Colours of the Rainbow

COLOURS OF THE RAINBOW

These colour definitions are as accurate as possible according to the information currently available. As we learn more about the complex genetics that affect coat colour inheritance and colour development in the Havanese, some definitions may be added, removed, expanded or changed. Havanese colours are intriguing. It will be many years before we know all there is to know about it, if we ever do.

These are what are called the CLEAR coat colours. There is no dark ( black or brown ) in the coat at all.
All of these colours may come with either black or brown(liver) pigment. Liver pigmented clears are rather uncommon as they are the result of a meeting of two recessives.
WHITE - crisp and bright; pure snow white. No shadings of deeper colour anywhere. A pure white is very uncommon.
Very light off-white dogs with subtly darker shaded ears are often labelled white though they may not genetically be so.

CREAM - Ivory or creamy yellowish white, the colour of dairy cream or almonds.

CHAMPAGNE - pale tawny blonde yellow, the colour of champagne. Yellow undertones. Champagne coats can be beige from light to deep intensity.

APRICOT - rich warm colour from honey to apricot

GOLD - Rich warm colour from light caramel to toffee. There are definite yellow highlights to the coat.

RED - Red is also a rich warm colour, similar to Gold with deeper and more intense colour, ranging from to Orangey Red to deep Mahogany. There are definite red highlights to the coat. Red and Gold dogs retain much of their colour throughout their lifetime, though the colour may soften with age.

These are considered the DARK coat colours which are based on Black.

See the Inheritance page to find out how these colours are produced
SILVER - Puppies are born black and start to lighten at about 4-6 weeks of age. As the dog matures, the coat will lighten to varying shades of silver from pale platinum, sterling and medium grey. The coat change is generally complete at approximately 12-15 months of age.

CHARCOAL or DARK SILVER - Puppies are born black and may have a dark reddish cast. The coat may start turning as early as 6-8 months or later as a young adult, with the coat colour gradually developing to deep silver, steel or charcoal cast. The complete colour change process can take 12 to 24 months or longer. The in between colour is often a muddy reddish brown. Final colour may be any shade from medium to dark silver. Pigment is black. This colour has often erroneously been labelled as Blue.

BLACK - Deep jet black - dark intense colour with no reddish or brown tones - colour does not lighten

These are mixed colour combinations which contain a blend of both light and dark coat pigment in varying proportions. These are all patterns NOT colours.

Note that the light colours in each of these combinations are cream, gold , red, and not white.

Patterned coats broken with white will be discussed below.
All these light/dark blended coats are possible in either black or brown pigment.
BRINDLE - Much confusion surrounds brindle markings. Brindle combinations give dark bands, more or less regular tiger striped on a lighter background any shade from cream, champagne, tan, gold or red. ( ie. Similar to brindle coats of the Boxer or Dane). Tiger stripes are apparent at birth and may run all over the body from head to tail tip in splotches, streaks or stripes of black or brown and to a lesser extent on the belly and underbody. Stripes may be bold and distinct or faint and subtle. Brindle dogs often have a dark mask on the face and at birth, may have black ears, paws and tail as well as a dark dorsal stripe. New born Brindle puppies will have a definite striped or mottled appearance.

SABLE - Sable coats are distinguished by darker tipping on a lighter coloured underfur or a dark overlay on a lighter base coat. The amount of tipping may be very heavy or very light. The underfur can be red, gold, or cream . Tipping may be black, charcoal, silver or darker shades of brown. If the tipping is cut off, generally it will not return as deeply. Areas will the most concentration of black hairs are usually the ears, tail and along the lower spine. Some Sable dogs lighten dramatically as they mature almost to pale Ivory or Off-white leaving just subtle shadings and highlights of colour. A true Sable will always retain some dark tipping (even if just a few hairs) on the ears and/or tail or have some individual dark hairs long the spine.

AGOUTI - or WILD - Some Havanese are said to have agouti hair, where each individual hair is banded in three to five or more rings of alternating dark/light colour like a rabbit or wolf. In dogs, Agouti coats are found on the Keeshond, Norweigan Elkhound, Siberian Huskies and other Spitz breeds. The ring changes are abrupt dark to light and not at all like the shaded bandings you may find in Sables and brindles. See below. The coat will be banded on the neck, shoulders, back and rump and be lighter coloured on the chest belly and inner legs. Controversy exists whether Agouti is a separate pattern of its own or a variation of Brindle or Sable. In other breeds, Agouti is genetically different from both. The same is likely true of Havanese. Not only an individual colour or marking, the term "agouti" is also the broader name of a gene which encompasses many patterns. See the inheritance page for more information.

