# Color?



## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

I can identify an "obvious" sable. Can someone tell me how to identify a patterned sable. 

When we got our pup I thought she was a sable at 7 weeks. Then I was told she was a black and tan. She is a blanket back at 10.5 mo. But she has areas that to me look sable. I know you can't have a "part" sable. 
Is she a blank and tan or is she really a patterned sable? 


















These pictures are a little over a month old. Her thigh area is getting lighter.

Her sire was all black. Her dame was what I thought to be a poorly colored silver/black. Maybe the dame was a patterned sable?

Thanks for your input .


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

She's black/tan.
The easiest way to tell is when they are pups. Black/tan pups will be mostly black with tan markings. Sables will be entirely grayish tan with some black ticking.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I am not sure she will end up a blanket though. That lightening might continue until she has a traditional saddle. 

And it may not. 

She looks real comfortable on her sofa, with her clicker.


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## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

Chris Wild said:


> She's black/tan.
> The easiest way to tell is when they are pups. Black/tan pups will be mostly black with tan markings. Sables will be entirely grayish tan with some black ticking.


 Ahh...Thanks for the explanation. So is a patterned sable a dog with saddle back type markings with a different color undercoat?



selzer said:


> I am not sure she will end up a blanket though. That lightening might continue until she has a traditional saddle.
> 
> And it may not.
> 
> She looks real comfortable on her sofa, with her clicker.


 LOL! She likes her sofa time. And, she has been known to change the channel a time or two. 

As of late, she is getting some very light or white hairs between her shoulders; and a few here and there about her back and sides. 

The ever changing colors of a German Shepherd puppy.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

A patterned sable is a sable, so the individual hairs are banded. They just have a saddle pattern to them as well. From a distance they can look like a black/tan but if you get close and part the hair you'll see that the black hairs aren't black but are banded with just black tips.

This dog is a patterned sable. He's not the best example as his pattern isn't as distinct as some I've seen, but it's the only photo of one I have handy.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

My dog is a patterned sable

This is him as an adult - from some angles he just looks black and tan









This is the sun hitting from the back. Bad picture but you can see the sable










And as a puppy


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Take a piece of her fur and put it on white paper. If she's sable, you'll see the black tip Chris mentioned and 2 other colors. Undercoat could be gray or pale tan. 

Morgan had butter colored undercoat. She was very dark as a young dog and I thought she was black and tan until she was like 3 and someone said no, she's gold sable. 3 colors on the fur, stripe on the front of the saddle and black bands along her ear. This picture shows off the colors well, because she was wet like she prefered to be.


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## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

Chris Wild said:


> A patterned sable is a sable, so the individual hairs are banded. They just have a saddle pattern to them as well. From a distance they can look like a black/tan but if you get close and part the hair you'll see that the black hairs aren't black but are banded with just black tips.
> 
> This dog is a patterned sable. He's not the best example as his pattern isn't as distinct as some I've seen, but it's the only photo of one I have handy.


 Got it. One more question if you wouldn't mind. 
I've read on here many times that you can't have a "part" sable. I've come to accept that must be so. 
But many of the hairs on Ziva's rear quarters/shoulders are as you have described. Hairs that are two colors with the tips being black. The hairs on her back however are predominately just black (so that makes her a black and tan). 
I've seen many GSD's with this. Why is this not considered "part' sable. 

If I might use the picture you provided as an example. The dog has tan legs that don't appear to have banded hairs. The banded hairs are on the rest of the body with the saddle patterned...thus patterned sable classification (yes?). Does the sable designation apply only if the dog has banded hairs on it's back regardless of hair color elsewhere on it's body? 
I'm just trying to understand where the line gets drawn for color classification when it comes to banded hairs. 

Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom with me.


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## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

So the banded hairs actually have 3 colors not just two. 

Jocoyn & SunCZarnia, beautiful dogs. Thanks for sharing your pics. Very helpful


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