Undercoat - Page 1

I have two black and tan GSDs. One's an adult, the other's an older pup. Both are saddles, but the adult has a tan undercoat under the saddle; the puppy has a black undercoat. I had assumed the undercoat would match the topcoat color. Was I incorrect in assuming this?

it's my understanding, and a correct one I think, that if the undercoat under the sadlle is tan, you actually have a "saddled sable". In a true blk/tan or blk red, undercoat SHOULD match the saddle; however, adult bitches can have tan in the saddle across the withers/spine, also known as a bitch stripe.

That's what I thought too, but I've had her since puppyhood so I know definitively that she's a black and tan. She does have striping on her withers, and there the undercoat is black.