I would like a gsd with a completely black back as opposed to a saddle. Or a sable (which I think is a blend of colours to give an overall  light brown appearance - am I right here?) How can you tell at 7-8 weeks what colour it will be? Will it be short or long haired if from mixed parents, and again how can you tell?.

It can be very difficult to tell exactly what the adult coat will be like, but longhaired puppies will be pretty obvious by the time they are 5 or 6 weeks old - the tufty ears are a giveaway! Sables come in a multitude of varieties - if you are dealing with an experienced knowledgable breeder then they will be able to advise you. Please only buy from a breeder who has used health-checked breeding stock, although it does not guarantee a perfect puppy at least it's a good start.

HI, MY FIRST GSD WAS BORN "blue" HE WAS OF EXELLENT BREEDING BUT WHAT SOME WOULD CALL A THROWBACK - ANYWAY HE WAS SABLE EARED AND THE BLACK BACK, BUT HE WENT GREY DOWN THE BACK AFTER A YEAR AND LOOKED OLDER THAN HE WAS - BUT I WILL SAY THAT TWO OF HIS SISTERS WERE CHAMPIONS IN THE SHOW WORLD, JUST BEWARE THAT BECAUSE HE IS BLACK HE MAY NOT NESSECESARILY STAY BLACK, HIS MOTHER AND FATHER WERE BOTH CHAMPIONS TOO SO JUST CHECK WITH THE BREEDER AS THE LAST REPLIER STATED, BUT SOMETIMES IT WILL BE A HIT OR MISS AS TO WHAT COLOUR HE ACTUALLY TURNS - GOOD LUCK

ONE OTHER VERY IMPORTANT THING IS THAT REALLY GO ON THE TEMPERAMENT OF THE PARENTS AND OF COURSE THE HIP SCORE - ALL GOOD BREEDERS SHOULD GIVE YOU THE HIP SORE OF THE SIRE AND DAM AND EVEN GRAND-PARENTS IF POSSIBLE MINE DID. MY OTHER GSD'S ALL STATED ON THEIR KENNEL CLUB REGISTRATION THAT THEY WERE BLACK &  GOLD AND SO WERE THE GRAND-PARENTS SO CHECK THAT ALSO NO MATTER WHAT COLOUR THEY ARE YOU WILL LOVE THEM FOREVER

Thanks Clarkie, some breeders of English type gsd say they don't hip score,is this normal, but I don't want to take that chance anyway.

Hi Meg

Over the last few decades, colour paling in black & tan Shepherds has become more prevalent because of selection for lighter colours in the showring.  Light colours with less black tend to be dominant over dark colours so dark parent will tend to produce puppies as dark, or darker than themselves so be guided by the parents rather than the colour of the pups themselves as these can lighten very much as they grow.  But obviously selecting the darkest pup in the litter will increase your chances of having a dark adult.

The grizzle dorsal stripe that appears in some GSDs as they mature is more common in bitches indicating maybe a hormonal influence but obviously under genetic control too.  Again if the parents have it, the pups are more likely to when they mature.

The sable pattern is very different. They are much lighter as young pups, then darken with maturity, unlike sables in other breeds which lighten with age.  Sables don't occur in litters where both parents are black & tan.

Longcoats can occur in any litter, even if both parents are short but long x long will produce only long.

Julie

Hi Meg

My 17 wk old GSD is a dark sable, he has a black face and at the moment a black line down his back. I bought him as a long haired, there were about 4 in the litter of ten who appeared long haired, he was like a great big teddy bear when I bought him home at 9 weeks.  But although he has grown an awful lot I am not sure that his coat has grown with him,  he is still fluffy compared to a short haird GSD, but I have been told from other people that he could turn out to be rough coated/full coated.. he has got fluffy ears.whatever he is gorgeous!!!  His mum was jet black long haired and his daddy a very dark sable I suppose of medium coat.  He is changing all the time at the moment, so i dont know what he will end up looking like when he is fully matured