genetic markings

[Chris Wild]

What is it you want to know?

There are 4 patterns in the GSD. In order of most dominant to most recessive:
Sable
Black/Tan
Bi-Color
Solid

Everything else is merely a variation on those themes, governed by different genes that determine, for example, extension of black pigment (making for a lighter or darker black/tan or sable) or hue of the tan pigment (black/red vs black/tan vs black/silver, etc...) and other minor factors.

Liver and blue are dilutes that affect black pigment, and can occur in any pattern.

White is a masking gene that essentially trumps the regular color gene, causing the dog to be all white even though it still possesses regular color genes as well.

Panda appears to be a spontaneous mutation that cropped up recently, creating a tri-colored dog.

[Silver Black sable]

what about blanketed and saddle backs

[Shade]

Originally Posted by Silver Black sable

what about blanketed and saddle backs

Those would fall under black/tan, black/red, etc.

[Chris Wild]

Blanket and saddle are both black/tan. The extension of the black pigment determining the size of the black areas on the back and face are governed by other modifying genes. But there is no gene for a blanket pattern or saddle pattern. Both are black/tan. Blanket and saddle are laymens terms to describe the look of the dog, they are not genetic realities.

[Silver Black sable]

you seem to know what your talking about i was wondering how many different sable colors are there

[Liesje]

There aren't really different sable colors, officially. Sable is sable, it's a genetic pattern. People use other words to describe sables (like patterned sable, red sable, black sable....etc) but these aren't official patterns, just ways of describing and individual dog.

[Chris Wild]

Lies is correct. The 4 colors I mentioned are the only 4 that exist. Everything else is just a variation on those themes. The different discriptors people use to describe different types of sables or black/tans are just ways of describing the dog.

Think of it like in people. I know several people with blue eyes, including myself. None of use have the exact same shade of blue eyes. But we still all have blue eyes, and our genes for which of the very limited eye colors available to human beings are the same. But we have different modifiers that affect exactly what shade of blue we have. Just as no 2 blondes have the exact same shade of blond hair. But they're still blondes, not brown, red or black. It is the same with dogs. A "red sable" and a "black sable" and a "silver sable" and a "patterned sable" are all just sable from the standpoint of what color they fall under.

[Zeeva]

Zeeva is white. I'm not sure what all those descriptions are but I don't see any coloring on her heels so I put none

[Silver Black sable]

so then golden would be a variation of tan

[ImaginaryBee]

Wow, I am clueless to this poll. Way out of the loop here!