Sable puppies are born darker and lighten over time. Some sable pups: "clear" (lose all dark color, like dog on the left), some stay "tipped" (tips or ends of hairs are darker), or shaded (like Sasha below right.
A sable dog has dark stripe down the back when born, but there are 3 genetic varieties of sable, so you don't allways know the final adult color...sometimes...for a year or two.
