Dog Coat Colour Genetics

COLOUR TERMS

The frustrating thing about dog genetics is the vast array of different names given to the same colours in different breeds. For example, Labradors are yellow but Golden Retrievers are golden. You can't have a golden Labrador or a yellow Golden Retriever, yet they're genetically the same colour! This can be a bit of a barrier when it comes to working out the genetics of particular breeds, so to make things easier, here's a list of some of the terms you'll find (either on breed standards or just being used by breeders), and what they actually mean in terms of the genetics we've studied on this site.

Term Breeds What it means

Albino Dobermann Not actually proper albino, just a dog with very, very diluted pigment

ASCOB American Cocker Spaniel Any solid colour other than black

Ash Various - general term Isabella (liver dilute, bbdd) or very washed-out red

Banding Various - general term When hairs have bands of more than one colour. Associated with agouti (a^wa^w)

Beauty spot Various, but mainly Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and King Charles Spaniel (English Toy Spaniel) Coloured spot in the middle of the forehead blaze on a piebald dog

Belge Affenpinscher Sable with black tipping

Belton English Setter Roan or heavy ticking in any colour

Bi-black Shetland Sheepdog Black and white with no tan markings

Bi-blue Shetland Sheepdog Blue merle and white with no tan markings

Biscuit Samoyed, American Eskimo Cream (appearing either as patches or on the whole of the dog)

Black and silver Various - general term Black with tan points (a^ta^t) which have been turned to off-white by one of the chinchilla genes

Black brindle Various - general term Heavily brindled dog (i.e. with thick black stripes, so very little red shows through)

Blenheim Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and King Charles Spaniel (English Toy Spaniel) Deep, clear red (recessive red, ee, not sable, A^yA^y) with white markings in the piebald pattern. The same colour as the Red and White Setter

Blue fawn Basenji, Rat Terrier Sable with blue (diluted black, dd) pigment, or sable with isabella (diluted liver, bbdd) pigment.

Blue roan Various - general term Black-pigmented dog with roaned white, which appears a bluish colour

Boston Great Dane, Boston Terrier Black (or brindle) dog with white markings in the irish spotting pattern

Brindlequin Great Dane Harlequin with brindle patches

Bronzing Various - general term A brownish cast to the coat of a longhaired black dog

Butterfly nose Various - general term Partly pink nose on a merle

Charcoal Various - general term Very dark blue dilute (dd), often appearing almost black

Check Boxer Brindle or fawn (sable) boxer with the piebald white pattern

Chocolate Various, but particularly the Labrador Liver (bb)

Clear-coloured Various - general term One solid colour all over (i.e. no sabling on a red dog). Clear-coloured dogs may still have white markings (white is not a colour)

Copper Siberian Husky Reddish liver (bb)

Creeping tan Various - general term Pattern inbetween traditional tan points and saddle. Generally the tan covers the whole of the muzzle and eyebrows, most of the legs, and the front of the chest

Cryptic merle Various - general term Merle dog which has no visible merling, i.e. one which is solid black (or liver, etc)

Dapple Dachshund Merle

Dark merle Various - general term A merle dog with a dark grey base coat (rather than the usual light grey). This is caused by intermingled black hairs

Deadgrass Chesapeake Bay Retriever Light liver-pigmented red. A duller shade than sedge.

Dilute spot Various - general term Patch on a merle which is lighter than the other dark patches

Domino Afghan Hound Usually a dog with a greyish back and cream/white underparts. Probably a shaded sable (known as grizzle in a similar breed, the Saluki)

Dorsal stripe Various - general term Dark line along the back, often caused by sabling

Dudley nose Various - general term Pink or liver nose

Fawn Various - general term Clear sable, usually with a black mask

Fawn Dobermann Isabella (dilute liver) with tan points

Fawnequin Great Dane Harlequin Great Dane with sable (fawn) patches rather than black. Black patches may still appear on the muzzle, where most Danes have black masks

Fawn merle Various - general term Sable merle. In clear sables, merle may only be visible on the mask (if present)

Flashy Various - general term A dog with more white than normal for its breed, or a dog with clear white (no ticking)

Flecking Various - general term Ticking

Flowered Shar Pei Piebald

Ginger merle Cardigan Welsh Corgi Brindle merle with an orangey base coat

Grizzle Saluki Black/brown with tan points/underparts. Same pattern as sable in Shetland Sheepdogs, and caused by the same gene (sable, A^y)

