Solid Black German Shepherd Dogs

"Lacquer Blacks": Black German Shepherds

An original Solid Black German Shepherd Dog is quite acceptable as a pure gene, although this pattern/color is not as common as sable or saddle GSD. Seemingly black color German Shepherds are really very striking, perfectly solid black GSD are seldom seen. Most back German Shepherds have little bit of tan around their toes and beneath the tail. In some cases the rectal regions & pasterns in black GSD also have tans. In some cases the solid black German Shepherds also exhibit gray undercoat over the areas like shoulders and neck. Experienced breeders like Maur Ray kennels (1940's), an American show line GSD kennel specializing in blacks documented that black GSD bred of blacks only for many generations would show fewer and fewer light hairs, until they were absolutely pure black, born without any tan. There are different schools of thoughts in regards to pigmentation in German Shepherd Dog breed, alike any other breed. Some of the contemporary well versed GSD breeders do not recommend breeding blacks to blacks in order to improve the richness of black pigments, unless the pedigree of the dogs consist of history of dark dogs of other patterns. Quite a lot of instances are there to prove that pale Black and Tan German Shepherds can also throw solid black puppies, and these puppies, on maturity, may produce pale Black and Tan puppies.

In the solid black German Shepherds the specific gene controls the formation of black pigment in the GSD - not the hair color. In the German Shepherd Dogs, alike any other canine breed, the dominance orders of coat colors is as follows: Black pigment including leather color of the nose, the rims of the eyes and pads; Carrier for liver color; Liver color - brown black colors, brown or faded black nose, non-black rims of the eyes and pads. 

The recessive gene that governs the coat color in GSD, alike other dog breeds - be it black or non-black coat color can be carried for several generations before the right coloration is achieved. Just because a recessive color does not exhibit on the pedigree your dog does not mean that any of the dogs listed siblings weren't a recessive color. This means if black has not been exhibited in your dog's pedigree for several generation, it does not mean that any of your dos siblings had not come up to be black.

Solid Black or All Black German Shepherd Dogs (Lacquer Blacks) are the gorgeous specimens and can make real companion. There is no difference in temperament, behaviors and working ability between a solid black German Shepherd and that of any other coat color. Owing to its unparalleled beauty, many people have seriously devoted in breeding All Black German Shepherd Dogs staying focused chiefly on the coloration. May backyard all black GSD breeder have ended up with mediocre quality dogs, while really serious breeders have earned a great deal of repute as Black GSD breeders.

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Bi Color German Shepherds

Bi Color GSD shows Good Amount of Tan Markings. 

Bi color German shepherd dog are not found as often as black and tan ones. Bi color GSDs are typically the black dogs with tan point very similar to Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers. The tan markings in a bi color German Shepherd Dog are actually very less, and sometimes for melanistic bi color Shepherds the mask is strong black, accompanied with wider extension of the black with a black undercoat and with only very little amount of tan markings on the feet. It is due to this heavily wider extension of very strong black that the melanistic bi color German Shepherds appear to be almost solid black at times. That's the reason many people confuse a melanistic bi-color shepherd with a solid black. The whole body of the dos is black, except a few parts. A few parts of the dogs body are brown/tan -- usually on the legs, feet, under the tail, in the eyebrows, and in some cases the dogs can have small tan markings on the cheeks.

However, bi color GSD usually exhibit good amount of tan around the vent and feet, but quite a lot evidences are there to prove that strongly melanistic bi color German Shepherd Dogs have only very little tan – just enough tan marks to say that it is actually a bi color GSD, and not a solid black dog. A paler version of bi color German Shepherd Dog, on the other hand, looks much like a black sable, exhibiting wider extension of black over a ground of light grey undercoat. The pale bi color German Shepherds usually exhibit tan or gray along the lines of harness, as well as over the nape of the neck, and black markings on the legs and feet. These pale bi color German Shepherd Dogs have the gene that governs the fading of the black mantle, and still can appear quite dark. 

In the bi color Shepherds the color intensity can vary a great extent exhibiting wide range of tan and black shades and can be categorized into three broad categories viz. rich bi color GSD, Melanistic Bi color Shepherds, and faded bi color German Shepherd Dogs. The tan points of lighter markings are often seen in the bi color German Shepherds that are categorized as faded bi color German Shepherd Dogs, which is however, genetically exist in almost all patterns in GSD. In case of brindle pattern in GSD, the bi color shepherds could have showed dark stripes –just like brindle boxers - over the tan ground. 

Note: The images of Bi-Color German Shepherds have been reproduced from the original work of Linda J Shaw (www.shawlein.com)

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Black and Tan German Shepherds

The black tan German Shepherd Dogs can be rich black and tan, melanistic black and tan or faded black and tan GSD.

