Coat Colors in Dogs

Although every dog appears to be completely unique in its coat color and markings, there is a specific science that goes into determining your dog's coat color. There are actually only a limited number of coat colors and marking colors that dogs can exhibit, and the unique qualities of their appearance are actually derived from mixing the various colors to create new patterns and markings. Each coat color has unique characteristics that make it what it is.

  1. Brown and Red

    • Variations of brown include mid-tone brown, mahogany, gray brown and blackish brown. An example of the brown coat color can be seen in the Chesapeake Bay retriever. The red coat color is more reminiscent of cherry wood or mahogany wood and it has a number of variations, including reddish brown, chestnut, tawny, roan, rust, bronze, tan, cinnamon and ruby. Two examples of the red coat color are the German shorthaired pointer or the chocolate Labrador.

    Gold and Yellow

    • Gold is described as being a rich and reddish yellow, such as that of the Golden retriever. It has several variations, including yellow-gold, fawn, apricot, lion-colored, wheaten, straw, mustard and honey. Yellow is another coat color, and is most notable in the standard Labrador retriever. Two variations of yellow are lemon and blonde.

    Cream and White

    • Cream is often mistaken for pale yellow, but cream can range from white to ivory or blonde. Cream is also capable of occurring with as well as beneath yellow, lemon and sable. White on the other hand is such a light-colored cream that it is more commonly described as being pure white, which makes it a distinct color in comparison to an albino dog. White dogs have dark pigments around the rims of the eye and nose.

    Black

    • Black dogs are typically completely pure black. They may also be grizzled, however, especially as they age. Black dogs are known to develop white hairs around their muzzles as they age. An example of the black coat color in dogs is the black Labrador retriever.

    Blue and Gray

    • The blue coat color is a dark and metallic gray that is seen in the Blue Merle. Other examples of dog breeds that come in blue include Australian Shepherd, the Kerry Blue Terrier, the Australian Silky Terrier and the Bearded Collie. Gray is often confused as being blue, but has variants, including pale gray to dark gray, pepper, silver, slate, black and silver and silver fawn.