solid black or bi-color - Page 1

I have a solid black, but at one year of age he is starting to show a faint bit of tan on the inside of his legs.

At what point would he be considered a bi-color?

Does he have any tan at all around his rear end?  I know that solid blacks can "fade out" on their legs and look like a bi-color but I'm not sure at what age that will happen.

He has a trace under his tail, a hair here and there but not in a pattern.  And a little between his toes but you have to look hard to see it.  On his legs its more like a small patch longer than wide and faint tan.

if he has brown around the "vent" under the tail, he's bicolor.  If the vent is black, he's black.  Blacks will often (not always, but it is common) develop brown hairs on the lower legs, between toes - but not on the rest of the body.  Still considered black.

molly

Thanks eichenluft, molly,

I have been looking at some material by Linda Shaw,  nothing was mentioned about this.

His arse is black as coal...... I feel better.

I'll watch to see if he changes anymore as he matures.  And call him a black.

Brent.

If his vent is black then genetically he is black.  He only carries two black recessives and if bred to another black dog would only produce black puppies - if bred to a dog with no black/tan recessive he would not produce black/tan puppies.   I've had black puppies develop brown on their legs, never on their body - and others remain solid black.  I think it would be very difficult to find a black dog with NO tan hairs at all, at least between toes.  Check out my websites "other stud dogs" page, there are several black dogs there that you will see have brown on their legs - Xito vd Maineiche, Sid v Fasanerie are two.

molly

http://workinggermanshepherd.com

My black female has no brown hairs anywhere on her body - between toes, vent, etc.  So they can't really be that hard to find, can they?

yet.  most blacks will develop brown, tan or white hairs between the toes and on the legs at some point.  My young black boy has zero off-colored hairs anywhere on  him also.  But I expect at some point he will.

molly