We know there are at least 10 different genes or gene pairs that give a dog its coat color. We also know that various genes combine or the actions of specific genes work with different gene pairs. They combine to produce the visible color of the dogs coat.
     Dogs really have two types of pigment in their coats. One is labeled yellow which includes all shades of the colors tan, sable, brindle, tan apricot, tan red, agouti, or wolf gray, blue fawn, crème and wheaten.  The other is dark pigment that includes black, lemon, clear red, apricot, blue, chocolate, liver and weimaraner gray. 
     Various genes control the amount of pigment seen, the extent to which the color develops or doesn't develop and the patterns or distribution of the pigment. Little tiny pigment granules fill the individual hairs and can be likened to pouring different colors of sand in a glass. Some colors will pile up more heavily on one side or another and make pockets of color. So what develops is different shades and patterns of color.

     Visually identifying the color of your dog can sometimes be a bit tricky but is of the utmost importance if you are to have success when breeding for color. When you identify a dogs color you need to take into consideration ALL the colors that you see. Don't disregard that small patch of color on your dogs back or the tan spots above his eyes. They do make a different in regards to his genetic makeup. Examples being: A dog may be primarily white but has a small black spot on his back. He may look white but indeed he is black and white and that makes a difference when you are choosing a mate to produce color with. If your dog has three distinct colors on him like black, white and tan then that is his color.

     The location of the color on the body also holds a key to correct identification. A dog can still be considered white while having some color on the base of the tail, ears or face. The color must be limited to only those areas for this consideration.

     Many colors can be confusing when trying to identify them because some colors can look the same, but the genetic formula that produces them can be very different. You need to understand that all colors have many shades. Each base color can vary in shade from light to dark but will still fall into a category of a base color. For example a dog may be light tan, reddish tan, apricot tan, but regardless of the shade of tan will still be a tan dog.

      The color of the dogs nose may be helpful in identifying its color also. If it is not black, your dog may be blue, chocolate, Weimaraner gray/Pearl, merle or blue fawn. For example if your dog looks Tan but the nose color is a brown shade and not black then you do not have a Tan dog, you have a chocolate dog. Although the shade of chocolate resembles tan more than chocolate, in genetic formula it is very different and will place a large bearing on the color that you breed to. You will not be able to produce this color unless you breed to a dog that is or carries this chocolate color.  The same would apply to a dog that was Sable or brown in color, look at the nose first to rule out that the dog is chocolate.

     Remember, by just looking at him you will be able to identify some of the genes that he carries. He will be one or more colors and have any number of different patterns of color showing. Some colors can be confusing when trying to identify them because some colors can look the same but the genetic formula that produces them can be very different. This will have a large bearing on what color you breed your dog to and the outcome of your litter.
 

  Sable dogs are a shade of tan that can vary from light honey to deep reddish tan.  Typically, but not always they show dark hairs scattered threw their coats especially down their backs, on their faces, their eye rims, and edges of their ears. This is called Sabling. Chocolate Sable dogs usually also have this tell tail sign but have a chocolate nose instead of black.  A Blue fawn dog  will appear as a very pretty tan color in any shade and will also have this appearance of the scattered hairs. The difference is that these scattered hairs that would normally be black or dark in the Sable and Chocolate dogs would appear to be gray or just give off a hazy appearance in a Blue fawn. Sometimes a Sable dog can be completely disguised by having a lot of white on him too. The white color covers the areas that you would normally detect the dark hairs in. Knowing the dogs history at this point is the only way to know for sure if he is really tan.
    Some Sable and or Tan dogs may also look like they are the color apricot. The only way to correctly identify the color in this situation is by understanding coat color and or knowing the color history of your dog.

  A Tan dog will not have dark hairs scattered threw the coat and will have evenly distributed color through out but with a somewhat sooty appearance. Tan can come in a vast variety of shades but if the dog looks tan and his nose is black, then he probably is regardless of the shade. Tan dogs can be reddish tan, red or light to dark tan.

The colors Clear Red and Lemon can present problems when trying to distinguish them. Although Clear Red and Lemon vary greatly in color they are indeed the same in genetic formula.  Typically these colors are very clear, rich and clean in appearance. There are no traces of dark hairs anywhere on the dogs coat and can be quite brilliant in tone. This clear pure color is one tell tail sign to distinguish it from a Tan or Sable color that has a softer, sooty or more blended tone to it. An example of Clear Red is the Irish Setter. Clear Red can range in shade from a light red to apricot to deep mahogany.  An example of a Lemon color can be seen in the Yellow Labrador. This color can range from pale yellow to a rich yellow color. In the Rat Terrier breed the lemon dog commonly is born white then develops very light patches of lemon color. In the breed Pointer they have a color called Yellow but it is really a Chocolate dog giving the appearance of Lemon. The color Orange in the Pointer breed is really the Clear Red color in genetic formula but that particular breed has chosen to call it Orange.

     If you can't identify your dogs color by visual identification alone your next shot would be knowing what color the dogs parents were or as far back as you can go. Knowing the dogs parents and the grandparents and even farther back can give you clues to the makeup of your dog. In this way you are more likely to figure out what color your dog is or carries and perhaps from who. For example if you know that one parent of your Black and White dog was Blue and White, you know that your dog would have definitely been passed a Blue gene and carries it recessively.

There can be some unknown factors when just looking at your dogs coat color. It is essential that you understand the basics of coat color and unless you know exactly what color your dog is to start, by either visually identifying it and/or by knowing the dogs history you will not be able to accurately predict the outcome of the litter. Many times a dog will carry a color underneath; its called a recessive gene color and you will not be able to see it but it will show itself if you breed the dog to a dog that also carries or is that recessive color. See Recessives.

     The Tan markings called "Tan Points"  like on the Rottweiler, Doberman Pincher or Black and Tan Hound is also a pattern. This pattern makes Tan areas of color on the legs, dots above the eyes and tan cheeks. The dog can be various colors and still have these tan markings. Sometimes these tan markings can blend with the dogs base color so that you can not see them. They can be very light and blend into a base color like chocolate or become so dark that they blend into a base color of black. They can also spread out or shrink up to small areas. These tan markings can also be hidden under colors such as Sable, Brindle or Black.

     There is a variation of "Tan Points", this gene makes the tan point areas spread so far that it can turn a dog that had a black head and back area at birth almost completely tan or red leaving only a black saddle pattern.  This pattern can continue to work on the dogs coat color up to the age of almost a year. It is commonly called "Calico".

     The color merle is really a pattern and not a color but for simplicity sake it will be considered a color. It takes advantage of dark pigment showing itself as a vast array of shapes. On tan or light pigment is has little or no effect.

     Brindle is really also a pattern but again will be considered as a color. This gene works on the color Tan to actually darken areas of the coat in a variegated striping effect. It bands or adds multiple colors to selected strands of hair that develops into a pattern. It can be seen on any color other than solid black but at times can push threw this color too. If your dog is Black and Tan you will only see the Brindle pattern in the tan areas of the dog.