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)