When is a dog a sable and when a gray? - Page 1

It appears to me that for certain in-between dogs, both colors are applied.  Is there a rule or a genetic difference? 

I have noticed that people call dogs black sables to emphasize the extent of the black tipping or red sable to emphasize the red undercoat, and even silver sables to emphasize the contrast between the black tipping and the light undercoat, but what of the many sables who are tan underneath?  Are these properly called tan sable, or just sable, or even gray in English?  (I understand that they are sometimes referred to as grey (grau) in German.)  AKC has both a gray and a sable box for gsd's.  What do most people do when it comes to tan sables?

In Germany, sables are called grau!

The gray the AKC refers to on their application form does not apply to German Shepherd Dogs. This form is a multi-breed application form. So, if you have a sable (gray - grau) GSD, you would mark sable on the AKC form. AKC does not make a difference between red sable, black sable or tan sable.

In Germany, they use more descriptions to describe a sable. But keep in mind that these are not necessarily accurate, since the color distinctions are made when the litter application is submitted (typically, after the puppies get tattooed at about 7 weeks). Every once in a while, if the description is completely off, corrections are made when a dog goes for a breed survey.  The SV commonly uses the following descriptions: grau-braun, grau-gelb, grau dunkel gewolkt, grau-schwarz, grau mit Daumenmarken. I am sure where are a couple more I can't think of right now.

Chris

If its not Black...then its grey... Sable hair is the black tiping on the hair... color aside... pigment matters as if its tan or deep mahogany red... for sables the undercoat's pigment matter so as the degree of black in the sable hair...

Silbersee: Thank you!  This is exactly what I needed to know.  I had already changed the gray to sable on my AKC app, and assume there will not be a similar confusion on my USA registration later.  This assures me I was not in error.  I read a bit of German, so I knew grau technically meant gray, but always thought it a bit poetic when Germans would refer to sables as grau, unless the undercoat was nearly white, in which I can see the visual point. 

Michael