# Need Help Determining Pup Colors in Litter



## izzyzmom (Feb 27, 2012)

Hi, I'm a new member here, although I've been reading various threads for months. I understand basic color genetics, and the dominance of sable, then blk/tan, then black. My female is sable and her father is a blk/tan and her mother is a sable. The sire of my litter is a Black Sable (Czech) and his mother is black and his father is sable. My litter has some definitive sables with the dark stripe down their back. Most have tar heals & striping on toes. However, a few of the puppies look black & tan, but have black bellies, pencilling on toes, a tan vent, and tar heals. I'm not sure if they are black & tans or not. While most of the litter is sold, I may need to advertise 2 pups...and I would like to correctly specify the color. I love them all equally and understand that pups should not be picked soley on color by buyers; however, I would like correct statements in my ad. From what I've read, there would be a 25% chance of having blk/tans. Just not sure if my online research is accurate. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!


----------



## holland (Jan 11, 2009)

If they have black bellies,penciling on their toes and a vent they are bi-colors


----------



## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

How old are they? Black and tan puppies are often wrongly called bi-colors when they are young. My guess would be that they are black and tan.


----------



## bocron (Mar 15, 2009)

Most bi-colors are born almost solid black except for the vent area, which is how most differentiate them from the blacks. 
They develop the lighter coloring on the legs with the penciling and tar heels as they mature. 
Like BlackGSD stated, they are probably black and tans, but the age is a factor.

Here's a pic of my bi-color girl at about 2 weeks old, she had just started getting the coloring on the legs.










And here she is at about 10 weeks old.










And 10 months.


----------



## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

They could be black/tan or bi-color, but most likely based on your description of how much tan they have already, and the color genetics available in the breeding, they are black/tan.

They aren't black, as then they'd be solid black. And they aren't sable as then they'd be grayish brown (and would have been such from birth) not primarily black with tan points. So black/tan it is.


----------



## izzyzmom (Feb 27, 2012)

*Pics & Age*

Hi, thank you all so much for the quick response. I just took these photos of one male & one female pup. They were solid black at birth except for the tan vent. They are 8 weeks old today! Thanks again!


----------



## bocron (Mar 15, 2009)

Black and tan.


----------



## izzyzmom (Feb 27, 2012)

*Another pic...very young.*

Here's a photo of the dark ones next to the sables at birth. The photo isn't the best, but the three dark ones are solid black except for the tan vent.


----------



## BlackthornGSD (Feb 25, 2010)

Black and tan


----------



## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Definitely black/tan based on the pics.


----------



## holland (Jan 11, 2009)

...I wonder why Chris had to make her point twice...


----------



## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

holland said:


> ...I wonder why Chris had to make her point twice...


Could be.....
A) She's bored at work today.
B) New info in the form of photos was posted after her first response, and those photos clinched it, so she gave her "final answer".
C) She wanted to give Holland something to post drivel about.
D) All of the above.


----------



## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I guess I'm rather confused,,it's very apparent those older puppies posted are black and tan..Was the pic of the batch of puppies the same litter just when they were younger?

I dunno, I would think a breeder would know what color their puppies were atleast by the time they were 8 weeks old, just sayin


----------



## Witz (Feb 28, 2011)

Chris Wild said:


> Could be.....
> A) She's bored at work today.
> B) New info in the form of photos was posted after her first response, and those photos clinched it, so she gave her "final answer".
> C) She wanted to give Holland something to post drivel about.
> D) All of the above.


 
Now that was funny!


----------

