But very sparse. His dad is very dark. My pup is just all different colors. He has a red head and ears. Who knows If that will stay or not that's the only part left that is the soft puppy hair. I'm anxious to know what he will look like. Thanks for the help ! 


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

The mom is not a bi-colour: too much tan on the legs and the chest/belly area. There seems to be some lighter tan hairs peeking out from underneath the dark hairs on her shoulders and neck where the collars are, so that would indicate a sable. 

Here is a bi-colour that I found randomly on a google search:

Note how typically the coloring reaches down the front of the legs, and the chest/underbelly is solid black.


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## Brinapayton (May 16, 2013)

Castlemaid said:


> The mom is not a bi-colour: too much tan on the legs and the chest/belly area. There seems to be some lighter tan hairs peeking out from underneath the dark hairs on her shoulders and neck where the collars are, so that would indicate a sable.
> 
> Here is a bi-colour that I found randomly on a google search:
> 
> Note how typically the coloring reaches down the front of the legs, and the chest/underbelly is solid black.


Yeah now that you do point it out it does make sense. It's just crazy how both parents were pretty dark sables and mine is dark I just feel like he's getting lighter. Maybe it's just one of his color stages. This is my first GSD so I could be totally wrong. 


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## Brinapayton (May 16, 2013)

So my puppy's black stripe down his back is thicker And longer than the rest of his hair. Does that mean this will be his coat all over? The stripe down his back has a red under coat. But his sides have a light under coat and black tips. It's also shorter and softer. I just wanted to know if this will change. 


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## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

The black stripe is the beginning, it will spread all over.


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## Brinapayton (May 16, 2013)

volcano said:


> The black stripe is the beginning, it will spread all over.


Okay thanks !


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## Madisonmj97 (Mar 10, 2014)

*Sable puppy or no? Mom was a fawn GSD and dad was a red sable GSD*


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