When you think of a Yorkie, you most often conjure up a picture in your mind of a traditional little black and tan dog.
But – did you know that Yorkies can come with a variety of different coat colors? Many of these colors are rare.
We are going to explore the different non-standard color possibilities here.
It is important to keep in mind that while Yorkies can come in many different colors, color is not the main factor to consider when choosing a dog. Health and personality are far more important. Responsible breeders, that take into account more than just color, are key to producing healthy, loving pets.
Understanding Rare Yorkie Colors
Brindle or Trindle Yorkie
What is a brindle Yorkie? Think striped!
Brindle markings are a dark stripe pattern on a dog’s coat. It is typically a black, brown, or grey stripe on a reddish or yellowish coat. You can think of this color almost like a tiger stripe pattern.
The brindle pattern doesn’t have to cover the whole coat. On a Yorkie, the brindle coat shows up on the tan parts of the coat only. Interestingly, the brindle coloring does not affect the black coat of the Yorkie because the gene for dominant black suppresses the brindle gene.
As well the concentration of the brindle pattern can vart. The brindling of the coat can range from sparse with only a few stripes to dense with many stripes close together.
Sometimes the brindle pattern on a dog’s coat can include a third color, white. With the addition of white coloring on the already black and tan Yorkie, this unique coloring would be referred to as trindle (Tri-indle or tri (three) colored brindle).
Brindle Yorkies are extremely rare. Most, brindle Yorkies are not purebred, but crossbreeds.
Albino Yorkies
What is an albino Yorkie? Think lack of pigment/color.
Albino Yorkies have absolutely no pigment in their fur or skin. As a result, they have white or light cream fur.
According to the AKC, the eyes of an albino dog will be light blue to almost white. Sometimes their eyes can appear to be red because they lack all pigment in their eyes and the blood vessels can be seen.
In addition, the AKC notes that albino dogs have “pink eye rims, pink lips, pink paw pads, and pink noses.” The lack of pigment anywhere on their body is what sets the albino apart from a white colored Yorkie.
Health challenges exist for albino dogs. The pigment they are missing not only gives the dog color, but also offers protection to their eyes and skin.
Albino dogs can also suffer from vision problems. The lack of pigment in their eyes makes it difficult for them to see in all types of lighting; however, they are especially vulnerable to bright light.
The lack of pigment in their skin fails to protect them from the UV rays of the sun, making them more prone to cancer.
Owners of an albino Yorkie should provide their dog with a protective covering for their skin (like jackets or clothes) and protective goggles for their eyes when going outside in the sun.
Albino Yorkies are rare because they are not intentionally bred by good breeders. Albinism is the result of a genetic mutation and results in health problems for the dog. While other breeds are more prone to albinism, it is not common in Yorkies.
Breeders should not intentionally breed albino Yorkies.
Sable Yorkie
What is a sable Yorkie? Think dark tipped!
Sable Yorkies have a sable pattern on their fur. When talking about dog coats, the term sable does not refer to the color sable which is a dark brown color. Rather, sable refers to the color pattern on the coat. Sable dogs have a light color at the root of their hair, but dark tips at the end.
The different color combinations are endless. For instance, a sable Yorkie can have dark tips at the end of their tan coat.
The sable coat pattern can sometimes be difficult to notice from a distance.
Sable Yorkies are not to be confused with Yorkie puppies that are transitioning from their puppy coat to their adult coat. Yorkie puppies naturally have a darker coat than their final adult coat. As their hair lightens as they age, their hair will appear lighter at the roots than at the ends. This is not evidence of a sable coat, but simply a natural coat transition.
Sable Yorkies are rare.
Merle or dapple
What is a merle Yorkie? Think spotted!
A Merle Yorkie is not a type of Yorkie, but refers to a color pattern that can appear on a Yorkie’s coat. A merle pattern is one in which dark spots appear on a light coat of the same color. With a blue Merle Yorkie, dark grey or black spots appear on a light grey coat. With a red Merle Yorkie, dark brown spots appear on a tan coat.