The black and tan German Shepherds also show a rich tan marking, but have black saddles or blankets which are black varying in intensity. The black mantle in a standard black tan German Shepherd should cover the nape its neck, the shoulder and the dog’s back and sides down close to the belly region, and croup and tail. It is noticed quite often that the tan or the grey markings showing at the region of neck and down the tail. At the same time if this is noticed over the croup or along the sides of the dog or if the tail does not end up with a black tip, it is an indication of pale color in German Shepherd Dogs.

As we are talking about black and tan German Shepherds, we should talk about a pattern that appears like "Salt and pepper mix look” in the region of back and withers. This is very common in German Shepherd females, and is sometimes found even in the darker females too. This pattern in found, although not too frequently, in the faded male German Shepherd Dogs. There are very faded black tan German Shepherd Dogs that are easily confused with light sable GSDs. At times the black and tan German Shepherds tend to be so fade in pigmentation that judges usually consider them faulty. Most people who are not very much acquainted with the German Shepherd Dog breed mistakenly believe that there is only one color and that is typical 'black and tan'.

Very dark black and tan German Shepherds are often confused with bi color, and may come up with nearly solid black heads, necks and bodies. Melanistic black and tan German Shepherds look quite similar to bi color ones. They usually show little bit of tan markings around the base of the ears, and have very few or no black hairs down the region of pasterns, and on the toes and hock portions.

The black and tan German Shepherd puppies are born all black.

Rich black and tan German Shepherd, Melanistic black tan German Shepherd and faded black and tan Shepherd

 

 Note: The images of Black-Tan German Shepherds have been reproduced from the original work of Linda J Shaw (www.shawlein.com)

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Sable German Shepherd Dog

Sable German Shepherds have the original wolf colors

German Shepherd has an original wolf color, with pale ground color , covered by the mantle of hard black tipped guard coat. In a sable German Shepherd this ground color is usually tan, having a heavy overlay that seems to be black when viewed from distance. Dr. Malcom B Willis Dr. Willis - the senior lecturer in Animal Breeding and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture and Biological Sciences, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne had discussed upon the existence of two alleles for sable that are grey and yellow. It is to be remembered that similar variation in German Shepherd colors can also be found in Black Tan dogs.

A Sable German Shepherd can be identified quite easily. Sable German Shepherds (also known as agouti or wolf gray, in various colors of comparatively paler shades) usually have multi-colored individual hairs throughout the body. The Agouti gene actually determines if coat color of the German Shepherd is banded agouti coat color or a solid non-agouti coat color.

Study on mice have shown that the Agouti gene gives the mice a pale coats accompanied with having a tendency towards obesity, which may or may not hold good for dogs. Sable German Shepherds may also be masked by dark or black guard hairs. Concerning the color genes, the order of dominance of German Shepherds colors in the Agouti Series is as follow... golden sable, grey sable, saddle marked black-tan, bicolor black-tan, and solid black. In a sable German Shepherd Dog the sable color is dominant over all the other German Shepherd colors and patterns. The variation of shades in sable German Shepherds can be categorized into Rich saddle sable, black sable, faded sable. Sable may not improve the pigmentation in breeding just because the subjects are sable German Shepherds.  In a Sable German Shepherd Dog, possibilities are there that the sable can be as poorly pigmented as other patterns. If a sable German Shepherd is comparatively more more melanistic (darker) than an average Black and Tan GSD, it will appear equally dark, which in turn bring forth relatively better pigmentation to a breeding than a less melanistic subject, because the dog is genetically more melanistic (darker).

Sable German Shepherds are known for the multi-colored individual hairs, though they may have good dark mask or black guard coat as well. The color different blends of colors in the individual hairs consequently leads to a range of shades of colors and patters that may largely vary from sable German Shepherd to sable German Shepherd. The Sable German Shepherd Dogs appear in many shades ranging from of silver, gray, gold or mahogany colors. Most often sable German Shepherds have the dark mask, although at times masks tend to to be fade or sometimes almost absent. Agouti or Sable German Shepherds usually undergo few many stages of coat colors development - towards both lighter side as well as darker side, until they become fully matured i.e. around the age of three.

Sable German Shepherds are born all tan. The typical black tipping starts showing up as they reach a few weeks of age, followed by a continual process of change - either lightening or darkening until the puppy reaches an age of around three years. Sable German Shepherd puppies hence undergo an dramatic change of coat colors during their growth process. Most of the times the Sable German Shepherd puppy ends up with either darker or lighter shade.

Sable German Shepherd Dogs have wolfish look due to their original wolf colors

 

Note: The images of Sable German Shepherds have been reproduced from the original work of Linda J Shaw (www.shawlein.com)

 

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