Some agouti dogs don’t show the usual wolf-gray banding all over their upper body. Instead, they have extended tan markings that only leave room for a smaller banded saddle on the back. This is what we call saddle agouti. A mainly yellow dog with a saddle of banded hairs. This phenotype is common in German ... Read more

Agouti is the wild-type base pattern in dogs. The agouti pattern causes banded dorsal hairs with solid tan markings on the lower body and wolf-like face markings. But some agouti dogs get so dark on top that they look almost black & tan. That’s dark agouti. What’s Actually Happening Agouti dogs are E/- ky/ky aw/-. ... Read more

Agouti is the wild-type pattern in dogs. It causes banded dorsal hairs and clear ventral tan markings. The transition from dorsal to ventral coat causes distinct agouti markings. This is an image guide to make you better at recognizing agouti. The placement of banded hair on the face is one of the distinguishing features that ... Read more

The domino trait partially inhibits eumelanin synthesis. This creates a washed-out version of agouti with less dark banding and reduced tan markings. Some breeds call it “gray & white” or “agouti grizzle“. This creates an overall lighter, washed‑out version of the agouti pattern. Agouti domino dogs commonly have a pale undercoat, reduced eumelanin banding in ... Read more

Tuxedo is a Poodle breed term for a mantle pattern. It describes a pattern with moderate white markings on the underbody and a solid blanket over the back of the dog. White Tuxedo Markings Some Poodle terms describe different amounts of white: Parti: White markings cover more than 50 % of the body. Abstract: White markings cover less ... Read more

Parti is a breed term for piebald, it is often used in Poodles and other breeds. The informal definition says that a parti Poodle has white markings over more than 50% of its body. Parti Markings Poodle breeders use different breed terms for different amounts of white: Parti: White markings cover more than 50 % of the body. ... Read more

“Abstract” is mainly a term used in Poodle breeding, but it has also been adopted by the Doodle community. An abstract Poodle has minor white markings on less than 50% of its body surface. White Abstract Markings Poodle breeders use different breed terms for different amounts of white: Parti: White markings cover more than 50 % ... Read more

The D locus can cause color dilution of black or brown pigment. Homozygous recessive (d/d) dogs can only produce eumelanin that is either blue (diluted black) or lilac/isabella (diluted brown). What is Color Dilution? The melanosomes found in a dog’s pigment cells produce and store pigment before they are distributed into a growing hair. But ... Read more

Learn about the base colors of eumelanin. Eumelanin is the dark type of pigment we see in canine coat colors. The most common color is the “wild type” black. However, eumelanin can be modified to other base colors, namely brown, blue, and lilac. We call them “base colors“, because they determine the darkest possible shade ... Read more

Dogs with just one copy of a saddle pattern often express creeping tan. This is a pattern with bigger-than-average tan markings that are not yet large enough to qualify as classic saddle tan. What Is Creeping Tan? Creeping tan is a version of saddleback. But these dogs express an extended black saddle with large tan ... Read more