Tibetan Terrier Colors

Tibetan Terrier Colors

• Tibetan terriers can appear in almost any color. The breed has a double-coat consisting of a soft, downy undercoat and a long topcoat, which actually displays the color of the dog. On the lighter end of the spectrum, Tibetan terriers can be white, cream, yellow, tan and golden, among other colors. On the dark end: black, blue, chocolate, brown and dark gray are common. There are no dominant or preferred colors with this breed.

Tibetan Terrier Patterns

• Tibetan terriers also come in several different color patterns. Solid-colored coats are common in this breed, also, bicolored and tricolored coats consisting of white and one or two other colors, such as white and brown or white, black and tan. Other patterns include sable (tan or white hairs with black tips), merle (marbled with various colors) and flecked (mostly light solid-colored with speckles of a darker color).

Tibetan Terrier Colors and Genetics

• There are eight, scientifically-confirmed genes that control coat color in all dogs. Each gene has two or more variants, called alleles, and each occurs in a certain, fixed location in the genome, called a locus. A (agouti) is the first gene; it determines whether the dog will have an agouti appearance (cream or red-colored with sable hairs). B (brown) genes determine a brown or black coat. D (dilute) genes determine whether the coat will be black (non-dilute) or grey (dilute).

  E (extension) genes determine whether the dog will have a mask, or dark muzzle. H (harlequin) genes control harlequin coat (only in Great Danes). K (dominant black) genes control whether the coat will be all black or mostly black. M (Merle) genes determine whether the dog will have a Merle coat or not. Lastly, S (spotted) genes determines whether the coat will be spotted.

History of the Breed and Other Facts

• The Tibetan Terrier - which is not an actual terrier, but belongs to the Non-sporting group -- originated in Tibet around the first century B.C., though it may be even older. Tibetan monks first named the dog Tsang Apso, meaning "bearded dog from the Tsang region." It is also related to the smaller Lhasa Apso breed from the same region. Tibetan terriers do not shed hair, which makes them more hypoallergenic than other dogs. They also have a gentle temperament and can live up to 16 years.