Sable Shepherds - Page 1

I don't own one, but I love their colors.  Recently a breeder told me that she has a hard time selling sable pups.  Is that true?  I found the following article interesting:  http://www.arlett.de/sables/index.html .

Yet another article:  http://www.gsdhelp.info/genetics/sablesgeneticsmyths_fredlanting.html

Are you talking working or conformation lines?

With conformation lines, my experience has been most people want the black and red until they see a sable. They're just not that many out there and most people aren't looking for them because they don't know they exist. Most everyone arrives here wanting a black and red. .They look at the litter and ask about those other puppies that are a different color and I have to explain the difference and how rare the color is in the conformation lines. They meet dad and most leave with a sable puppy. It helps to have dad around to show what they look like.

Around here (Georgia, southeast USA) sable is the predominant color you see in the working line dogs. We have 6 WL GSDs 4 are sables, 1 is a bicolor and 1 is a solid black. We could care less about color going in, and since sable is the most common color we see in our area then that is what we get and love them. Ending up with a black and a bicolor was not a choice, we wanted those lines and the pups that suited our needs just happened to be non-sables. Fine with me :). 
I'm guessing they are not as popular with showline folks though. We regularly get people out to our club who see our sable GSDs and ask what breed they are. The average joe out to get their first GSD has no idea there is anything other than a black/red saddle back and are always amazed when we tell them that, yes, indeed, the sables and the black and the bicolor are all registered purebred GSDs LOL.

Around here (Nebraska) probably 95% of the GSDs you see are black/tan or black/red... second most popular would have to be white. Every now and then I'll see a sable at the Humane Society, and they get adopted extremely fast. And there is actually a little sable pup down the street I'm in love with.... he is SO CUTE!!!!

I have a solid black (in my avatar), and get asked all the time what kind of dog she is... and when I tell them they start arguing with me that "German Shepherds don't come in that color". Usually I can get them to believe me, and they walk away learning something new... but I have had to pull out my phone and Google it for them beforre. Morons.

I think all it really is, is that people want the "normal" color that you see running around. Then theres also those people who think sables look like wolves or coyotes...

I actually wanted a dark sable, but solid black is definantly my next favorite. :)

i breed black and tan and sable show type the sables always go first although i do not breed loads
jeanette

I must admit, the sables are really lovely to look at. I bought one recently for my son and she's an absolutely gorgeous thing.

In my area (Kentucky/Indiana) most people call me requesting the black/reds, I've had litters of sables in the past and everyone who would come look would say "they're cute, but I want the regular black and red/tan colored ones" so I just think it's what the puppy buyers are looking for, and it's just what they're used to seeing.

I think the general senses is that the person looking for a family pet or companion want the traditional blk/tan/red GSD seen on TV.  How many GSDs that are on TV are any color other than a Blk/tan/red GSD? HMMMMM NONE, unless you are watching K9 Cops on animal planet.  

A working person wants a good dog for whatever sport or venue they are in.  Color is of no importance.  Showline folks, also what the best dog conformationally  regardless of color. Winning is the biggest prority regarldess of the color.  Just so happens that all the best conformation dogs are Blk/tan/red. There are some really nice showline sable dogs out there, but not many showline people include them in their breeding program.  
Thats to bad, because alittle color would go easy on the eyes.  

People always think I am lying when I say Ace is PB GS. They are adamant that a GSD does not come in all black. I recently got in an argument with a parent at the schOol bus stop about whether Ace was purebred or not. It was like smashing my head into a concrete wall. He was the expert and he knows German shepherds and knows that they aren't black. Whatever

Sable Shepherds are very beautiful. I didn't know there was some many different types of GSD until we one. Our girl was all white when she was a puppy and now she is mostly a light tan with with white. A lot of people don't believe she is a purebred GSD beacuse she is light tan and white.
Most think of the usually black, tan and red colors, so I understand what your talking about.