Patterns And Other Markings

Dog Markings: Markings are certain designs on the body. Present at birth, they are and must be precise in location and color.

Dog Pattern Coats: These are not markings but the blending of colors in a somewhat random fashion or style.

Black and Tan: Basically a black dog with tan markings or “points.” The tan color can very from very light to a red/mahogany hue. Doberman Pinschers and Rottweilers are black and tan dogs.

Black and Silver: This is a black color base with lighter silver points such as found on a Miniature Schnauzer.

Blenheim: Blenheim is a chestnut red and white. The perfect example is an English toy Spaniel or a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Brindle: This is a striped-coat effect achieved through a mixture of darker hairs on a lighter-colored base coat. A Boxer is a good example of this.

Boston: This refers to a black and white dog. The mantle is black with white making up the face, chest, legs and collar. Boston Terrier.

Collar: This, as the name indicates, is a marking around the neck. It is usually white in color. Collars occuring in many breeds including the Australian Shepherd and the Shetland Sheepdog.

Dappled: These are mottled markings. The colors are varied with no particular color dominating. Dachshunds are well known for having dappled coats.

Domino: A domino means a reversal of the usual facial mask pattern.

Grizzle: This is a mixture of colors. It includes black, grey and red. This specific pattern may also include a mask.

Harlequin: The coat displays irregular patches of black and white. A Harlequin Great Dane is a classic example of this.

Hound-Marked: This is a typical hound look, a white coat marked with black and tan.

Irish Marked/Irish Spotted: This is a solid colored mantle with white markings on several parts of the body, specifically the face, legs, chest, collar and the tip of the tail. For an example, take a look at a Saluki.

Landseer: A term restricted to the Newfoundland Dog. It means a white Newfoundland Dog with black markings.

Mask: A mask is a dark shading of the foreface. A Pekinese has a mask.

Merle: This is a color pattern. It usually is blue-grey with flecks of black or red in color with flecks of black. Collies are frequently Merle as are Australian Shepherds.

Mismarks: Mismarks is a term referring to any coat markings that do not conform to the breed standard.

Mole: This is any color coat shaded with grey overtones.

Parti-Color: The coat base is white. The 1 or more patches are darker colors. In some instances, the type of pattern is referred to as Pied. The Parti-soloring is popular in both the American Cocker Spaniel and the English Cocker Spaniel breeds.

Pinto: Like horses, canines are pintos. This is a white dog with colored patches.

Roan: This is a mixture of colored hairs with white. The overall appearance is of a speckled coat. There are various types of roans including a blue roan. An English Cocker Spaniel is a roan.

Sable: Black tipped hairs are overlaid on a lighter background of a gold, fawn, silver or grey color. A standard example is a Borzoi or a German Shepherd.

Salt And Pepper: The base is dark or light grey. It is sprinkled with black and white flecks, hence the name. The Miniature Schnauzer breed offers this coat color.

Ticked: This refers to a small isolated area or areas of colored hairs on a white base. The dog may be heavily or lightly ticked. A classic example is a German Short Haired Pointer.

Tri-color: This is 3 color combination. Traditionally it consists of black, white and tan. Tan is usually over the eyes or cheeks, inside the ears, on the chest and under the vest. One example is a Bernese Mountain Dog. Recently the term has begun to include any 2 colors plus white.

Conclusion

Dogs come in many colors. They show off a variety of patterns and markings. There are terms to describe the ideals of these breeds. To discover more, go to a breed specific site or read any of the literature on the topic published by the kennel clubs.

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