Yesterday I ran into a "GSD expert" that said Sage was a faded bicolor not a blanket pattern blk/tan.

Points he made to back this up
-Sage's undercoat is gray/silver
-The black on his rear legs wraps around to his heel..very faint but it is there so he says he does have tarheels
-very faint penciling of toes (He had this as a puppy but I don't see it now guy claimed he could)
-Black on his front legs has a point towards the toes
-black on chest
-his dam was bicolor

I have never heard the term "faded bicolor" is that even a real thing? This showed up on google http://www.shawlein.com/The_Standard/07_Colour_&_Pigment/Colour_&_Pigment.html but its the only thing I found mentioning it
4 of Sage's littermates did have silver/gray tipped tails and Sage is getting a bitch stripe, right now he's getting a lot more silver at the back of his neck and at his withers there is some down his back but its hardly visible. Also much of the fur I find is half black half silver

I think Sage is just a blanket patterned Blk/tan that comes from dogs that did not fit the standard.

puppy Sage
(I did take pictures of his feet,ears,etc.. every week but my computer is broken so I have to use what I already have uploaded to Flickr)..I know I'm a dork





Sage now (no good shots of his feet)




sun is throwing off the color but you can see what I'm talking about

I would say Sage is a black and tan blanket back..

found a better puppy shot

a few months ago

Yeah... i'll second the vote for black and tan blanket back.

Black and tan blanket back.

Waay too much tan to even be considered a bi-color, especially since he is not yet mature.
My bi-color has a black undercoat.
Bi's black does not fade with age, they usually stay just the same as when they were 8 weeks old!
Sage is a handsome guy!!

I vote black/tan blanket back too. He's a handsome guy!

I also see a black and tan blanket back. He's a handsome guy!

OK.... I am going to be the add one out. After reading the site that is quotes numerous times on this board, I think he is a faded bi-color.

http://www.shawlein.com/The_Standard/07_Colour_&_Pigment/Colour_&_Pigment.html

The picture of a Melanistic Black and Tan (blanket back)


Picture of a faded Bi-color:

I went through your pic's Brandi on the flickr link in your profile.... Her are pics supporting a Bi-color argument. I can delete my post if you don't want the pics up.


Here you can see tar heels, and a sugar bottom!


You see faint toe penciling (possibly):


I always thought that blanket Black and Tans had a tan belly, and Bi-colors have a black furred stomach...



Although, at the same time I do see tan here.....


So, I'm not 100% convinced..... but I'm sticking with my story.


Also she says the faded bicolor typically displays pigment fading....