What Colors Do German Shepherds 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 white Shepherd is not registrable as part of the official AKC breed. I know that the White Shepherd debate is a huge one, but all I’m referring to is the ability to register them in the AKC. Here’s a specific quote from the AKC Standard for the German Shepherd (http://www.akc.org/breeds/german_shepherd_dog/):
Color -
The German Shepherd Dog varies in color, and most colors are permissible. Strong rich colors are preferred. Pale, washed-out colors and blues or livers are serious faults. A white dog must be disqualified.
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 6 years old now:
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.
Enjoyed this article?
If you enjoyed this post, please make sure to follow me on Twitter, add my as a friend on your Facebook, and/or subscribe to my rss feed.
sending...
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
May 25th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
[...] you’re looking for information on the different colors of GSDs, check out the latest page on that. Or how about checking out our great articles on dog health and [...]
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.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:07 am
i too owe a german shepehrd named bruno he is also a pure breed but he is 32 inches tall. I have had many german shepherds in my life but this is the tallest one i have ever seen among german shepherds,but he has perfect body, he is a pure breed from champion bloodline but i dont know why he is so huge.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:08 am
i too owe a german shepehrd named bruno he is also a pure breed but he is 32 inches tall. I have had many german shepherds in my life but this is the tallest one i have ever seen among german shepherds,but he has perfect body, he is a pure breed from champion bloodline but i dont know why he is so huge?
September 29th, 2009 at 6:29 am
Hello Kirti,
It depends on a dog’s pedigree. Meaning, there are pure bred dogs of ANY breed that are selectively breeded to obtain a certain characteristic -- Large Dogs being one of them. While 32 inches is out of the “AKC Standard” confirmation, it’s definitely possible.
Now, weighing a larger GSD against any possible health issues is another story.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
reading your site i noticed that you have on there that you cannot register a white GSD with AKC, whereas i know for a fact you can. The sire of our male sable was a pure white and his whole background on his father’s side was white. A white GSD cannot be shown through AKC, but can be registered. The quote that you cited about white being disqualified was for show purpose only. My husband and I are breeders and have had some beautiful champange puppies out of our last litter and they are registered.
November 8th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Judy, you are 100%. White German Shepherds can be registered, but not shown:
Which comes to mind an “open-ended thought”: One of the main registering bodies for pure breed dogs -- the AKC -- calls a white colored GSD a “fault” in our breed.
November 13th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
I just got done reading everyones posts and wanted to ad that PURE BRED german shepherd puppies CAN have white markings on their muzzles, forehead, chin, chest, feet & tip of the tail! It is caused from BOTH PURE BRED parents having whats called the “Irish White Spotting Gene” The parents dont have to have the markings for their offspring to get them, it is VERY rare and the white markings on the muzzle, forehead & tip of the tail fade and disappear by the time they are full grown. I have a black sable male and a black & cream female that have produced just a couple of these unique babies, I live in Ontario, Canada and I have also came across American Kennel Club registered german shepherd puppies with the same unique markings
For the woman who was told her GSD is a GS/Collie mix: I also believe your baby is a Pure Bred! 
November 15th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Hi, i have a litter of german shepherd puppies out of our female and sired by our male,both AKC registered. They have had several litters before and usually have varied shades of sables and then the traditional black and tans. I have noticed on a couple of puppies in the past, as well as now, that a few of their puppies will have white toes, usually they fade away into tan by the time they are a few weeks to a couple of months old. Is this normal??? the mother is a sable saddle back (she’s typical saddle back but instead of being black and tan, she’s sable where the black normally is, and light tan) the male is traditional dark rin tin tin saddle back.
thanks!
November 15th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Hey Lisa! My answer to your question is *YES* very normal, it is caused by the common white gene, sounds like the Mother would have it., Are you sure she’s not a faded saddle back?, I have never heard of a sable saddle back, usually sables are sable all over except for their legs sometimes. How did she look as a puppy? more sable or more black & tan?
November 15th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
artin! How can I post pictures on here?, or can I?
November 15th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
missed the *M* on my last post, sorry *Martin*!
