My 6 1/2 month old GSD is mostly black with brown legs. His face is black and brown. I was wondering if he was going to get more lighter or not. Up to what age do they keep on getting lighter? Here are some pics of him and two of his parents to help my description. Thanks. Click here

I doubt he'll get much lighter, and why would you want him to?

Dark color is desireable.

My dog got darker with age, not lighter, his red is a darker richer nicer red and his face has darkened, I got him at 4 months so I'm comparing to 4 months old - the only change I noticed in the black of his coat was on his thighs, it used to be black with a red patch in the middle on each side, now that part of his saddle disappeared and he's red there.

Like Robert said - why do you want him to be lighter?

Thanks Robert and Mike. I actually don't want him to get lighter. But I was wondering if he would. I like his color the way it is.

Nice looking dog. I like his color too.

Ok...the breeders can probably give you a more definitive answer.

But my experience with my own gsds over the years, (B&T, bi-color, sable, black) and watching friends pups mature, has been this:
Sables are born with their undercoat color and get darker with age; black and tans are born almost black and lighten up...that is, as a pup the B&T can be almost totally black and as it gets older the tan, which may have started at the feet creeps up the legs and also develops around the ears and face.

The bi-color pattern starts dark and usually doesn't lighten much with tan stopping at the knees; the large blanket pattern will stop tanning at about the elbows; the saddle-back pattern will continue tanning until a the blanket is defined.

The color and the patterns are determined by inherited genes. You can take some clues from the parents, but the dog could just as likely get the color/pattern from a grandparent. Color will continue to develop until maturity.

BTW, your pup at 6 months looks like my bitch in the 1970's did at that age; she developed into a large blanket B&T, with a chevron mark on the chest and tan to the elbows.
I really liked that dog...for more than her color! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I agree with Vicki. Beautiful looking dog.

Vicki,- I saw you dogs on the website too. They are beautiful.


Thanks,

Rashmi

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I doubt he'll get much lighter, and why would you want him to?

Dark color is desireable.

Why is this? I've noticed that most of the European working dogs are dark, and wondered if there was a reason for that, other than just simply because the better dogs turned out to be dark and just passed those genes down?

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Vicki,- I saw your dogs on the website too. They are beautiful.

Rashmi,
Thanks!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the help guys! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />