| Black,
Tan/Tan Sable, Chocolate and Blue Colors |
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BLACK
Is the most common of all Rat Terrier colors. A black and white dog
with tan point markings is often referred to as the CLASSIC
TRI as it
is considered by many to be the typical Rat Terrier color and a common
favorite. Blacks have black noses and black eye rims. |
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TAN / TAN SABLE
Is also a common Rat Terrier color. Tan may vary from very light
buckskin to deep mahogany red, often darkening with age. Black sable
hairs are common on tan dogs and are typically dense at birth and
lessen with maturity (see page 3: SABLE) Tan is not a dilute color as
all tan dogs have black noses and eye rims.
For more information about tans see: A
STUDY OF TAN |
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CHOCOLATE
Was once considered unusual, but is now a common Rat Terrier color.
Chocolates vary from from dark, liver chocolate to
very light, reddish
chocolate, often referred to as High Red Chocolate. The
definitive feature of a Chocolate Rat Terrier is the chocolate
(non-black) nose. Chocolate may be called Liver or Red in
other breeds. Chocolate is not a dilute but a restrictive
color as the
dog cannot produce black pigment or black hairs. Tan puppies
occasionally appear chocolate at birth but if the nose color fills in
black, the puppy is tan. |
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BLUE
Is a true dilute and appears as gray or gray-blue on the dog. Blue is
called Maltese Blue in some breeds and is genetically a
black
dog with the dilute gene affecting the black color at a cellular level.
The nose color is generally dark blue and adult eye color may be dark
blue, golden or hazel. Light blue puppy eyes usually turn amber with
maturity. A condition of baldness called CDA (Color Dilution Alopecia)
is a problem in some breeds that have dilutes and it is believed that
risks of CDA increase when dilutes are bred to each other. As yet, CDA
is not a common problem in Rat Terriers, but avoiding the breeding of
dilutes to dilutes is recommended and seems to be a wise precaution.
For more information go to: COLOR
DILUTION ALOPECIA |
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