Need help with color of puppy to pick:)

[Konotashi]

To some breeders, color is important. To others, it's not.
A good example would be West German showline breeders and working line breeders.

If you are breeding WGSL dogs, you want the deepest, richest color you can get. Working line breeders typically plan breedings based on the working abilities, temperament, nerve, and drive of the dogs, with color as one of the last considerations.

[jhoop371]

Wolfiesmom..beautiful boys/girls! nice variety! Just never know exactly what you will get when they grow up

[Freestep]

Originally Posted by jhoop371

I was just curious of others ideas or experiences on what color they may turn out to be or what to look for when they are 8 weeks old.

Well, black/tan and bicolor pups can look identical when they are 8 weeks old: mostly black, with tan paws, and a bit of tan on the chest and maybe the face. The black on the black/tan recedes to a saddle or blanket, while the black on the bicolor does not recede. It can be hard to tell black/tan from bicolor at this age, but the breeder should be able to tell you if bicolors are possible in the litter.

Sable looks totally different: Tan pup with black face and black stripe down the back.

Black, of course, is born black and stays black!

If you like a lot of black, choose the pup with the most black. If you like red, choose the pup with the reddest legs.

But I think the most important thing, if color is important to you, is to choose parents that represent the color you want. If you like red, don't go with a parent that is "silver" where tan should be. If you want a black and red saddleback, you should be looking at German show lines--but be picky, as some of them may not have enough black for your taste. If you want a dark blanket back or bicolor, you should be looking at working lines.

[jhoop371]

Thank you Freestep, lots of great info for future I totally mistated when I said Silver/black. The sire is tan/black, however we are going to check into some other breeders so there won't be any guessing It is amazing how all the colors change as they grow. I guess that is part of the fun, like Christmas every week watching them change. Will post when we find our "guy" Thank you again for sharing your experience, I truely appreciate all the helpful knowledge on this site.

[MegansGrace]

Originally Posted by LARHAGE

I too agree that there is nothing wrong with selecting a puppy in the color you want, if you want a black/red pup than look for German Showline breeders with a litter of puppies out of black/red parents, than have the breeder select the puppy with the right temperament for you. 😊

Well said.

[Liesje]

Originally Posted by Konotashi

To some breeders, color is important. To others, it's not.
A good example would be West German showline breeders and working line breeders.

If you are breeding WGSL dogs, you want the deepest, richest color you can get. Working line breeders typically plan breedings based on the working abilities, temperament, nerve, and drive of the dogs, with color as one of the last considerations.

This is WAY over-generalizing. There are high ranking V even VA dogs out there with (IMO) lack of color and pigment. Since it's safe to say about 98% of WGSL dogs are *already* black and red, color is not a major consideration for most WGSL breeders. The type has already been cookie-cutter'd as far as color and pigment.

I actually went with a working line because one of the things I wanted was more/better pigment and mask on the face.