Grizzle Terriers Intermingled brown and black hairs (usually on a saddle)

Harlequin Australian Shepherd Merle dog with white patches in its merling (caused by an unidentified modifier)

Harlequin Beauceron Blue merle with tan points

Harlequin Great Dane Merle modifier which dilutes the grey parts on a merle to white, leaving jet black patches on a white base. Overall appearance is similar to a Holstein cow

Havana Brown Havanese Black brindle (brindle with very thick black stripes). When the coat grows in, such dogs can appear to be a brownish colour, like liver but without liver pigment

Isabella Various - general term Dilute liver (bb on the B locus and dd on the D locus)

Isabella Shar Pei A light, dullish red dog with a blue mask and blue sabling (so a blue dilute sable, dd)

Isabella Siberian Husky Off-white (light cream), caused by dilution of phaeomelanin (red). May have a black or liver saddle.

Ivory Various - general term A solid white dog with a slight cream sheen

King Charles Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and King Charles Spaniel (English Toy Spaniel) Black with traditional tan markings (a^ta^t)

Lavender Shar Pei Light purplish tongue colour on a dilute Shar Pei

Light red (and red) Siberian Husky Light reddish liver (bb). Dark liver is called copper in this breed.

Lilac Shar Pei Isabella

Lion Ibizan Hound Light red

Maltese blue Various - general term Blue (diluted black, dd)

Mantle Great Dane White markings in the irish spotting pattern (muzzle, neck, chest, lower legs and tail tip)

Mask Various - general term Black (or liver, isabella, or blue) on the muzzle area (may include the eyebrows and the ears), caused by the E^m gene

Merlequin (merlekin, merlikin) Great Dane Double merle. The double merle causes broken patches of merle on a white base, giving a pattern similar to harlequin (but more regular)

Minimal merle Various - general term Merle dog with very little visible merling. In effect, an almost completely black (or liver, etc) dog with just a small patch of diluted fur

Mosaic Various - general term Generally a red dog with random black sections on its coat, caused by a very rare mutation

Mosaic spot Dalmatian A red or tan spot on an otherwise black-spotted Dalmatian. Caused by a mutation

Muddy merle Various - general term Blue merle with a brownish sheen to the grey parts of the coat

Mustard Dandie Dinmont Terrier Light tan (probably sable) with white furnishings and head

Onyx brindle Various - general term Black brindle (thick black stripes)

Particolour Various - general term Any dog with two distinct colours in its coat

Pearl Rat Terrier Isabella (diluted liver, bbdd)

Pencilling Various - general term Black lines on the toes of a tan-pointed dog

Pepper Dandie Dinmont Terrier Black with tan points (a^ta^t) diluted to white by one of the chinchilla genes. The black is diluted to silver by the progressive greying gene (G). Appearance is of a light grey dog with white underparts.

Phantom merle Various - general term Dog which has the merle gene, but is solid red because of the recessive red gene (ee) or clear sable. As there is no visible merling, it can be impossible to tell the dog is a merle

Pinto Akita Piebald

Pips Various - general term Tan markings above the eyebrows and on the cheeks on a tan-pointed dog

Platinum Various - general term Silvery white

Points Various - general term Markings (usually tan, or a variant of) on the sides of the muzzle, the neck, chest, eyebrows, lower legs and vent

Porcelaine Great Dane Harlequin with patches of any colour other than black

Powder merle Various - general term Pale-coloured merle with only a few dark patches

Prince Charles Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and King Charles Spaniel (English Toy Spaniel) Tricolour (black with tan points and white markings)

Red speckle Australian Cattle Dog Red roan

Reverse brindle Various - general term Black brindle (very heavy black striping)

Ruby Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and King Charles Spaniel (English Toy Spaniel) Deep, clear red (recessive red, ee, not sable, A^yA^y)

Sable German Shepherd Dog Agouti or wolf grey (a^wa^w)

Salt and pepper Schnauzer Wolf grey (agouti, a^wa^w, with very strong dilution of phaeomelanin, turning the red to white). Appears as a grey dog with white points in the traditional tan point pattern. On longer fur, banded hairs are visible

Seal Various - general term Appears black with a brownish tinge. Genetic basis is unknown.

