If you’ve ever bumped into an intelligent, high-drive German Shepherd at the dog park, it’s likely this relatively common dog breed made some kind of impression on you. Known for their muscular build and loyal nature, most people picture a German Shepherd Dog in its most prevalent coat color—the black and tan.
Some people might think that all German Shepherds are black and tan, but that is not the case at all—in fact, there are many different colors of German Shepherd Dog!
In this article, we will discuss the differences between sable German Shepherds vs. black and tan German Shepherds. We will also touch on a common misconception about German Shepherd puppies—so if you’re considering adopting the beloved breed, you’ll want to read this article first!
WHAT DO GERMAN SHEPHERDS LOOK LIKE?
While the American Kennel Club has somewhat stricter ideas in terms of regulating a breed standard for “acceptable” appearances for the German Shepherd Dog, or GSD (commonly colloquially referred to as a “German Shepherd”), there is actually quite a range of phenotypic variance for this particular breed.
Coming in a variety of coat colors, the German Shepherd is relatively long and tall and considered medium to large in size. While they are born with floppy ears, it is expected that their ears will stand upright by about five months in age.
WHAT IS THE MOST COMMON COLOR OF GERMAN SHEPHERD DOGS?
Healthy German Shepherds from a reputable breeder generally grow to be between 65-80 pounds—and while they can come in coat color varieties ranging from snow white to sable, blue, bi-color, or jet black.
However, when most people conjure images of purebred German Shepherds, they envision a pooch representing the breed’s most common phenotype—the black and tan “saddled” coat that gives them their signature look. This is likely the most common color pattern for the breed, a physical manifestation of the dominant gene responsible for the “saddled” black and tan look.
This is often noted with the genotypes (At-At), or alternatively, (At-a); in the latter example, the “a” refers to a recessive gene for a solid black coat. In order to present the solid black coat phenotype, a puppy must be born with both (a-a) genotypes.
DIFFERENT GERMAN SHEPHERD COLORS
While the black and tan GSD is unequivocally the breed’s most easily recognizable color pattern, the American Kennel Club recognizes a broad number of color variations expressed in their double coat.
Some German Shepherd Dogs appear in coats of a single solid color, while others, like the sable German Shepherd, present with a coat with light brown roots characterized by dark tips.
Depending on breeding preferences and the recessive genes the parents of a litter might be carrying, the range of color variations described in the AKC breed standard include the following different colors of German Shepherds:
- Pure black German Shepherds
- Solid white German Shepherd dogs
- Bicolor German Shepherd, usually mostly black with tan accents
- Sable coloring
- Grey German Shepherd
- Liver
- Blue German Shepherd
- Cream and black shepherds
- Black and red sable German Shepherd
- Black and silver German Shepherds
- And of course, black and tan dogs
While this list is all that’s offered up on the official AKC website, there are in fact even more expressions of the GSD recognized by some breeders—such as the solid tan German Shepherd or the black sable German Shepherd, which sports dark black tips on its coat with warm brown or grey colors close to the root.
Of course, the breed standard of what is an “officially recognized” GSD phenotype as seen through the eyes of the AKC does have its limitations; for example, while solid white German Shepherds can register as a GSD provided they are descended from two registered GSD parents, they are not allowed to compete in front of a judge at dog shows. This may someday change, however, as the decision was considered “less desirable” based on false notions from German Nazis that the white phenotype caused faded colors in the next generation of puppies.
DO GERMAN SHEPHERD PUPPIES CHANGE COLOR?
Fantastic as it might seem, the majority of GSD puppies actually do change color as they mature—all but the solid black or solid white varieties. The transformation of their puppy coats over the first year or two is dictated exclusively by their DNA and the subsequent interplay between dominant and recessive genes—though the phenotypes of a pup’s parents might be a good place to start when attempting to guess their final coat color.
What’s more, just because a GSD puppy is born solid black doesn’t necessary mean it will stay that way. In fact, all silver, red, and tan German Shepherds are born solid black, gradually developing other colors around the face and legs with time. In contrast, sable GSD puppies are generally completely tan at birth, adopting darker shades at the tips of their coat after a year or two has transpired.
Changing colors in the first few years of life is not the only change that occurs in the coat of the German Shepherd. Especially if raised and trained to live mostly outdoors, mature GSD shed or develop a thicker coat at least once a year—likely twice or even more, depending on their environment!
SABLE GERMAN SHEPHERD VS. BLACK AND TAN: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
While often somewhat similar in terms of colors represented, there are some distinct differences between the sable German Shepherd vs. black and tan GSD. While both often involve the expression of two or more colors in their coat, there are distinct differences in how the hair of their coat presents that color
For example, sable GSDS are known for possessing a light undercoat (typically tan or light gray) that transitions to dark black tips on the outermost limits of the guard hair. This creates a relatively complex and visual appearance that, especially if recognized from far away, might be hard to describe for a novice. At a first glance, this remarkable coat pattern could by oversimplified and summed up as looking primarily “gray.”
In contrast, a black and tan GSD offer multiple colors throughout their coat, though they are presented differently. Generally involving relatively solid patches of black and tan fur, a black and tan German Shepherd Dog is noted for its “saddled” appearance, or the distinctive patch of colored fur (usually black) over their tan legs and underbellies. Even a novice would likely never describe this coat as “grey.”
SO, YOU WANT TO ADOPT?
German Shepherds are loyal, easily trained, strong, and protective dogs—and they have grown increasingly popular in family households and working applications (such as K9 Units for local police forces) since their introduction to the United States in 1906. While most fully-grown GSD weigh less than 100 pounds, they do come in an oversized version known as a King Shepherd—reaching up to 120 pounds in weight and 29 inches off the ground.
For first-time owners be careful some German Shepherds have health problems. Always make sure they are vet checked.Here is a list health conditions common for German Shepherd dog breed :
- Hip Dysplasia
- Elbow Dysplasia
- Epilepsy.
- Hemophilia.
- Diabetes.
- Cataracts.
- Degenerative Disc Disease
- Gastric Dilation-Volvulus (GDV)
Whatever coat color you decide upon and whatever size you hope your pup will grow to be, when you adopt a German Shepherd Dog from a reputable breeder, chances are you will end up with a sensitive, intelligent, and notably courageous companion with a high aptitude for learning commands and performing “working” tasks. This may be why so many GSD—whether sable, black and tan, or even pure white—serve mankind in a variety of different ways, from aiding military or paramilitary operations to acting as attuned therapy or service dogs.
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