SADDLE - Some Havanese carry a SADDLE gene. This is usually a puppy born black with tan/silver points, where the coat colour starts fading from the front towards the back, stopping around the shoulder area, leaving the front, face, head and neck lighter and the shoulders, back and rear darker. Similar in appearance to the pattern on a Yorkshire or Silky Terrier.

BLACK AND TAN - is a very specific layout of dark and light coat. Predominantly dark coat overlaid with a lighter colour point pattern. Though the most common background coat colour is black, it may also be Sable, Silver or Chocolate. Colour points are laid out in the following pattern; lighter markings appear on the muzzle, eyebrows, ears, cheeks, legs, chest and vent (similar to the markings on a Doberman or Rottweiler). Colour points may be solid or brindled and any shade of tan or gold (Tan Point) or silver (Silver Point). Points often lighten to silvered pearl or creamy white as the dog matures in part due to the Chinchilla gene.

Figure1 - Agouti "wild" Banding (dark light)
Figure 2 - Eumelanin Banding (shades of dark)
Figure 3 - Phaeomelanin banding (Shades of light)

BANDING - There is a lot of confusion in regards to banding. Part of the confusion is because the term Agouti is used both to describe a series of genes, the "A" genes, and also because it is sometimes used as a colour name. Just because a coat is banded does not necessarily make it Agouti (Wild). Agouti (as a colour) is banding of dark coat (eumelanin) and light coat (phaomelanin). Figure 1 on the left above. This photo is a close up of wild rabbit fur. The coat changes are quite abrupt as it changes from dark to light in the same hair shaft. Though the photo appears circular, the wild patterning is not a circular pattern. This photo was taken when blowing on the coat to show the band layers right down to the skin. Other coats can be banded as well. Both Sables and brindles often have bandings in the light areas of their coats. These will be shaded bandings, with the bands growing in many shaded of the same colour, so there can be bands of gold, champagne, caramel, cream etc. Those are all clear shadings (phaeomelanin) - see figure 3 above on the right. Similarly dark coats can also be banded , especially in dark and light silvers. In these, the dark coat is banded in shades of dark coat only(eumelanin). So the banding can be black, charcoal,, silver, etc... all shades of dark coat colours - see figure 2 above in the centre. The banded shadings may be caused by input of the wild gene though this is not certain. Agouti (wild) is also not the same as sable. Sable coats only have the dark at the tips or ends of the coat or as individual dark hairs. The dark coat is not banded into the rest of the coat.

These are the dark coat colours based on BROWN. Chocolate dogs are produced when the coat, nose and eye pigment are brown instead of black. Chocolate is not a dilution of black. A chocolate dog does not make any black at all. It makes brown instead. Eyes may be a light brown, hazel or amber colour.

Chocolate may be the dark colour in all the same variations, markings and patterns as black so there may be Chocolate Sables, Chocolate Brindles, Chocolate and Tan etc.

Nose and eye colour combination is the most reliable indicator of whether a dog is actually chocolate or if it just has poor pigmentation. If your dogs eyes are black with a lighter brownish nose then what you have is poor pigmentation and not a chocolate. CHOCOLATE - Puppies are born chocolate. True chocolate dogs will have self-coloured brown or liver pigment. They also have lighter brown, amber or golden eyes. Chocolate coats may vary from Milk Chocolate to darker bittersweet Chocolate colour. Any dog who makes [bb] brown pigment will have liver or brown nose, pads, eye rims, lips and clear or brown nails. There is no black on the dog what so ever, in either coat pigment or leather pigment.

CHOCOLATE SILVER (dark) - Puppies are born chocolate and lighten as they mature. One copy of the silvering gene affecting Chocolate may give rise to a medium to dark Mocha type colour. Silvering generally starts in adolescence and may progress over 2 to 3 years or longer. Pigment is liver/brown.

CHOCOLATE SILVER (light) - Puppies are born chocolate. Silvering starts very early and is generally complete at about 12-15 months of age. Two copies of the silvering gene lighten the dog as it matures to a chocolate silver colour similar to a light coffee. Pigment is liver/brown. Chocolate with one or two copies of the silvering genes, Chocolate Silvers (light to dark) will generally be registered as Chocolate (birth colour).

So what about FAWN ? Where does it fit in? - Fawn is a tricky one. Some consider a fawn puppy to be a medium yellow colour ranging from tan and buff to light brown shades (like a Fawn Pug). Others call a light cream sable with beige/ brown tipping Fawn, and yet others reserve the designation for the Dilute chocolate (cafe-au-lait) puppy.

These are considered Dilute colours and develop similar to the colour found in Weimaraner. These dilutions of black and brown are relatively uncommon in Havanese but do exist. See the colour inheritance pages for information on how these dilutions occur. In other breeds, these dilute colours are called Cafe-au-Lait, Lilac, Mouse, Pearl, Grey and Isabella. DILUTE CHOCOLATE - Café-Au-Lait colour. The dilute chocolate puppy is born pale watered coffee colour or silvery bronze. He has light brown or amber eyes and self coloured light rosy brown pigment.

