producing black puppies - Page 2

it is very common for "black" dogs to develop brown hairs between toes, and sometimes on the legs as well. They are still considered black. If you want to see examples of black dogs with brown on their legs - go to my website, link to "other" stud dogs, and look at Xito vd Maineiche, Sid vd Fasanerie - both of whom have quite a bit of brown on their legs - they are black dogs, not bicolor. Very dark bicolors will always have tan markings, even if they are "muted", on the legs, chest, and always over the vent (under the tail) where blacks will not. molly

Funny you mentioned Xito. He happens to be in my females pedigree. Thank you for the answer!I was just shocked to see tan hair on her legs I have never seen there before.

I also had a litter about 5 years ago where the mother was black sable and the father was just sable, and they had 3 all black puppies and 5 sable. Now the 3 all black did not have any mute color on their behind, but I think about 2-3 years later one of them developed a dark red on his front and back legs, closer to the bottom. I was always told that is a bi color not an all black. Was I told wrong?

It is also permissable and common to find white hairs between the toes of a solid black dog. Irco Schloss Birkenstein did. If memory serves Ex Maineiche did too, but don't hold me to that. SS

A black dog can have brown between the toes and on the backs of the legs - it is quite normal especially as the dog ages to develop this "pigmentation". The dog is still black, not bicolor. molly

Guttenhaus, could you show images of your black puppies? I'd like also to know when is a normal bicolor and a high (in black) bicolor. If you tell me where can I see good images of bicolor puppies and adults, I'll thank you a lot.

My black bitch has a line of tan behind her back legs, tannish patches behind the front, and tan hairs between her toes... but she is black just like Molly said... but she is also from Fasanerie lines. I wonder if two black dogs like such bred if some of the puppies may look more bi-color... maybe I'll find out someday. I'm still confused about the bi-color, sable and now black and red pups. I thought it could be a mutation on another loci that caused a "masking black" and the bitch was truely a sable with recessive bi-color, but a new mutation black was hiding it (people really into genetics may understand)... but then how ever did you get black and reds? I would definitely like to see you get the bitch, sires, and pups DNA'd... who knows you may have a new scientific discovery in your hands!

here is a verry interesting article on GSD color & genetics that can give you a lot of answers http://www.ddrlegends.com/gsdcolor.html