# Dark ring around sables tail



## Cstout

Stark has developed a black ring about 3/4 of the way up his tail. From there down is gray. I dont have a picture right now, i will load one when I get home. But, ive seen some puppies on here with the exact marking he has... brownish sable with the ring and gray below the ring. I have read that these are his adult colors. Is that true? And does that mean he will be gray like his tail or black like the ring on his tail? Just wondering.
Thanks!


----------



## onyx'girl

Most sables start getting the adult color at about 14-16 weeks, it comes in fast. Then the color will change with the seasons. My sable lightens up some in the winter, as his undercoat thickens. 
As far as the tail spot, that is where the precaudal gland is. I don't think that has anything to do with how he'll color as an adult. Just a scent gland that no longer functions in domestic dogs.


Here are a couple pics of my pup before/after his coat change.
10 weeks(light in color) 








12 weeks(starting to darken):








14 weeks( coat changed!):








Now at 3 yrs:


----------



## ponyfarm

Awww..I love the last picture, Onxy Girl. My puppy is light too with a black ring on his tail..interesting to watch the change! I dont know if he will be as dark as your guy.


----------



## Cstout

My puppy looks almost exactly like the two with pics up. It's crazy to tnink that he could be that darkening onyxgirl, your dog is absolutely gorgeous! I love dark sables, I hope Stark looks like that when hes older. I reallyreally like that look of the dark body and the tan legs with the penciling on the toes.


----------



## Smithie86

That circle of color around the tail is the color that your gsd will be at an adult age….


----------



## Freestep

All sables (all dogs, for that matter) have a ring of darker and/or coarser hair right there. The dog may end up the color of that ring, or not. But sables do get darker as they mature.


----------



## Dainerra

Singe's dark color spread out from that ring of color


----------



## childsplay

Yup, I noticed that ring on Uther too. He's a 4 month old sable boy who has been getting steadily darker as he ages. His puppy "fuzz" was king of a mix of gray, tan, and black. But his adult hair is much darker. I happen to love a dark sable dog so I'm happy about it. Right now, his legs and belly and a little bit of his shoulders are the only lighter spots.


----------



## ponyfarm

OK..so what does it mean if their stomach is black? Then what?


----------



## onyx'girl

my pup had a black strip along the spine and a dark tummy. If you can view puppy pics from your breeder around birth to two weeks it will give you a clue as to what your pup will look like colorwise at adulthood. Sables will really lighten up from 3-4 weeks til the adult coat comes in, so 8-10 weeks are the lightest stage they will have. That puppy wool will need to be groomed out or it will become matted. I made the mistake of not getting Karlo's wool out near the base of his tail(and that gland area) and he ended up chewing that area when he turned a year old. 
Here is a pic of what he did, it didn't last long, but enough broken coat to show(see where it use to be black?)


----------



## Liesje

That ring on the tail is always where the adult coat comes in first. It's not a sable thing but tends to be more noticeable on a sable because the adult coat is often much darker than the blonde undercoat but that happens to all GSDs regardless of color.


----------



## GrammaD

Liesje said:


> That ring on the tail is always where the adult coat comes in first. It's not a sable thing but tends to be more noticeable on a sable because the adult coat is often much darker than the blonde undercoat but that happens to all GSDs regardless of color.


That's what I thought. Huxley started getting what I called his "big boy hair" in a ring on his tail and then a stripe down his spine. Eventually they joined up.

It is such a beautiful glossy hair coat I am reconciled to the loss of puppy fluff


----------



## onyx'girl

You always have the ears to nuzzle. That never changes! I always see the spine change first~curly shiny coat, then it works its way down to the tail. I think the precaudal gland is interesting, because it isn't active on a GSD, though it is on wolves.


----------



## Loneforce

he he thats how Jonas was. I seen a funny shiny black ring around the middle of his tail, and had a shiny stripe going down his back. I was really worried something was screwy about his tail....then it all went together like a puzzle  Its amazing the changes they go thru


----------



## mego

sorry to bump this, but my girl has a black shiny circle around her tail (adult fur :wub, above it is brown, and below it is almost grayish because both colors are there - she's a black and red. what color will her tail be?? So confused, or will it stay sort of three colors like this?


----------



## volcano

Its a recessive raccoon tail, at least 3 more rings develop/theres threads on google about it.












:laugh: thats what you get for bumping old threads.


----------



## zozocity

volcano said:


> Its a recessive raccoon tail, at least 3 more rings develop/theres threads on google about it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> :laugh: thats what you get for bumping old threads.


i lol'ed! ^_^


----------