December 9th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
@I love my GSD’s -- One of the many tools I’ll be adding to our site is an area for “peep-submissions of their dogs“. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime, send them via email to: pictures (at) germanshepherd-breed (dot) org
January 6th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
Hi, here’s a pic of my 1 yr old GSD. Someone said he looks like a GSD husky cross with the distinct banding on his chest. He’s a rescue so don’t know his history. Looking at the GSD lines he resembles a bi-colour with a bit of silver sable in him -- his black ‘blanket bit’ has silver undercoat coming through (noticeable when the wind blows his coat up). Belly is white / grey. Tail is long like a GSD. He’s tall (36″) and long-legged, not muscular. Characteristics are like the breed, except he doesn’t really bark but makes a ‘yawning’ noise! Any ideas?
January 6th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Feral; He looks like a true GS to me, just with uncommon colours! Looking forward to hear from Martin too
I just had to add a pic of 2 of my babie’s now that picture’s can be posted
January 6th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
All of my babie’s!
January 6th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
OOPS, picture didn’t go through, I’ll try again?
January 6th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
ILMGSD’s, your babies look gorgeous, how old are they?
Here’s another pic of my boy.
January 6th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
Thanks Feral!
Corona (on left) was born August 11, 2006 & Kokanee (on right) was born September 30, 2005. we also have another male and female, Velten (male) is a “Corona & Kokanee Baby” and Stella (female) is our newest addition. I tried uploading a pic earlier of all four of them together but it didnt work, I will try again this time.
Your pup is also gorgeous! he has all the GSD feature’s and from what I can see I dont see any Husky. His white belly is most likely from 1 (or more) white ancestors which could also cause faded colouration. Do you know how much he weighs?
January 6th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
O.K. lets try this pic, if it works, this is Velten
January 7th, 2010 at 6:29 am
Wow, 4 GSDs you’ll be busy hoovering then! What lovely names -- I like it when owners give them decent names instead of ‘little dog’ names like Pip -- no offence to any Pip owners! Remus is 31 kg so a lightweight for his size. Was very underweight when we got him 8 weeks ago so feeding him 3 times a day. Vet reckons he’ll be 35-38 kg when mature. Hope he doesn’t get any taller as we’ll need a bigger crate!
February 12th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Faral, your male GSD and Dawn’s female named Gretchen are both pure German Shepherds. The Husky/wolf like mask is called a Reverse Mask. I own a Silver Sable Reverse Masked Shepherd and a Female that isn’t a true Reverse mask but does have a red stripe down her muzzle but it is hard to see over the tan muzzle in photos. A breeder told me that genetically the GSD just doesn’t have the alleles to create a full mask.
Just thought you’d like to know.
This look was really popular in America in the 50′s and 60′s but isn’t so popular now-a-days. Making them really hard to find. Believe me I searched for three years to find my Male and I am in the process of searching for either a Reverse Masked Stud or another dog/puppy for my household. They are not popular so they are very hard to find. The breeders that have reversed masked pups usually don’t want to breed for it because they don’t really like that look. I on the other hand find it breathtaking.
February 12th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
“A breeder told me that genetically the GSD just doesn’t have the alleles to create a full mask.”
I should have read before I posted
I meant to say that the Reverse Masked GSD doesn’t have the alleles to create a full mask that’s why they only have the stripe down the nose and sometimes the patches under the eyes.
Hope that clarifies that!
February 23rd, 2010 at 8:57 am
Thanks for that info Kat. Remus is 34 kg now, putting on weight slowly. Interesting about the reverse mask -- a lot of people ask me what breed he is because of his markings. Naturally I think he’s stunning!
March 1st, 2010 at 5:35 pm
hi,does anyone know how to acheive a grey coloured g/s?i have seen a few on the net but cant find no info on them?are they rare?thanks lisa x
March 1st, 2010 at 5:58 pm
Hey Lisa! Our shepherds have produced a few “grey sable’s”, you can see a picture of them a few posts above., here is a picture of one of thier pups at 6 months old., does he have the colouration you are asking about?
March 1st, 2010 at 6:09 pm
Well that picture didn’t work!? I am going to try a different pic, this is a female from our shepherds, she was about 4.5 months old here, if this one doesn’t upload I give up., If you want you could email me; super33@live.ca and I can send you pic’s that way!
