What Colors Do German Sheperds Come In?
Did you know that The GSD comes in a variety of colors? The typical German Shepherd is black and tan, as seen in dogs like Rin Tin Tin. But there are other just as beautiful GSDs that are not what you typically see in the US. Check out these different GSD breed types (follow that link, but be sure to come back!).
So let’s break down just two of the color variations in simple terms. But before we do, let me state that the solid black GSD is recognized as an official AKC breed, but the white GSD is not recognized as a breed standard for a Shepherd. Not that they are any less of a dog, but the fact that there is no color in their fur is an actual genetic fault - one that makes the white Shepherd not registrable as part of the official AKC breed.
So what’s the difference between sable and black and tan German Shepherds?
What’s a Sable?
Here’s my (I know, here I go again…) sable female when she was 12 weeks old. I’ll have to update her photo, as she’s almost 3 years old now:rel=”lightbox”
Sable GSDs are not the typically colored Black & Tan color variety that you see. Their coat is black and tan, or black and red, but not in the saddle back configuration. And the ends of their fir contain either silver, or red, or more, hence the sable name! Now, again let me remind you that I’m not a pro at this stuff, so if you want a concise description of GSD’s and their colors, you can Google a hundred different sites for that.
What’s a Saddle back?
Saddle back is the color pattern you’ll see in most common GSD’s. Their coat can be black and tan, or black and red. They come in a variety of patters, two of those being “saddle back” and “tri color” patterns.
Here’s my (I know, I know…) black and tan male:
And again, the black and tans are the more typically seen dogs. I’m not sure why though. I mean, yes - they are very beautiful and majestic looking, but there are just as many beautiful grey, red, and black sables that people own. I would love to get another huge sable male GSD myself, but that’ll have to wait until my Zero is old enough not to care, or lives out his 15 years I plan on still having with him.
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May 25th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
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May 28th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I have a female that has the typical black face and ears of a GSD but the rest of her body is tan to reddish. She has a little smittering of black hair on her back and tail. Just wondering if she if full blooded or not and was wondering if you have ever seen one. She is beautiful and every other way acts like a GS. Thanks for any input. God bless
May 28th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Hello Ron,
If you can submit a picture of her, I can tell pretty quickly. Where did you purchase her? From a pro breeder, or another resource?
Take a look at the different color variations on this page, and see if you find a match:
GSD Breed Colors.
June 14th, 2008 at 12:01 am
Hi, was wondering if you could take a look at my German Shepherd and tell if she looks like a purebred. I did not get her from a breeder. I adopted her from an animal shelter when she was 8 months old. She is about 6 years old in the pictures. Pics are at http://www.power-premium.com/Gretchen/Gretchen.html
Thanks!
June 14th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Hello Dawn,
Was the animal shelter you got your girl from “breed specific”, such as a German Shepherd Rescue, or was it an all breed one?
I have no reason to doubt she’s NOT pure bred. She’s a pretty “bi-colored” “blanket back” Shepherd. Meaning the black portion of her fur extends past her front shoulders, giving way to the tan. My male is also a blanket back.
A closer side shot will determine this better. Can I scale the image down, and load it up here for our readers to see your beautiful girl?
June 15th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Hi Martin,
I sent a reply via email, and yes, I would love to have her picture on the site. Thanks!
June 15th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Added a few more pics to the site, BTW.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
My 6 month old German Shepherd Is black and tan but has white around her nose and a white line ging up to her head. She also has a completly white chest. I bought her last out of her litter because noone wanted her due to the fact that her colors did not look like a shepherd. Has anyone ever seen one with these colors before. I have tried to find pics online but cannot find one that looks like her. I wonder will she always have the white face and chest or will her colors blend more.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Hello Brie,
Where did you purchase her from (a professional breeder)? Does she have a pedigree? Can you send me a picture of her? She may be a German Shepherd mix, but we’d like to see her to make a better call.
I bet she’s a great part of your family!
June 25th, 2008 at 8:12 am
Martin, Should I send the picture to your email. I purchases her from a lady I work with. She has bred German Shepherds for years. I’ve seen the mother and the father and are both Full Blooded GSDs. She has papers. The lady said two out of the litter of 11 pups had the white on their face and chest. So you have never heard of this before? Please let me know where I can send a pic. I don’t know if I have a REAL good picture but definitely have one where you can see her face.
Thanks!!!
June 25th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Hello Brie,
I have gotten your pictures. Can I post them here for others to view as well?
I have to say, I have never, ever heard of two purebred GSDs having a pup in a litter with colorings/markings that would place those white strips on a face. Your (pretty girl!) looks like she’s mixed with Border Collie, or some other collie type.
In my humble, honest opinion, just by looking at your pictures of your girl, I say she’s a GSD/mix.
The color variants of the GSD are such as these (see next link), and do not vary from them:
Types of German Shepherds
I would also say that sometimes an accidental litter happens…with one/two - or more - of the pups showing the markings of the non-GSD male.
