Most black German Shepherds dogs have a few tan hairs between their toes or around the rectal area, underneath the tail.
The basic body color is controlled by the genes. In Germany a Solid Black German Shepherd is referred to as "Lacquer Blacks".
Primarily I think this is reference to the way in which the light reflects off their beautiful black coats - especially when they are well groomed and have that healthy shiny black coat gleam.
Black, just like in a solid white GSD, is a recessive gene that can be hidden for several generations before making an appearance. Solid black is recessive to both agouti and two-tone patterned dogs. Both parents must carry the gene to produce solid black puppies.
Please keep in mind that the color of the German Shepherd is in itself not important and has no effect on the character of the dog or on its fitness for work. For that reason coat color is trivial and it should be a secondary consideration when choosing a new German Shepherd companion.
I have owned a black German Shepherd in the past - a beautiful black female GSD and I can tell you they are simply stunning when well groomed. Do you own a black GSD? If you would like to share pictures of your black GSD with the rest of the German Shepherd loving audience, we'd love to post them. Please contact us at our contact page link for more information on getting your solid black GSD photos to us.
Below find a few pictures representative of the traditional solid black German Shepherd Dog. Thanks to all our readers who have shared photos of their dogs with us all! We do appreciate it and please keep them coming our way!