March 1st, 2010 at 6:17 pm
For Martin & Feral; If this pic uploads? ~ these are my 4 babies <3
Kokanne, Corona, Stella & Velten
March 2nd, 2010 at 12:39 pm
hi i love my g/s….i already have a white male….if mating him what colour would he mate with?thanks lisa x
March 3rd, 2010 at 3:24 am
i love my g/s….i say grey…i should say blue..i heard some white g/s carry the blue gene is that correct?lisa x
March 27th, 2010 at 11:54 pm
Novice GSD owner… Purchasing my very first GSD baby! I’ve never owned one before, SOOOOOOOO… This is probably going to sound like a crazy question, but I am in the middle of purchasing a purebred GSD from a woman, but am confused about the puppies… They are all black. Are all GSD puppies born black? Both parents are on site and they are magnificent animals, so THAT part isn’t in question. The dad is a golden/yellow and black, and the mom is a sand-color and black/silver color. Only one of the puppies has any tan on her and it almost perfectly follows the usual saddle coloring. The pups are only 4 weeks old, so how long would it take before they start looking like GSDs and not big cute black puppies?
April 14th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
A breeder offered me a golden gsd female, she descends from a grand/grand/grand- father that was a former gsd work world champion, and she comes from the easten europe, former eastern germany and russia.
Sorry for my bad english, i’m from portugal.
Good site Martin, greetings from portugal.
April 14th, 2010 at 7:56 pm
Good to have you here Eddie! Please, comment again, and add a photo of your girl!
September 5th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
Feral, your boy looks very much like our boy…and your description of his physical characteristics is pretty much how I would describe our Hobbes. He is an SPCA rescue dog so I know very little about his past -- all they could tell me he is that they think he is a husky/GSD mix that was found in the north of our province (Canada), left to die with three litter mates, tethered and abandoned. He is about nine months old now and probably about 50 pounds, very lean, agile and full of mischief; the picture was taken the day we adopted him (age 6 months). He has a GSD’s tail and body but very large paws like a husky and LOVES to run/pull! What do you think? Is he possibly a pure GSD reverse mask or a husky mix? Thanks!
September 5th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
…another picture of Hobbes so you can better see his colouring and fur patterns.
September 29th, 2010 at 10:42 am
I was wondering if you could tell me what possible colors I might get from breeding a female all black german shepherd and a black and tan german shepherd together. Thanks, Angela
September 30th, 2010 at 11:12 am
I have a black female German Shepherd puppy that is 10 weeks old and I have noticed that her color is starting to change. She has what looks like a light brown color growing under the black on her tail and on the bottoms of all four paws is this normal for a German Shepherd puppy. I got her from a breeder. Her ears are not standing up yet either.
October 3rd, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Can anyone tell me when my puppy will start to change colors? Her dad was a bi-color and her Mom was a saddleback. She is 11 weeks old and looks the same as she did at 6 weeks old. Her name is Jazmine (Jazzy Mae) and she is already housebroken, so smart. This is the first GSD I have ever had so any pointers would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
October 3rd, 2010 at 12:04 pm
P.S. She is mostly black and looks like a Bi-color also. The breeder says very few of his puppies turn out bi-color.
December 19th, 2010 at 9:16 pm
I have a 2 month old puppy that I bought off craigslist. I was told it was purebred, but have some doubts as he has this odd speck of white on his muzzle, a little on his chest, and a little on the tips of his toes (just the back legs). He’s super cute nonetheless, but I would like to know what you think.
December 19th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
Side view(without the white).
February 18th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
I was reading the comments and just wanted to share my Girl with all of you. Her color has changed so much from when she was a pup. Her name is Marzipan and she is now 2 years old.
April 28th, 2011 at 10:20 am
is it pure or not?????
April 28th, 2011 at 10:24 am
is it or not he is 2 month older please tell early
June 23rd, 2011 at 2:51 am
i mate this 1 female gsd with a tipically black and tan GSD , can u tell me in what color will puppies born??? , i ‘ll post another pic of my female
June 23rd, 2011 at 2:58 am
i have a female german shepherd(not sure for pure breed) and i mate with a tipically pure breed GSD black and tan, what color will puppies born? plz tell me
ps. in this pic is 9 months old
June 23rd, 2011 at 3:00 am
another pic
June 29th, 2011 at 8:39 pm
She looks to be a “red sable”., With a black & tan male she would most likely produce red sable’s, silver sable’s and black & tans… also depends on what colour gene’s they both carry!
