German Shepherds are a popular breed of dogs that have been present as family, herding, and guard dogs for generations. Their recognizable appearance along with friendly demeanor makes them incredibly popular. Many people get German Shepherd puppies for their homes, but there is a question that some ask. How do you tell what color a German Shepherd puppy will be?
German Shepherds color
While we are used to the black and tan German Shepherd, these dogs can come in a variety of colors. Aside from that standard mix they also come in: black and red, bicolor, blue, liver and tan, sable, white, and black.
These common colors can change as the dog grows but one of the combinations will be present on a purebred dog.
German shepherds can change color
The question comes up due to the fact that some German Shepherds can change color while growing up. This doesn’t hold true for all but this trait does depend on their parents.
If your German Shepherd puppies will change color, it will do so during the first two years of life. Going from pup to an adult can bring up many changes, coat color being one as well.
As their color develops, you’ll see slow changes between their usual coat and the new one. Shift is never immediate so you’ll have some form of knowing their color beforehand.
White German Shepherds
The only color to never change, or at least mostly not change, are the white German Shepherds. If your German Shepherd puppies are white, it’s unlikely they will change over the course of the following years.
Most any difference people note is some slight yellowing or tan highlights on their dog’s coat. These often occur during summer months but aren’t guaranteed to occur. It’s also possible to check with breeders what color the puppy is, some even have them displayed on site.
How do I tell what the color of my German Shepherd’s coat will be?
The discerning of a dog’s color is not an exact science but there are clues to be taken every few weeks of their life. Early on, the first two weeks of life, you’ll only be able to tell whether they will be all-black or change their coat as they age. All-black German Shepherds can get some odd changes and accents in their color during a short span of life that we’ll cover later. Otherwise, they stay the same. Also, as we mentioned above, white German Shepherd’s will have the slightest of changes in color.
As they age, you’ll start to see differences in their coats. Some get lighter coats by the time they are 8 weeks old while others have theirs darken. The patterns will slowly start forming too.
During this time, the puppy will grow and shed coats at a fast rate. Any variations to their black coat should show up by now, if not, they will stay that color. The slight changes in color can crop up for other color coats.
After this point, there’s a whole year of uncertainty to go through. Unfortunately, it’s mostly the passage of time that’ll tell you how your dog’s coat will look after this period. They shed and change coat often so small or drastic changes are both expected.
However, when they are about year and a half to two years old, their coat stabilizes. Past this point, your German Shepherd may only experience the slightest changes of coat. These will come as a result of the seasons changing.