Sedge Chesapeake Bay Retriever Liver-pigmented sable, sometimes with a liver mask

Silver brindle Various - general term Brindle with greyish stripes (but not a blue brindle - silver brindles are not dilutes)

Slate Various - general term Dark blue (which is diluted black, dd)

Slate merle Various - general term Merle with diluted pigment, dd (i.e. a proper 'blue' merle!)

Sooty Various - general term Sable with black sabling "muddying" the red. Sometimes called a sabled fawn.

Spectacles Keeshond Cream colour around the eyes on a wolf grey dog

Splash coat Siberian Husky Piebald

Tiger brindle Various - general term Light brindle with sparse stripes

Tricolour (tri) Various - general term Literally "three colours". Usually a black and tan-pointed dog with white markings (to any extent), although liver, blue and isabella tris occur too
Tricolour Terriers and hounds Tan dog with a black saddle and white markings (to any extent)
Trim Various - general term A small amount of white on the chest, muzzle, toes and/or tail tip

Trindle Various - general term Brindle tricolour (i.e. black with brindle points and white markings. Brindle never appears as the main colour on a tan-pointed dog)

Tweed (tweed merle) Various - general term Modified merle, causing patches of brown and tan to appear on a blue merle.

Vent marking Various - general term Tan patch under the tail on a tan-pointed dog

White collar Various - general term White reaching all the way around the neck

Widow's peak Various - general term Brown or black marking running down the middle of the forehead on a shaded sable dog

Wolf grey Various - general term Agouti (a^wa^w) with phaeomelanin dilution (chinchilla) turning the base coat to grey and the points to cream, leaving some black on the back. This is the colour of the Keeshond and Norwegian Elkhound.

Apricot
Chestnut
Cinnamon
Cream
Deer
Fawn
Fallow
Gold
Lemon
Mahogany
Orange
Red
Russet
Rust
Sandy
Stag
Tan
Tawny
Wheaten
Yellow Various Used to describe various shades of red, from the lightest (cream) to the darkest (mahogany)