August 27th, 2011 at 11:47 am
I just bought a German Shepard puppy and she is 8 weeks old.
my Question is she has white tips on her back paws is this normal or is that a sign of a mix breed.
thank you
February 10th, 2012 at 3:34 pm
Here’s a good link on more GSD color variations…
http://www.kerstoneshepherds.net/colors/colors.htm
Here’s a pic of my babies…Ebony on the right is bi-colored. Her mom was a white GSD and her dad a blue GSD. Her pup, Bhullet, there on left, is Blk/Silver. We had his dad too; he was your traditional Black/Tan.
February 14th, 2012 at 4:47 pm
We just bread our AKC female to our neighbor’s AKC Male -- witnessed the whole thing…right on the button, the babies were born today -- 7 so far.
3 look just like momma/daddy -- sable
4 are black and two of those have a little white spot on their chest and one has white between three back toes….what do you think is up with that?
February 17th, 2012 at 11:27 pm
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f225/dangilo/f628e01d.jpg
This is my baby Sam. What kind of coat is this? Is she purebred … We arent sure, we rescued her from neglectful owner so no papers.
Her back is mostly tan with some black streaks but not much. A lot of people comment on her coat saying they haven’t seen it before. She also has long hair (the coarse double coat, not soft) but we had to shave her because her fur was too matted (someone didn’t groom her)
March 17th, 2012 at 5:47 am
can someone help me, which breed is this….
March 27th, 2012 at 7:42 am
Can anyone say which breed is this . I bought it thinking it as gsd . When will the ears of gsd be erect .
March 27th, 2012 at 8:01 am
I have bought this pup thinking it as gsd . Is it a german shepherd . When will the ears of gsd be erect .
March 29th, 2012 at 4:47 pm
Hello,
Feel free to email me at amanduhh23@gmail.com
My husband and I found our 10 month old GSD when she was just a few weeks old, she was scared and shaking in a parking lot so we decided to take her in. I think she could possibly be a mix of another breed but can’t seem to figure out what she could be. She has all the charistics of a GSD, other then her slightly curled tail, and a white stripe down her chest and belly. If anyone has any idea of what she could be, please tell me!
Thanks!
March 29th, 2012 at 11:34 pm
I bought this pup thinking it as gsd can anyone say which breed is this . When will the ears of gsd be erect .
March 31st, 2012 at 9:08 pm
I was wondering for the longest time, whether or not the different colored GSD’s range in size, like if an all black GSD could or would be just as big as the tri-colored GSD’s or white.
April 13th, 2012 at 8:55 am
Hi, Ive attached a pic of my two dogs, which we thought we GSDs until someone pointed out that they ought to have dual colors. Kindly let me know your opinion. It doesnt matter in the least because we love them very much but we are curious. Thanks in advance!
April 13th, 2012 at 10:41 pm
Hello VJ,
I would say definitely a Shepherd mix, but two beautiful dogs nonetheless! Just curious, did you get them as pups from a breeder sold AS German Shepherds?
Thanks for that photo!
Best Regards,
Martin
April 14th, 2012 at 3:31 am
Hi Martin,
No, we didnt buy them from a liscensed breeder, but from a dog unit. We were told that they were German Sheperds and they certainly looked so when they were pups.
Their color lightened considerably as they grew up and they didnt become as big as we expected them to become. That photo was taken when they were around 5 months old.
Thank you for the info!
April 19th, 2012 at 8:22 am
Hi Martin,
I bought a german shepherd pup which is completely brown coloured except a white spot on its chest . I thought it is a german shepherd but one of my friend said that german shepherds will not be of single colour . It is 3 months old but still its ears are down . How can i identify whether it is gsd or not ?
Thank you .
April 19th, 2012 at 4:00 pm
Hello Rohith,
The two single colors that German Shepherds have are all black or all white. There are also black/tan, black/red, sables (which can include dark sable, light sable, etc) -- as we have covered in are article above. Solid brown is not one of them, your friend is correct.
Can you submit a photo of your pup (by using the “Optionally add an image (JPEG only)” option below) so we can have a good look at him?
Best Regards,
Martin
April 20th, 2012 at 10:34 pm
Hi Martin ,
Thanks for the information . I have attached the photo of my pup .
Thank you.
April 21st, 2012 at 2:17 am
Hi Rohith
To be honest with you, your pup looks a lot like a Chocolate Labrador! Other than his nose, I’d say he is definitely a mix, with shepherd being a small portion….. Nice looking dog non-the-less.
A Labrador’s ears will not stand erect, so I would be very curious once he is done teething, around 3/4/5 months old, how his ears are.
Keep me informed, and submit his photo many times throughout his young life.
