Many people don't know that German Shepherds can come in a variety of different capa colors. That's what makes them so unique. Max von Stephanitz, the founder of the German Shepherd said, "No good dog is a bad color." That would be the truth. Once again, I will include pictures. All information is from German Shepherd Country

1. Black and Tan/Black and Red
Most German Shepherd perros are black and tan o black and red in color. Tan and red are essentially the same color, but red is a darker pigment. It's especially prominent in German mostrar lines. The tan can also be a light silvery color. This is usually prominent in American lines. Black and tan/black and red German Shepherds can either have a saddle back, which basically looks like a black saddle on the back, o a blanket back, like the one pictured.

2. Bicolor
Bicolor German Shepherds are black with tan markings. A true bicolor only has tan on the legs. They are most common with working lines and are rarely seen in mostrar lines. The saddle back black and tan is preferred in the mostrar ring.

3. Sable
Sable German Shepherds are most often seen in K9 units as police dogs. They are NOT allowed to participate in the mostrar ring. Sable can vary in color. Sable can be lobo gray, golden, red, like the one pictured, black (with brown streaks throughout), and cream. Genetically speaking, sable is dominant to all other colors. In order to produce a sable puppy, at least one of the parents has to have a sable gene. The best chance is if at least one parent is sable.

4. Black
While sable is dominant, black is recessive. This means that in order to produce a black German Shepherd, both parents have to have that gene. If both parents are black, all cachorritos will be black. Sometimes black German Shepherds will have some rust colored markings on their neck and shoulders, but it fades as they mature, unlike with a black sable which has brown throughout. Black German Shepherds typically have a white estrella on their chest which fades as they mature. In some cases, it disappears. The black German Shepherd pictured is my dog, Hansel.

5. White
White German Shepherds have been in the center of controversy over the years. Many people have dismissed the dog as albino. Albinism is often linked with blindness and deafness and many health issues. However, it was recently discovered that white German Shepherds are the result of a masking gene. Basically, the dog is truly black and tan, but the capa is masked with white. They have normal pigmentation. Many people have dicho that white German Shepherds are mutt perros and were never part of the original German Shepherd line. However, Horand von Grafrath, the first German Shepherd, had a grandfather who had a white coat. The white German Shepherd is noted for its sweet temperament unlike its black and tan counterparts. It would be disqualified from the mostrar ring, but it is a popular family pet. It is on its way to becoming a separate breed called the American White Shepherd.

6. Liver
Liver German Shepherds are the result of a recessive dilute gene. Basically, the black part of the dog is diluted to a lighter color, in this case, brown. Liver Shepherds have brown noses rather than black and have amber eyes rather than brown. They can either be solid o have tan markings like the one pictured. Liver is not considered a rare color, but it is considered a serious fault in the mostrar ring.

7. Blue
Like liver, blue is caused por a recessive dilute gene. This color is the rarest, so finding one is hard, and breeders may command a higher price. Blue can either be solid like the one pictured o have tan markings. The blue coloring in and of itself and also vary. It can be a light powder blue, a dark steel blue, o somewhere in between like the one pictured. Blue is considered a serious fault in the mostrar ring.

I hope tu enjoyed lectura this article. If tu would like to learn about the different lines of German Shepherds, look at my anterior article.