Term	Breeds	What it means
Albino	Dobermann	Not actually proper albino, just a dog with very, very diluted pigment
ASCOB	American Cocker Spaniel	Any solid colour other than black
Ash	Various - general term	Isabella (liver dilute, bbdd) or very washed-out red
Banding	Various - general term	When hairs have bands of more than one colour. Associated with agouti (a^wa^w)
Beauty spot	Various, but mainly Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and King Charles Spaniel (English Toy Spaniel)	Coloured spot in the middle of the forehead blaze on a piebald dog
Belge	Affenpinscher	Sable with black tipping
Belton	English Setter	Roan or heavy ticking in any colour
Bi-black	Shetland Sheepdog	Black and white with no tan markings
Bi-blue	Shetland Sheepdog	Blue merle and white with no tan markings
Biscuit	Samoyed, American Eskimo	Cream (appearing either as patches or on the whole of the dog)
Black and silver	Various - general term	Black with tan points (a^ta^t) which have been turned to off-white by one of the chinchilla genes
Black brindle	Various - general term	Heavily brindled dog (i.e. with thick black stripes, so very little red shows through)
Blenheim	Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and King Charles Spaniel (English Toy Spaniel)	Deep, clear red (recessive red, ee, not sable, A^yA^y) with white markings in the piebald pattern. The same colour as the Red and White Setter
Blue fawn	Basenji, Rat Terrier	Sable with blue (diluted black, dd) pigment, or sable with isabella (diluted liver, bbdd) pigment.
Blue roan	Various - general term	Black-pigmented dog with roaned white, which appears a bluish colour
Boston	Great Dane, Boston Terrier	Black (or brindle) dog with white markings in the irish spotting pattern
Brindlequin	Great Dane	Harlequin with brindle patches
Bronzing	Various - general term	A brownish cast to the coat of a longhaired black dog
Butterfly nose	Various - general term	Partly pink nose on a merle
Charcoal	Various - general term	Very dark blue dilute (dd), often appearing almost black
Check	Boxer	Brindle or fawn (sable) boxer with the piebald white pattern
Chocolate	Various, but particularly the Labrador	Liver (bb)
Clear-coloured	Various - general term	One solid colour all over (i.e. no sabling on a red dog). Clear-coloured dogs may still have white markings (white is not a colour)
Copper	Siberian Husky	Reddish liver (bb)
Creeping tan	Various - general term	Pattern inbetween traditional tan points and saddle. Generally the tan covers the whole of the muzzle and eyebrows, most of the legs, and the front of the chest
Cryptic merle	Various - general term	Merle dog which has no visible merling, i.e. one which is solid black (or liver, etc)
Dapple	Dachshund	Merle
Dark merle	Various - general term	A merle dog with a dark grey base coat (rather than the usual light grey). This is caused by intermingled black hairs
Deadgrass	Chesapeake Bay Retriever	Light liver-pigmented red. A duller shade than sedge.
Dilute spot	Various - general term	Patch on a merle which is lighter than the other dark patches
Domino	Afghan Hound	Usually a dog with a greyish back and cream/white underparts. Probably a shaded sable (known as grizzle in a similar breed, the Saluki)
Dorsal stripe	Various - general term	Dark line along the back, often caused by sabling
Dudley nose	Various - general term	Pink or liver nose
Fawn	Various - general term	Clear sable, usually with a black mask
Fawn	Dobermann	Isabella (dilute liver) with tan points
Fawnequin	Great Dane	Harlequin Great Dane with sable (fawn) patches rather than black. Black patches may still appear on the muzzle, where most Danes have black masks
Fawn merle	Various - general term	Sable merle. In clear sables, merle may only be visible on the mask (if present)
Flashy	Various - general term	A dog with more white than normal for its breed, or a dog with clear white (no ticking)
Flecking	Various - general term	Ticking
Flowered	Shar Pei	Piebald
Ginger merle	Cardigan Welsh Corgi	Brindle merle with an orangey base coat
Grizzle	Saluki	Black/brown with tan points/underparts. Same pattern as sable in Shetland Sheepdogs, and caused by the same gene (sable, A^y)
Grizzle	Terriers	Intermingled brown and black hairs (usually on a saddle)
Harlequin	Australian Shepherd	Merle dog with white patches in its merling (caused by an unidentified modifier)
Harlequin	Beauceron	Blue merle with tan points
Harlequin	Great Dane	Merle modifier which dilutes the grey parts on a merle to white, leaving jet black patches on a white base. Overall appearance is similar to a Holstein cow
Havana Brown	Havanese	Black brindle (brindle with very thick black stripes). When the coat grows in, such dogs can appear to be a brownish colour, like liver but without liver pigment
Isabella	Various - general term	Dilute liver (bb on the B locus and dd on the D locus)
Isabella	Shar Pei	A light, dullish red dog with a blue mask and blue sabling (so a blue dilute sable, dd)
Isabella	Siberian Husky	Off-white (light cream), caused by dilution of phaeomelanin (red). May have a black or liver saddle.
Ivory	Various - general term	A solid white dog with a slight cream sheen
King Charles	Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and King Charles Spaniel (English Toy Spaniel)	Black with traditional tan markings (a^ta^t)
Lavender	Shar Pei	Light purplish tongue colour on a dilute Shar Pei
Light red (and red)	Siberian Husky	Light reddish liver (bb). Dark liver is called copper in this breed.
