Dog Coat & Coat Colors

Putty Nose

Dudley nose

Broken Color

Self-color broken by white and another color

Belge

a coat color of black and reddish brown mixture

Sable

a coat color produced by black-tipped hairs on a background of silver, gold, gray, fawn, or brown

Beauty Spot

a distinct spot, usually round, of colored hair, surrounded by the white blaze, on the top of skull between the ears

Blue

a genetic dilution of black coat color, due to the recessive dilution (dd) color locus

Badger

a mixture of white, gray, brown, and black

Butterfly Nose

a partially unpigmented nose, dark, spotted with flesh color

Self-marked

a whole-colored dog with white or pale markings on chest, feet, and tail tip

Agouti

alternating bands of light and dark color along each hair of the coat

Landseer

black and white Newfoundland dog - named so because artist Edwin Landseer painted such dogs

Saddle

black marking over the back, like a saddle for a horse

Thumb Marks

black spots on the region of the pastern (feet)

Fawn

brown, red-yellow with hue of medium brilliance

Puffs

circular bands of hair left on the forelegs of a clipped dog (ex. Poodle)

China Eye

clear flecked or spotted blue, light blue, or whitish eye

Wirehair

coat of hard, crisp, wiry texture

Tri-color

coat of three colors: black, white and tan

Ridge

coat pattern, usually long and narrow, formed by hair growing in opposite direction to that of surrounding hair (ex. Rhodesian Ridgeback)

Corder Coat

coat that hangs in even strands of varying length that is allowed and encouraged to grow into ringlets or dreadlocks

Merle

color pattern involving a dominant gene (the M or Merling Series) ; characterized by dark blotches against a lighter background of the same pigment (ex. Collies or Dachshunds).

Blue Merle

color pattern involving black blotches or streaks on a blue-gray background

Brindle

color pattern specified by the e allele of the Extension locus, resulting in the layering of black pigment in regions of lighter color, producing a tiger-striped pattern

Seal

color that appears black but has a red cast when viewed in sunlight (ex. Boston Terrier)

Mask

dark shading on the foreface

Trace

dark stripe down the back of the Pug

Mantle

dark-shaded portion of the coat on shoulders, back, and neck

Liver

deep reddish brown color, produced by recessive (bb) alleles at the Black locus

Pily Coat

dense, harsh outer coat, coupled with a soft, fur-like and very close inner coat (ex. Dandie Dinmont Terrier)

Flesh-Colored nose

evenly colored nose, similar to the Dudley nose. "Dudley" is used to describe a fault, whereas "flesh" is used in breed standards where pigmentation is acceptable

Isabella

fawn or light bay color

Speckling

flecking or ticking

Dudley Nose

flesh-colored nose (this term is used when the nose color is a fault to the breed standard)

Markings

generally used in reference to white areas distributed on a colored background

Biscuit

grayish yellow color

Skewbald

irregular body patches of any color other than black, superimposed on a white background (just image with dogs instead of horses)

Splashed

irregularly patched color on white or white on color

Pink nose

lightly pigmented nose, in contrast to a black or brown nose

Furnishings

long hair on the extremities (including head and tail) of certain breeds

Out of Coat

long- and/or broken-coated dogs that have dropped their outer jackets or undercoat

Mahogany

medium-saturated dull, reddish brown

Self-Color

one color or whole color except for lighter shading

Wheaten

pale yellow of fawn color

Mottled

pattern of dark, roundish blotches superimposed on a lighter background

Powder Puff

profusely haired variety of Chinese Crested

Domino

reverse facial mask pattern on some breeds

Ruby

rich, mahogany red (ex. English Toy Spaniel)

Whorl

ridge of hair growing in a circular pattern

Bracelets

rings of hair left on hind legs of Poodle

Spectacles

shadings of dark markings over or around the eyes, or from eyes to ears (ex. Keeshond)

Ticked

small, isolated areas of black hairs on a white ground

Open Coat

sparsely haired coat, where fibers are usually widely separated from one another

Pips

spots above the eyes of most black and tan breeds

Kiss Marks

tan marks above eyes and on cheeks

Lozenge

thumbprint spot on the skull between ears (ex. Cavalier King Charles and English Toy Spaniels)

Topknot

tuft of longer hair on top of head

Rust

used to describe several breeds, this color is a medium-brilliant reddish brown

Parti-Colored

variegated with patches of two or more colors

Flashing

white markings on chest, neck, face, feet, or tail tip

Broken Coat

wiry, harsh, crisp coat, consisting of a harsh, wiry outer jacket plus a dense, softer, softer undercoat