There are not really variations of Sable. Sable is Sable, but the Sabling (overlay and tipping) may differ widely in degree from very sparse to very heavy and from quite light to intensely dark. A lighter Sable with perhaps just black ear tips is sometimes called a Clear Sable while a darker sable with a heavy dark overlay is sometimes called a Shaded Sable. Sabling is generally concentrated on the dog's head and back (dorsal areas) with very little, if any, appearing on the dog's chest, stomach and legs (ventral areas). Black hair on a sable dog can range from the individual hair being solid black to the individual hair being black only at the tip of the hair. The influence of the C gene allows the undercoat to be many different shades leading to innumerable different expressions of Sable. The Sable coat can grow in bands of tone-on-tone colour shadings ( ie bands of lighter, medium and darker gold). Interestingly, when the tipping and overlay is black, dogs generally get named the colour of the undercoat; for example Gold Sable (gold undercoat - black tipping) Red Sable ( red undercoat - black tipping). However, when the dark coat is any other than black, such as Silver or Chocolate then the dogs appear to get colour named according to the tipping or overlay colour. The under colour on all of these appears pale creamy off-white. For example Silver Sable (creamy undercoat-silver/charcoal tipping), Chocolate Sable (creamy undercoat - chocolate tipping) . Occasionally you find a puppy that is a clear creamy colour sabled in gold . These pale gold tipped cream sables are sometimes named Fawn. No wonder there is such confusion. Genetically, they are all Sable, the base colour is a descriptor only and is not necessary for registration purposes though it is quite commonly used for such.

	PHOTO NEEDED
Colour - CREAM SABLE This uniquely coloured puppy from Havana Canada. has a creamy undercoat tipped in sandy tan.	CREAM SABLE	LIGHT GOLD SABLE Sierra, bred by Buenos Amigos kennels in the Netherlands, is the sweet companion of the Van Wunnik family.
GOLD SABLE / SILVER TIPPED From Pocopayasos . As Frisco matures, his gold undercoat is fading giving prominence to the dramatic silver tipping.	GOLD SABLE / SILVER TIPPED Note the intriguing colour change from his previous puppy picture.	GOLD SABLE Gizmo fromSandra and Von Ajaccios .
RED SABLE PARTI Hubba Bubba made a long overseas trip from Mucho Bravo Kennels to a new US home with the Smiths.	RED SABLE SIMPLY, a beautiful Havanese from Strand Wiks in Sweden.	SABLE PIED Funny Face is another cutie from Sandra and Von Ajaccios in Germany
SABLE From Cubanitas - Follow Sarah's amazing colour development on Gallery 11.	SILVER SABLE This sterling charmer is Hamlet from Dar A Luz in upstate new York	Colour - SILVER SABLE Young Ace from Havana Canada. shows pale cream undercoat covered with silver overlay.

The photo here is a close up of wild rabbit fur. Note: The photo was taken with air blowing on the coat to expose the bandings of colour. The pattern itself is not circular.

AGOUTI or WILD - A "wild"coat is banded from root to tip in rings of alternating dark and light colour ( dark / light / dark / light ...) similar to the coats of many wild animals like rabbit, mink and wolf. Wild banding is not the same as the colour banding seen in a sable where the coat hairs can be several shadings of one basic colour, although it is possible that the same gene plays a part in both. Wild Agouti colouring generally has at least 3 to 5 rings of alternating colour. Another variation is a sable dog with charcoal or black tipping on a pale silver/grey undercoat with no hint of red, tan or cream in the coat at all. This distinctive coat may be called Wolf. Wolf, Agouti or Wild coats are predominant in Spitz breeds. While these have been reported in Havanese, I have not seen one yet either in person or by photo.