most of them are born black and they turn lighter colored as they get older
Infinite variation and combination of colors is possible.
black and brown RKRmiler added: and tanish!
the breed standard is black any other color means the dog is a mix
German Shepherd's come in a vary of colours and are always that colour when born.
Any color.
Sometimes the puppies can turn out brown or white anyway, as well as black or white.
* There's no telling. Color genetics can be quite complicated. * Please don't bother making a "hybrid" dog, there are enough mongrels out in the world already. If you go to a pound, I'm sure they will have one already.
The word for the color "black" in German is "schwarz."
darkish gray.
He/She is probably a German shepherd mix. If you had ever noticed that German Shepherds vary in color and size from one to the other, and had gathered though research that these animals were bred with many types of shepherd dog, with a main cross being the wolf, you might agree that it stands to reason that if fact this dog may actually be a German Shepherd with a different heritage. From what you have said in the question I would say it's a German shepherd Akita mix. :)
black
If your German shepherd dog is black and tan in color but his tail is not bushy nor does he have much hair over his body, he probably needs to be seen by a veterinarian. It may just be that that's how your dog looks, but he may have an underlying problem with his skin or thyroid gland that needs to be corrected.