Sable +Sable=Black and Tan? - Page 1

I have a question regarding coat colors.I have a female GSD that looks black and dark tan and her papers says same,but her parents are both sables.I heard a dark sable can look like a blk&tan but if truly a sable will have a light undercoat under the black saddle.She does not.Would't two sables always produce sables only?Thanks for any imput.Her face and head is all black with just a little tan around the eyes like a sable.

check out http://arlett.de/

http://arlett.de/berichte/sables.htm

Hey... Not uncommon... my female was bred to a sable male.... she had 1 pup... yes only 1 and it was black and tan. The chances of that crazy for only one puppy, but not uncommon or impossible. Though many say she was tied by another male for that to happen. But not true it seems impossible, but genetically how everything falls turns out black and tan. Just seems wierd that's all! http://www.unitedprideshepherds.com (click photos and scroll down till you see a black tan pup named Sulton lying down next to a sable male named Harro Sulton's mother is sable... )

two sables can produce black/tan or solid black - sable is dominant so both sables carry sable gene, but they also each carry a recessive - could be black/tan recessive, black recessive, or another sable. If the recessive gene is another sable gene, then all puppies in the litter would be sable regardless of the other parent's recessive. But, if both parents carry a recessive other than sable, puppies could be black/tan. Or black if both parents carry black recessive. molly