DILUTE BLACK (BLUE) - Dilute black puppies are born a silvery blue colour. Eyes are light brown, amber or in some cases grey/blue; they have self-coloured blue/gray pigment.

HAVANESE MARKINGS

Different genes affect the markings and patterns. One of these is the "Spotting" gene which causes a broken appearance to the coat. Think of white as a mask hiding the colour beneath. Wherever there is a "hole" in the mask, the colour shows through. TRI-COLOUR - There are variations - These three colour coats are a result of the White spotting gene acting on a Black and Tan Coat. Some registries do not have TRI-colour designations and use other terminology to describe these colours.	EXTREME PIEBALD - Two colour coat. Lightly marked dogs with less than 10% colour are called extreme Parti or extreme Piebald. An example might be a white dog with one or both ears partly coloured and no coloured patches on the body.
	PARTI-COLOUR or PIEBALD - Two colour coat. Coat is predominantly white (over 50%) broken with irregular patches or spots of a second colour. These patches may be any other colour. Particolour is also used as a general term to indicate any dog with any extent of white markings.
	IRISH PIED - Two colour coat with over 50% coloured. Coat pattern is laid out as follows; The underbelly and lower legs and tail tip are white. There is also white on the chest, and a full or partial white collar around the neck. There may be a white blaze on the face. The colouring on the back appears as a large cape covering the shoulders, back and sides.
	WHITE MARKINGS - Two colour coat - Predominantly coloured coat with small patches of white trim found on the chin, chest and feet. Some also have a small white star or blaze on the face or forehead.
	TRI COLOUR - CLASSIC - A classic TRI is basically a Black and Tan dog with the addition of white in the parti or pied marking pattern. Some registries use the terms Black and Tan with white markings rather than Tricolour. Three colour variations also occur with silver points rather than tan, or other dark colours rather than black.
	TRI COLOUR - HOUND MARKED the markings are similar to a Beagle or other hound breeds. Typically the markings are Black and Tan or Sable appearing on the head, legs and saddle. Some call this a Bi-Coloured Parti.

MODYFYING GENES AND VARIANTS

These are genes that interact with other genes and modify their expression. Modifiers in large part are responsible for the widespread variations.	GRAYING - Many Havanese carry the GRAYING gene to some degree (not the same as the slivering gene). This gene is responsible for colours that progressively soften as the dog matures, like prematurely greying hair in humans. In the Havanese, this premature greying may start soon after birth or begin later in life. Some colour changes can be quite dramatic.
	TICKING - Many Havanese carry the TICKING gene. A parti coloured dog with this gene will have flecks of colour throughout the white coat, giving it a salt and pepper appearance. Dogs without this gene will have a white that stays crisp and pure. In the canine world, an often used term for this is "Belton"
	The CHINCHILLA gene appears to act like a filter limiting production of red. This is the gene that allows variations or Red, Gold, Champagne etc. Very noticeable on Tan Point dogs. This causes some confusion as many Tan Point dogs (as adults) have no visible tan on them at all! Depending on the intensity of the gene, the points can be as dark as Mahogany or as light as pale cream.
	SILVER - The silvering gene appears to be similar to Chinchilla in that it acts as a filter. But in this case it filters black rather than light colour. A single dose of the silvering gene results in the dark silver or charcoal colour dog and a double dose may be responsible for the lighter silver dog.
	ON/OFF - I wish I could give you a name for this modifier but I don't have an answer at this time. A gene such as this "may" be responsible for turning other modifiers on and off possibly playing a role in dogs who lighten dramatically then deepen again as they mature. There is still much which is not yet known about colour genetics. There may be many more genes at play than are currently known or theorized about.
	I don't have a name for this one either. Similar to On/Off , the Plus/Minus may act on other genes to either intensify and enhance expression or weaken and mute it and may be responsible for many variations. There is still much which is not yet known about colour genetics.There may be many more genes at play than are currently known or theorized about.
	Dorsal/Ventral - This may actually be two or more separate gene modifiers. The Dorsal one appears to act on the upper areas of the body (head, shoulders, back and tail) and the Ventral one on the lower areas of the body (Chest, belly and legs). These genes are most noticeable on Sable dogs. The Dorsal areas soften less and remain darker with a heavier overlay, while ventral areas lighten much more and may have no dark overlay at all remaining at maturity. You may also see this on Brindles, Havana Browns, Silvers and others. As adults, the dogs may be much darker on the top of their bodies than underneath.

Now on to the colour galleries