Most people understand black:

Many understand black and tan:

Dakota as a pup

On the right, Bree, with the familiar black and tan markings.

But what tends to get people confused is the sable. Sable means that the dog’s undercoat is a different color than the top coat, often giving a wolflike look. But other times a sable dog may look a lot like a black and tan. Here is a sampling of our sable German Shepherds:

Jake

Max

Chinook

Daila

Tag

Wessa

Hero