Best Regards,
Martin
April 22nd, 2012 at 12:06 am
Hi Martin, I posted a picture of my dog a few blogs up asking for some help with determining her breed, could you please help me out?
Thanks!
April 28th, 2012 at 3:37 pm
hi this is my german sheperd girl jessie she is 15 weeks old can you tell me if she is a pure bred thanks for your help
April 28th, 2012 at 3:45 pm
hi martin heres another one of jessie at 14 weeks also what colour do you think she might be when shes older many thanks for your help
May 5th, 2012 at 12:03 am
Hi Martin,
I rescued a GSD that looks almost identical to Dawn’s (bi colored blanket back with all the classic markings) except with a touch more red than tan! He was 11 months and scheduled to be put down on a Monday and we got him that Friday before! And as many other owners, I love my Buddy!
I was wondering what the about typical weight of a GSD at 14 months? Since we got him he’s been sick alot and the vet has told us he has a weak immune system and was probably the runt of the litter. He was also under weight when I got him and definitely was abused as a pup :-/ . He’s around 55 lbs last time we weighed him and was just curious if that’s under the normal for a GSD like Dawns? Also I’m curious at what age they stop growing?
Thanks in advance! Love the site!
-Jacob
May 5th, 2012 at 4:47 pm
Hello Jacob,
Firstly, let me thank you for adopting this dog of yours! Saving a canine life is an AWESOME thing to do. It sound like your boy has some health issues that you as his handler need to patiently overcome.
Without knowing his pedigree, I can’t be too specific, but generally, our dogs grow till 2 years old (height/bone growth at one year, weight and girth at two years.) -- but, growth has been documented as much as 3 years old! Typical weight should run 66lbs to 90lbs (120lbs sometimes lol), so at 14 months old, eating a HIGH QUALITY dog food, such as Royal Canin’s German Shepherd formula (this is what I feed, along with alternating my GSD on a raw diet), your boy -- at a full normal healthy state -- should weigh in around 75lbs.
Please submit some photos of your boy, and thanks for the questions!!!
Best Regards,
Martin
June 14th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
Hello Peter,
From the angles your pictures shows of Jessie (without seeing her at a stand, etc.), she looks to be a long haired GSD. I see no indication of a mix
She looks like she’ll be a (long haird) black and tan “blanket coat”.
Best Regards,
Martin
July 4th, 2012 at 8:19 am
hi martin,
As per our discussion above , here is my pups pic which is 5 months now .
what do u say about it now
Thank you .
July 5th, 2012 at 3:15 pm
Hello Rohith,
Now that he is older, we can definitely see that he is a mix, and not just a mix of two breeds either.
He looks like a handsome boy, and so I know you are having a great time with him as your pet! Keep him up on obedience commands, treat him fairly, and love him as much as he loves you
Best Regards,
Martin
July 12th, 2012 at 12:45 am
Heyy this is my first time here and I would like to know if my german shepherd is pure breed any help guys he is all brown with white under his neck
October 9th, 2012 at 9:45 am
We got a 100 mo. old German Shepard and trying to find out if he is purebred or not?
October 24th, 2012 at 9:12 pm
Hi Martin. I have a GSD that ive researched and seems to be a melanistic??? Black and tan. Is this right???
October 28th, 2012 at 9:35 pm
VJ, I have been breeding German Shepherds for over 15 years, I’d say that what you have there are a beautiful pair of pure bred red sable German Shepherds. They are beautiful.
October 29th, 2012 at 7:36 pm
Hello there I was wondering if it is normal for my German Shepherd to have black, red, tan and white? He’s whole body is black except his belly, paws and neck are tan. Around his ears he is red then he has some random parts he is white like he has a line on his back and parts of his chest he has lines. Is it normal? His dad was a long haired and his mother a short hair. I’d really love to know! Thanks!
November 5th, 2012 at 8:21 am
Hi Martin ,
I have bought another german shepherd pup . It is black and tan coloured . I have attached its pic . Please say whether it is original german shepherd or not . Thanks .
November 6th, 2012 at 7:13 am
HI Martin Please explain me the diet plan for 1 month old gsd . How many times should it be fed a day . Waiting for your reply .
November 6th, 2012 at 9:50 am
Hi Martin ,
I have bought another german shepherd pup . It is black and tan coloured . I have attached its pic . Please say whether it is original german shepherd or not . Please explain me the diet plan for 1 month old gsd . How many times should it be fed a day . Waiting for your reply .