June 27th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Martin, Just thought I would let you know some information I found out. I have been speaking w/ the lady I bought my dog from and there is no possible way this could be a mix breed, The said the sire that the mother was bred with had also had two other litters, each with a couple of pups with the white markings. So I spent about an hour last nigth doing some research and found a few things online about this. It says that occasionally even when the mom and dad have no white, there is a recessive gene that some of the pups can get that creates white markings on the muzzle and chest and inside of the legs and sometimes the tip of the tail. I can find the website again if you would like to post this on the site. So I am happy with my baby and now know that she is special and unique. Thanks for your opinions on this. I would love see Sams picture posted. I will try to get one with where where she is standing up so everyone can really get a good look at her.
June 28th, 2008 at 12:57 am
Brie,
I think it depends on how much of a purest you are. My GSD, Gretchen, which you can see pics of from my previous posts, looks to be a genuine GSD with great markings. I ran in to a breeder while on the road with her (trucking) and He looked ar her and said he was sure she was pure bred, but he did note that the underlying hair could be considered “white” which was not good as far as “German Standards”. All I know is that she was the best dog I ever had, and I am now looking for a GSD puppy or such as they are thr BEST as far as I am concerned.
“It says that occasionally even when the mom and dad have no white, there is a recessive gene that some of the pups can get that creates white markings on the muzzle and chest and inside of the legs and sometimes the tip of the tail. “
July 9th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Hi! I have a german sheperd pup that my partner and I adopted early this year. The humane scociety told us that she was a mix but we have had lots of people tell us that she looks full blooded. I have asked a breeder friend of mine and she said that she looks to be a mixe between the white german sheperd and the black and tan german sheperd. So I was wondering if you could help us out with this dilima.
Thank You,
Ann
July 11th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Hello Ann,
Can I get your permission to post her picture here? Your girl is a real beauty! her look does indicate a GSD X (mix), especially her “tummy” cut.
So are you going to do advanced obedience training, or agility sports with her?
July 13th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
i have a pure bred all black german shepherd and i was wondering if i bred him with an all white girl what would the pups look like
July 16th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Hello Brittany,
As far as color variations between two sets of GSDs, it really depends on the pedigree. You need to also look into the sire/dam of both dogs, and see what colors/variations there are there.
And as a side note, the decision to breed German Shepherds (not that I’m singling you out, just in general) needs to be really thought out. Here are just a few things to think about:
What about working or obedience titles? Do your dogs have any?
show ratings or placements? Do your dogs have any?
How are you determining temperament, conformation, workability, trainability?
What are the female’s strengths and weaknesses?
What are the male’s strengths and weaknesses?
What are the male’s bloodlines?
What are the female’s bloodlines?
As one professional breeder put it:
October 14th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Hi Martin,
This may be the wrong section for this, but I was wondering; I’ve seen some GSD with one floppy ear. Is this a genetic trait or a physical issue?
October 14th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
I’m not sure if it’s genetic or not, but it can be corrected. One of our pups had floppy ears after all of her litter mates’ ears had come up. Eventually the right ear came up by itself, but we had to brace the left ear with a piece of foam rubber pipe insulation and spray adhesive. We replaced it whenever it fell out (about once every three days) for about three weeks. After the third week, the supporting tissue had strengthened to the point where the era stood up by itself.
November 5th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
my 10 week old GSD has one floppy ear will this change?i hope so ,but it really dosent matter,i am in love with him already
November 5th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Hello Joy,
Your pup is still very young. Ears will come up around 4 months (or sooner, depending on their genetics) - but be prepared for them to “sometimes” fall during teething.
So you have at least until 5 1/2 months old to worry
November 5th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
@Dave Port,
Thanks for your suggestion! That is a great way to tape the ears of our “problem” GSDs
I’d just like to add that genetics does play a roll. Not that its 100% - but does come into play.
And btw Dave, you have GREAT looking dogs on your site Haus Leisa German Shepherds!
December 26th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
I was wondering if I could send you a picture of my GSD and tell me if you think she is a pure bred. I bought her from a guy who strictly breeds GSDs and I wanted to be for sure and to see if you think she is a saddle back, she is only a little over 9 months and I know color development is finished at 2 years of age.
December 26th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
One more thing, I do not have any side views of her standing, she doesn’t want to stand still for those yet.
December 27th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
My husband and I found what looks to be a shepherd mix puppy, but other friends are telling us she “could” be a purebred, and looks ALL shepherd, except her tail….it’s not bushy at all.
Is there a way to tell, without DNA testing her? She was dumped on the side of the road, so seeing parents, looking for registration, etc, is out of the question, since we will never know who dumped her, or where she came from for sure….she had been out along a country road atleast one entire day….
December 27th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
ps…she was vetted yesterday and he thinks she is about 8-10 weeks old, and thankfully, other than hookworms, is very healthy
December 27th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
[IMG]http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k95/carolinec74/roxie1.jpg[/IMG]
Here is Roxie a few days ago
December 27th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k95/carolinec74/roxie1.jpg
hopefully this link will work
December 27th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
@Danielle - Yes you can send it right away. Let me ask about the sire/dam. What were their colors/conformation?
December 27th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
December 27th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
@Caroline, she looks very pretty, no matter if she’s purebred GSD or not
I’d say she’s a mix however
December 27th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Thanks Martin,….
We think she is a mix, not sure with what, but it doesn’t matter really…just curiousity mostly. My MIL thinks she’s a full shepherd, because she looks alot like one she owned… Curious mostly…but thanks for the reply.