[susan tuck]

Does anyone know how to tell what color or how dark a sable dog will be when it is an adult? I've heard from some that they don't get their true color until they are 3 years old. I've also heard that they end up being similar to what they were as newborns. One thing I have found out is they sure change color a lot. Arkane can be nice & dark for a while, then I get worried because it looks like I have a yellow dog, then he darkens up again. The black penciling has remained all the way down his front legs & on his toes, and his hocks are black. Is there any rule of thumb?
I've always had black & reds in the past.

 

[ann schnerre]

i don't know the answer to the question, but i think it's neat how sables seem to tend to darken up as they age, and pups that seem to be at least a bi-color lighten up.

are these germans just bass-ackward or what? and please--answer kindly as i'm a mutt, but a 50% german mutt.

 

[Jeff Oehlsen]

So you saved some of that medication?

 

[Connie Sutherland]

I think the final color isn't certain until the outer coat has fully developed.

I have no idea how authoritative this is, but for some reason I had it bookmarked. The exclamation marks are in the original text; I didn't get as excited as the author by "often not getting full color untill almost two!"


QUOTE:

1. black and tans tend to get much lighter as they age often not getting full color untill almost two!

2. Sables tend to get darker with age especially over the back.

3. Dark patterned black and tans (black that extends up the neck and down the legs will not have any tan behind the ears as a puppy.. If you look at the photo's below you will see a female when she was picked up at 8 weeks and the same female at one year of age in the bottom two pics.

4. Solid blacks and solid whites tend to be the same color as adults as puppies although some blacks will have small amounts of tanning up the legs as adults called dark bi colors. Some bi's will show tan under the tail at birth others are totally black with no tan under the tail and will still get tan on the feet up to the knees! Solid whites will often get a buff shading as adults , some have so much buff they look yellow cream... END QUOTE from http://showcase.netins.net/web/royalair/coat_colour.html

 

[Liz Monty]

most of the dogs i have seen on this board that are sables seemed to remain a dark sable. But I had a brown sable pup who became Butt Ugly and his sable turned more to black/tan/grey, much lighter than his rich deep brown as a puppy. Although he did retain the black striping on legs and feet.

 

[susan tuck]

Why yes Jeff, I did and I'm having a ball!!!! :lol:

Liz, this forum hasn't been around long enough yet!!! I'm actually hoping my dark sable pup is black/tan/grey when adult because that is a black sable.

Thanks Connie, but I have seen them get dark then light then dark then light all the way up to three! With my b&r's it was always pretty simple to tell where they were going to lighten up. I think sables are a damn surprise package. Every time he starts to look a little yellow I get horrible palpitations.

 

[Liz Monty]

Oh Susan, I am so sorry, I did not mean that a Black/tan/grey was ugly
I meant Tonka became Butt ugly. I'll show you :lol: :lol:

and then grown up, he looked like this, just his whole appearance, facial expression, shape, just came out totally different from that gorgeous pup.

I just meant most of the dogs on here in pics that are the sables, look so much prettier than poor Tonka :lol: :lol:

 

[Maren Bell Jones]

Liz, I don't know if you like took a picture of a picture, but I can't see much of anything for detail. But then again, we just got 16 inches of snow, so maybe it's affecting my monitor as well.

 

[Liz Monty]

Sorry, picture of a picture. That's all I had.