Dog Coat Color
Dog’s coats exist in a wide variety of colors and color combinations. They range from pure white to solid black and include nearly every shade of yellow, red, brown and gray. Special color combinations exist and are known by common names. A solid coat has a single, even color across the entire body. A particolor contains disnt patches of two or more colors, though some people define particolor patterns more structly: bicolors as two colors mixes, tricolors as three colors and trus particolors as four or more colors. A roan pattern gently blends white and colored hairs into a subtle combination. A saddle pattern describes a coat with a dark oval shape across the back in combination with any base color, though tan and brown are commob. Sable coats have gray, tan, gold or silver hairs with black tips. When black coats form a striped patern with any other light color, the result is called brindle.Grizzle coats mix blue, gray, red and black hairs in a seemingly random pattern. Merle patterns are marbled combinations of black, gray and either blue or red hairs.
Hereditary influences primarily define the appearance of the coat. Colors and patterns remian a brreeder’s major concern. Since breed standards usually specify fixed color requirements, these criteria are extremely important when choosing a show-quality dog. For owners with no interest in competition, coat colors can be based on personal preference or availability.