The term “black & tan” usually refers to a black-based tan point pattern. Dogs with this pattern have a black coat with tan markings on their eyebrows, cheeks, chest, and undersides. Tan Point Colors Dogs need to be able to express their tan point allele (some use the new allele label ASIPBB or BB for at). They have … Read more
Blue sable dogs have a sable pattern with diluted black eumelanin. They have a phaeomelanic base color with varying amounts of blue hair tipping, mostly concentrated along their upper body. Sable Colors Dogs need to be able to express their sable allele (Ay). They have to be ky/ky combined with either a mask Em/- or a wild type allele E/-. The color of their … Read more
Chocolate sable dogs have a sable pattern with brown eumelanin. They have a phaeomelanic base color with varying amounts of brown hair tipping mostly concentrated along their upper body. Sable Colors Dogs need to be able to express their sable allele (we shortened the new allele names ASIPDY and ASIPSY to Ay). They have to be ky/ky combined with either a mask Em/- or a … Read more
Lilac sable dogs have a sable pattern with diluted brown eumelanin. They have a phaeomelanic yellow to red base color with some amount of lilac-tipped hairs on their upper body. Sable Colors Dogs need to be able to express their sable allele (we shortened the new allele names ASIPDY and ASIPSY to Ay). They have to be ky/ky combined with either a mask Em/- … Read more
Dogs with a black-based sable pattern have a predominantly tan coat with some amount of black-tipped hairs along their upper body. Their sabling can be sparse or heavy. Sable Colors Dogs need to be able to express their sable allele (we shortened the new allele names ASIPDY and ASIPSY to Ay). They have to be ky/ky combined with either a mask Em/- or a wild type allele E/-. … Read more
Sable merle can be very striking in young puppies, but merle can be difficult to spot or even “hidden” in adult dogs with a sable pattern. That is because most merle alleles can only affect eumelanin. And many adult sable dogs don’t have a lot of eumelanin in their pattern. The Sable Pattern To understand … Read more
Residual white describes any minor white pattern. Typical markings include a small white patch on the chest, white toes, or a tiny bit of white on the muzzle or forehead. The white pattern is caused by incomplete pigmentation of the coat at birth. Small white markings like these may shrink or disappear as pigment continues … Read more
Let’s talk about tan markings on puppies. There seems to be some confusion about which patterns come with tan points or how to recognize agouti, sable, or tan point patterns in puppies. The tan points in a black and tan pattern (at/-) are well-defined phaeomelanin markings on the cheeks, chin, throat, forechest, lower legs, and … Read more
What is the difference between a sable and an agouti pattern in dogs? It’s not always easy to tell sable and agouti apart. Both patterns come with some amount of hair banding on their upper body and a lighter underside. However, the type of banding and the distribution of banded hairs throughout the coat vary … Read more
Watermarks are only found in sable and white dogs with an extended melanistic mask. It causes the dark sable shading to pool at the edges of the sable patches, creating a striking pattern. However, no one knows what causes watermarkings, also called etching or color pooling. What Is Watermarking? Imagine a dog with a sable … Read more