Lilac	Shar Pei	Isabella
Lion	Ibizan Hound	Light red
Maltese blue	Various - general term	Blue (diluted black, dd)
Mantle	Great Dane	White markings in the irish spotting pattern (muzzle, neck, chest, lower legs and tail tip)
Mask	Various - general term	Black (or liver, isabella, or blue) on the muzzle area (may include the eyebrows and the ears), caused by the E^m gene
Merlequin (merlekin, merlikin)	Great Dane	Double merle. The double merle causes broken patches of merle on a white base, giving a pattern similar to harlequin (but more regular)
Minimal merle	Various - general term	Merle dog with very little visible merling. In effect, an almost completely black (or liver, etc) dog with just a small patch of diluted fur
Mosaic	Various - general term	Generally a red dog with random black sections on its coat, caused by a very rare mutation
Mosaic spot	Dalmatian	A red or tan spot on an otherwise black-spotted Dalmatian. Caused by a mutation
Muddy merle	Various - general term	Blue merle with a brownish sheen to the grey parts of the coat
Mustard	Dandie Dinmont Terrier	Light tan (probably sable) with white furnishings and head
Onyx brindle	Various - general term	Black brindle (thick black stripes)
Particolour	Various - general term	Any dog with two distinct colours in its coat
Pearl	Rat Terrier	Isabella (diluted liver, bbdd)
Pencilling	Various - general term	Black lines on the toes of a tan-pointed dog
Pepper	Dandie Dinmont Terrier	Black with tan points (a^ta^t) diluted to white by one of the chinchilla genes. The black is diluted to silver by the progressive greying gene (G). Appearance is of a light grey dog with white underparts.
Phantom merle	Various - general term	Dog which has the merle gene, but is solid red because of the recessive red gene (ee) or clear sable. As there is no visible merling, it can be impossible to tell the dog is a merle
Pinto	Akita	Piebald
Pips	Various - general term	Tan markings above the eyebrows and on the cheeks on a tan-pointed dog
Platinum	Various - general term	Silvery white
Points	Various - general term	Markings (usually tan, or a variant of) on the sides of the muzzle, the neck, chest, eyebrows, lower legs and vent
Porcelaine	Great Dane	Harlequin with patches of any colour other than black
Powder merle	Various - general term	Pale-coloured merle with only a few dark patches
Prince Charles	Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and King Charles Spaniel (English Toy Spaniel)	Tricolour (black with tan points and white markings)
Red speckle	Australian Cattle Dog	Red roan
Reverse brindle	Various - general term	Black brindle (very heavy black striping)
Ruby	Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and King Charles Spaniel (English Toy Spaniel)	Deep, clear red (recessive red, ee, not sable, A^yA^y)
Sable	German Shepherd Dog	Agouti or wolf grey (a^wa^w)
Salt and pepper	Schnauzer	Wolf grey (agouti, a^wa^w, with very strong dilution of phaeomelanin, turning the red to white). Appears as a grey dog with white points in the traditional tan point pattern. On longer fur, banded hairs are visible
Seal	Various - general term	Appears black with a brownish tinge. Genetic basis is unknown.
Sedge	Chesapeake Bay Retriever	Liver-pigmented sable, sometimes with a liver mask
Silver brindle	Various - general term	Brindle with greyish stripes (but not a blue brindle - silver brindles are not dilutes)
Slate	Various - general term	Dark blue (which is diluted black, dd)
Slate merle	Various - general term	Merle with diluted pigment, dd (i.e. a proper 'blue' merle!)
Sooty	Various - general term	Sable with black sabling "muddying" the red. Sometimes called a sabled fawn.
Spectacles	Keeshond	Cream colour around the eyes on a wolf grey dog
Splash coat	Siberian Husky	Piebald
Tiger brindle	Various - general term	Light brindle with sparse stripes
Tricolour (tri)	Various - general term	Literally "three colours". Usually a black and tan-pointed dog with white markings (to any extent), although liver, blue and isabella tris occur too
Tricolour	Terriers and hounds	Tan dog with a black saddle and white markings (to any extent)
Trim	Various - general term	A small amount of white on the chest, muzzle, toes and/or tail tip
Trindle	Various - general term	Brindle tricolour (i.e. black with brindle points and white markings. Brindle never appears as the main colour on a tan-pointed dog)
Tweed (tweed merle)	Various - general term	Modified merle, causing patches of brown and tan to appear on a blue merle.
Vent marking	Various - general term	Tan patch under the tail on a tan-pointed dog
White collar	Various - general term	White reaching all the way around the neck
Widow's peak	Various - general term	Brown or black marking running down the middle of the forehead on a shaded sable dog
Wolf grey	Various - general term	Agouti (a^wa^w) with phaeomelanin dilution (chinchilla) turning the base coat to grey and the points to cream, leaving some black on the back. This is the colour of the Keeshond and Norwegian Elkhound.
Apricot Chestnut Cinnamon Cream Deer Fawn Fallow Gold Lemon Mahogany Orange Red Russet Rust Sandy Stag Tan Tawny Wheaten Yellow	Various	Used to describe various shades of red, from the lightest (cream) to the darkest (mahogany)

PARTS OF THE BODY

Just a diagram with some of the main terms used to describe body parts in dogs. This may help if you're trying to interpret breed standards.

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