What You Should Know Before Buying A Black German Shepherd

All about Black German Shepherd and Breed Information:

When you decide to purchase a black German Shepherd. Finding a responsible breeder is an important part of getting a dog. You don’t want to buy a German Shepherd puppy from someone who doesn’t have any knowledge about the breed.

Why pricing matters, not all dog breeders charge the same prices.

What You Should Know Before Buying A Black German Shepherd

My Story,

How it worked out for me, and what I learned about purchasing a puppy.

The black German Shepherd was the first dog that I have ever owned. I just love how beautiful the solid back color looked. Is the black German Shepherd Right for you?

Why the solid Black & Black sable are the most popular colors:

When I was looking to purchase a black German Shepherd. I found a good responsible breeder that’s been breeding GSD dogs for over 10 years. He told me that the solid black German Shepherd was the color people were looking for along with the black and tan and black sable color. These were becoming the most popular color he was selling.

Why, because more breeders were starting to see other GSD breeders selling more puppies with the popular colors. They decided they needed to start breeding these colors too. The more popular color, the more demand for breeding them. It makes sense to me.

Now over the years of owning multiple German Shepherds, I have black, black, and tan colors and solid black. Now, I like to take you back to the year 1998 when I purchase my first black German Shepherd. Everywhere I went people stop and ask me questions about the color because they have never seen a black German Shepherd before. Now, I’m talking back over 20 years, there were very few people that have ever owned this color, that I knew of. I have one guy ask me how much I pay for my dog, and I told him the cost was 350.00 dollars, back then that was a lot of money for a dog to some people.

But for me, I was happy to pay for the color. I got the exact temperament dog that I was looking for. Now you will pay anywhere from 1800. hundred up to 2500. hundred dollars for this color, depending on choosing the right breeder. I know if I ship one in from Germany the cost is anywhere from 3500 hundred to 4500 hundred for a good puppy that’s 8 to 10 weeks old. The shipping cost runs around 1500.00 hundred dollars today.

Female Black German ShepherdsMy three females, Val, Connie & Annie.

Black German Shepherd Puppies: 

Let’s look at some questions and answers for new German Shepherd owners.

Do black German shepherd puppies stay black?  yes. Sometimes you may see a black one that has a little brown in its color, that’s known as black and tan. If you see a dark brown that would be a black sable color.

Are all German Shepherd puppies born black?  Yes. All puppies are born black and will stay black throughout their adulthood. This is a must-have) Both parents must have the recessive gene for solid black to appear in the litter. My German shepherds’ females carry the solid black and Black and Tan, and my Male is Dark Black Sable. This is why we get a lot of good mixes of both colors in our puppies.

5 week old Black Female pup.

5 week old Black Female puppy.

Black sable GSD puppy

5 weeks old. Black sable male puppy.

How long does it take for a Black German shepherd’s ears to stand up?  Anywhere from 10 weeks to 14 weeks of age, the ears will start to stand on their own.

How much does a German Shepherd cost?  Anywhere from 1500.00 hundred and up. My puppies sell for 1800.00 each. Every breeder is going to charge a different price because of their dogs’ bloodlines. This is important for you to understand before you buy a German Shepherd Puppy or adult trained German Shepherd dog.

Now, I like to give you a good base price on what you and I would pay for a GSD puppy that was six months old to 12 months old, that already has been trained with basic obedience training and properly socialized and housebroken by a good trainer. The cost would be around six-month-old 6500.00 hundred and up to 14000 Thousand dollars for a trained 12-month-old.

Black german shepherd price: Most of the time you’ll find that different breeders charge different prices depending on the Bloodlines and colors of their puppies. There are a lot of breeders out there, who will charge more for a solid black puppy. In the last litter, I had four black and four black dark black sable color puppies. I sold my puppies for the same price. 1800.00 each. I didn’t charge more for different colors for puppies. But a lot of German Shepherd breeders do.

How many puppies do German shepherds have in their first litter? When it comes to breeding dogs, anything can happen. There are no guarantees. I have seen GSD dogs bred that sometimes only had one single puppy. The normal litter size is about 8 puppies. But I have seen some females that have bred up to 10 puppies at a time. The last litter I bred had 8 beautiful healthy puppies. A good friend of mine had bred his German Shepherd and had 12 puppies. Now that’s a large litter of pups for a mom to handle. But most of the time eight puppies are a normal litter size.

