"If you see an ASL sable its probably a patterned one and won't be that dark"
don't agree - not what I saw when I was handling
nor with this " The reason is that the black/tan is preferred and therefore is bred for."
the American show line breeders never had the agenda for colour , so you have blacks, bi-colours, black and tans and sables --
This has no basis at all "It's very very difficult to get the sable coat out of your breeding program once you allow it in". Since sable is a dominant gene , either parent needs to be sable. If you don't want sable , then only breed those progeny which are NOT sable. Only breed the black and tans . Simple. No surprises.
"its much more difficult to get a championship on a sable (even with proper conformation) " -- totally not true . Not AMERICAN show line breeders. Not when you have (as an example) Ch. Lor-Lockes Tatta of Fran Jo , 1974 USA and Canadian Grand Victrix , clearly a sable .
There is no conformation title greater than that in American show line competition.
Acquaint yourself with one of the all time great producing "American" dogs KORY WALDESRUH and his siblings
Korry of Waldesruh and his legacy , including Select Champion Ravenhaus Noah ,
CH Wynthea's Jonn
These dogs , all, at a time when WGSL had long become fanatic about black and red , no sables in sight.
Show me one American bred show line dog that was denied a title because of his colour being sable.
On the other hand I can show you a sable that should have placed higher , VA2 Timo vom Berrekasten , who was booed when placed in first positon (Fred Lanting report)
2X VA2 VA1(A) Timo vom Berrekasten
when west German show lines have been generations of black and reds , sable disappeared , sable a dominant gene, you can not have
"All the full WGSL sables I've seen were patterned red sables."
what you are seeing and calling sable are dogs with fading pigment .