The Havana Silk Dog Standard accepts all colors as long as pigment is black. This excludes chocolate and 'dilute blue' both colors which result from dilution genes. The chocolate dog has brown pigment while the 'dilute blue' has blue/grey pigment. The 'blue' color that is accepted in Silk Dogs is always associated with black pigment.
Black: Deep black. Dark intense color without reddish or brown overtones. Black does not lighten with age. (When black is modified by brindle or agouti, it may develop overtones as the dog matures.)
Blue: Blue puppies are born black but lighten to varying shades of grey over a period of years. There is more than one form of blue. One is caused by a "premature greying" gene which results in a gradual depigmentation of black hairs giving a salt/pepper appearance. The other is caused by a silvering gene which limits the expression of black pigment over a period of time. This dog usually becomes a softer, bluish grey. Dogs with two copies of either of the silvering genes will turn very early and are called Silver.
Cream: Basically this is an off white dog. Puppies usually show some color which, the adult, becomes more of an off white. These dogs may appear white at first notice but, if parked next to a true white dog, are not really white.
Fawn:Deeper than cream with a cooler shade of tan.
Gold: Rich, warm color from caramel to toffee. There is a definate warm, yellow cast to the coat.
Red: A Rich, warm color, similar to Gold but with more intense color ranging from orange-red to mahogany. There are definite red highlights to the coat.
|
The base colors of the Silk Dog are often modified by a variety of patterns which can change the character of the base color.
White Markings: This is a two colored coat. A predominantly colored dog with small patches of white typically on toes, chest, and chin. Sometimes there are white markings on the forehead or body.
Irish spotting: A two colored coat with more than 50% colored. This is a specific pattern of white markings. The underbelly, lower legs and tail tip are white. There is also white on the chest, a full or partial collar of white around the neck. The face may also have a blaze or white muzzle.
Piebald: A two colored coat that is predominantly white (over 50%) broken by irregular patches of color. The oatches may be of any color. The piebald is often called a 'parti-color'. A piebald dog with less than 10% color is often called an 'extreme piebald'. The colored patches on these dogs are almost always limited to the head/ears.
Belton: This is a pattern that results from the 'ticking' gene. This modifier causes white areas of the dog to develop colored spots which then grow colored hairs. A black piebald belton dogm which carries the ticking gene will start out with white areas but, over time, these will end up with a mixture of black and white hairs causing the formerly white areas to look grey/silvery/sooty or salt/peppery.
Brindle: is a pattern of bands, or stripes, of dark color on a base of lighter color, similar to tiger striping. These bands, or stripes, are evident from birth but blur in a long coated dog as the coat grows.
Agouti/Wild: is another banding pattern but in this one, individal hairs grow out with alternating bands of color on the shaft. These interesting dogs change color with interesting regularity depending on what color happens to be growing out today.
Points: Points are a specific pattern of light and dark coat. The points pattern is easily seen in the Doberman. The lower legs, under tail around perineum, cheeks and eyebrows are light. Points can be tan, cream, or silver and may start out richer but lighten with age. Dogs with both points and white markings are often called "Tri-color". Points can be extensive or subtle and the facial points may be hidden by black masking.
|
|