Is a German Shepherd a good family dog?  Yes, only if they’re raised and trained properly, keep ready below.

Are you considering bringing a puppy into your home? If so, you should do a fair amount of research into the hundreds of breeds that are available both for purchase and adoption. If you are searching for a large dog, you’ll undoubtedly come across the German shepherd dog in your search. Considered by many to have the most beautiful coloration in the breed, the all-black GSD is quickly gaining popularity as a pet. If the stunning good looks of the black GSD are attractive to you, here are some things that you should consider before bringing that adorable puppy home.

Crate training German Shepherd Puppy

1. About the Breed
The German shepherd dog originated in Germany in 1899.  A working dog in the herding group, the GSD was originally bred to herd and guard sheep. The breed is amazingly intelligent, fiercely loyal and protective of its human family. Thanks to its loyalty, the GSD is one of the highest registered breeds in the United States. The breed is also extremely popular in the United Kingdom, with over 8,000 currently registered. During World War,  the anti-German sentiment was strong and as such, the breed was renamed the “Alsatian Wolf Dog.” It wasn’t until 1977 that the breed reclaimed its original name, and not until 2010 that the word “Alsatian” was removed altogether.

2.Varieties
German shepherd puppies can be found in a variety of colors, with tan/black and black being the most popular. Most tan dogs have at least a smattering of black on their muzzle, called a “mask” in the dog world. It’s not uncommon to find a white GSD, but these dogs are considered undesirable among enthusiasts and it’s not unusual for some breeders to cull these pups at birth. The all-black German shepherd dog is a striking animal to look at and is becoming the popular variant of choice among new owners.

3.Family
The GSD is an excellent family dog, provided that it is well socialized and raised with children. Though these dogs bond deeply with children whom they have been raised with, they can be nervous and skittish around strange children and adults alike. If you choose to bring home a GSD puppy, be sure that you have a plan in place to socialize the dog. Additionally, if you choose to rescue an adult GSD, you should ensure that the dog has been raised with, or at least socialized with, people of all ages to ensure the safety of your family and friends.

4.Teaching
German shepherd dogs are incredibly smart and eager to learn. Teaching should begin as soon as you bring your puppy home. At a minimum, you’ll want to teach your pup how to go to the bathroom outside, what is and is not appropriate to chew on and how to behave with guests. The easiest way to begin teaching your black German shepherd puppy is to set a schedule and stick to it. Dogs, especially GSDs, thrive with routine and are happiest when they know what to expect.

5.Training
Because of their intelligence, high work drive, and loyalty, German Shepherds excel at obedience, agility, herding, protection, and even flyball. If you plan on bringing home a GSD, you must enroll in some type of formal training. If your GSD is not permitted to drain its energy, you will have a destructive, unruly dog in a matter of months. The type of training that you enroll your puppy in should be something that you can enjoy together; neither of you will have fun if training becomes a bothersome chore.

Male is Dark Black Sable

Dark Black Sable.

A black German shepherd dog can be an excellent choice for families of all types. You should have at least some experience with dogs before you choose to welcome this breed into your family. This is not a dog to be spoiled and coddled; it needs to be raised with a firm but gentle hand if it is to thrive.

The dark black Sable German Shepherd is really popular in the Schutzhund training world today! Schutzhund is a dog training sport that was developed in Germany. The Germans use this for testing their dogs to see how far they could go in training as a temperament test for training the German Shepherd Dogs. It is a great dog sport. What does the word Schutzhund mean? The word means “Protection dog” in German. Read more Here; 

Here’s a great video of an expert training a black bi-color German Shepherd in obedience work. Love how he adds in the Bark and holding for training Protection work when he’s working his obedience routine.

 

This is the owner of  Kraftwerk K9 kennels. Wayne has trained and handled many different dogs in competitions worldwide today. When you review his website, you’ll see great-looking dog training videos with him training in the Schutzhund sport, along with how they raise and train their puppies. I highly recommend checking out his website.

Conclusion:

We cover a lot of information in this article about some of the most popular questions most people are searching for. If I miss anything that you were looking for. Please post in the comments.

Talk, soon!

Dennis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the author: Dennis is the founder of German Shepherd Behavior. I have owned this breed for over 25 years and looking forward to sharing my German Shepherd journey with you.