November 7th, 2012 at 10:48 pm
Hi Martin ,
I have bought another german shepherd pup . It is black and tan coloured . I have attached its pic . Please say whether it is pure breed or not and Please explain the diet plan for 1 month old gsd . How many times should it be fed a day . Waiting for your reply .
Thank You.
November 25th, 2012 at 2:31 pm
Hello
I was wondering if you think my dog is pure bred shepherd. I go him from a somewhat sketchy person and have CKC registered papers for him. But His legs and chest are white while his saddle is black. But if you look at one strand of fur on his back half of its white and the other half is black..
December 9th, 2012 at 2:02 am
Just to let u know the shepherds with the white on them are pure breeds. There are studies done on the reasoning for the genetic mutation. To date no answers. It is only generated from the tan and black dogs. There is no problem with it dog and she is likely pure bred. Just because her due is a different colour does not make her not a pure.
I have added a picture of my pure shep here. She is a panda shepherd. If u google that u will find plenty of images of them. My girl is only 6 mths old. Brie I hope u are still reading.
December 24th, 2012 at 9:47 pm
hello martin,
I have a 3 months old GSD pup,which is very friendly towards all.we need her to be ferocious or atleast bark @ others..thank you.
December 27th, 2012 at 5:29 am
dear martin ,
i am uploading my gsd pup and want to know whether it is a long coat gsd or short coat my brothers have uploaded its photo but no response from ur end so please help me out in identification please suggest me am uploading its 35 days pic ……..
January 23rd, 2013 at 1:53 pm
Hi everyone,
I have a question I am so curious about, is the dog in the pic a GSD?
Would you please help me with my situation, I want to know what breed is this dog.
Thanks for your consideration.
February 1st, 2013 at 6:05 pm
Hi Martin,
My friend owns a German Shepherd that has a very unique coat. He is almost all tan and has a black face with a mostly black tail, and some flecks of black on his shoulders. Would you be able to tell if he is a purebred? Thanks for your help.
Stephen
February 1st, 2013 at 6:15 pm
Here is another picture. He’s about 5mos. right now. (On the left)
February 9th, 2013 at 2:39 pm
Here is a picture of my GSD pups. They are brother and sister born Nov. 11th at 8 weeks. They are AKC registered. Sam is the white and Bella is the black and tan. Their coloring has changed a lot since Christmas I will post those later but this litter had 2 whites and the rest were blak and tan. the mom was a champagne color and the dad was a beautiful red and black saddle back coloring.
February 18th, 2013 at 12:54 am
I had to post my GS on here, I seen so many beautiful pups and adult I wanted to share my male.
March 30th, 2013 at 8:23 pm
Hello shepherd-lovers!
I will be looking for a new GSD puppy in a few weeks. I only just learned of the “sable” coloring today on this site. I’ve owned several GSD’s over my life but never a sable and I find the coloration quite beautiful!
My question is, is this coloration rare? If I were to search specifically for a sable would it prove a long search?
Thanks for any clarification!
April 27th, 2013 at 11:35 pm
Are these three shepherds full blooded? one is from holland and the other has German and Hungarian bloodlines. I will put the other picture up here of my other two.
April 27th, 2013 at 11:38 pm
Here’s my one named Jax
April 27th, 2013 at 11:41 pm
Here’s Jasper. He’s from holland. Jax is from Czechoslovakia. And the first dog (Maggie) I posted where I asked if they were all full blooded is the one with German and Hungarian bloodlines. They seem full blooded but I have doubts.
May 5th, 2013 at 9:59 am
I am looking for a GSD puppy. I would prefer a male that’s either solid black or a dark sable male.
June 9th, 2013 at 12:37 am
Just wanted to share a picture of our beautiful saddle back GSD, Hala. She was 6 yrs old in January. In my town when we walk her everyone stops us because they say they’ve never seen one around here like her. She is 72 lbs of pure muscle and has that nice smooth coat. She is the sweetest dig around, her newest playmate is my mothers 25lb carane terrier and chihuahua mix that she rescued. She great with our cat and even the kids guinea pig !!
June 9th, 2013 at 12:42 am
Here is Hala and Penny Lane, Hsla was nice enough to share her bed !! She is the sweetest dog around, her newest playmate is my mothers 25lb carane terrier and chihuahua mix that she rescued