Merle differs from a spotted coat. With a spotted coat, the spots tend to be more distinct and clearly defined. With Merle, the dark patches are not uniform and not as clearly defined.
The Merle pattern can happen anywhere on the dog’s coat – head, body, legs, or tail.
In addition, the Merle gene does not just affect the dog’s coat, but can also affect their skin and eyes. Merle Yorkies often have blue eyes or even just one blue eye. Different colored eyes are also possible.
While a merle dog can be perfectly healthy, a double merle Yorkie can have severe health problems. A double merle dog is one in which two dogs carrying the merle gene were bred together and the puppy received the merle gene from both parents. The double merle can be blind and/or deaf. For this reason, a good breeder will not breed two carriers of the Merle gene.
Merle Yorkies are rare.
Spotted
What is a spotted Yorkie? Think patches!
You won’t be able to find a Yorkie with spots like a Dalmatian, but there are some Yorkies that do have spots or patches. These patches of color usually occur on the white coat of a parti Yorkie. Occasionally, spots will appear on the tan coat of a Yorkie. You can find several smaller spots or just one larger spot of color on the coat.
Chocolate or liver
What is a chocolate Yorkie? Think brown tones everywhere!
When referring to a dog coat, the term chocolate simply means brown. The chocolate Yorkie can also be referred to as a liver Yorkie, but for this tiny breed the term chocolate just seems cuter.
The chocolate color does not just affect the dog’s coat. A truly chocolate dog will not have any black on them at all. So the nose, paw pads, skin, eye rims, and nails will all be brown as well. The chocolate Yorkie’s eyes will be lighter in color than their traditional counterparts as well.
The gene that produces the chocolate color is recessive. So a Yorkie will only be chocolate colored if he inherits the gene from both parents.
Just like the coat of a traditional Yorkie can lighten with age, the brown coat of a chocolate Yorkie can lighten with age as well.
The chocolate color is not considered a standard Yorkie color. Although chocolate, Yorkies can be registered with the AKC, they cannot compete in shows.
A chocolate Yorkie can come in the following different variations.
Chocolate and tan
The chocolate and tan Yorkie is simply a brown version of the traditional black and tan coat.
Chocolate and white
Chocolate Yorkies can also come with a white coat. Sometimes the dog is predominantly chocolate with smaller patches of white. Other times the dog is predominantly white with patches of chocolate color.
Health: Unlike some other non-standard Yorkie colors, there are no known health problems to be aware of with the chocolate Yorkie.
As chocolate Yorkies gain in popularity, more breeders are breeding for this color and they are becoming less rare.
Tricolor
What is a tri-colored Yorkie? Think three colors.
The coloring on this type of Yorkie is easy to understand. A tri-colored dog is one who has three different colors on their coat. A tricolor Yorkshire terrier is a Yorkie with three colors.
The three colors Yorkies can come in are usually black (or gray or blue), tan (or gold), and white. It is also possible to have a tri-colored chocolate Yorkie. In this case, the colors would be brown, tan, and white.
Sometimes Yorkie puppies are born with a white mark in their coat. These white marks usually go away as they age. A puppy, whose white marks go away, would not be considered a tricolor Yorkie.
Red-legged
What is a red-legged Yorkie ? Think red instead of tan!
Red legged Yorkies are a rare colored purebred Yorkie.
Unlike a lot of Yorkies that lighten with age, the black of the puppy coat stays black when the dog ages. Rather than a tan or gold accent color, the dog has dark reddish hair. The tan color can darken and redden with age.
Typically the hair of a red legged Yorkie cannot grow as long as other Yorkies. The hair is also more wiry than most Yorkies, which keeps it from matting.
Although red legged Yorkies cannot be shown at AKC events, they are an important part of purebred Yorkie breeding programs. Because Yorkies generally lose the intensity of their coat’s color as they age, the red legged Yorkie can be used to bring color intensity back into their coat.
Red-legged Yorkies are rare.
Black
A purebred black Yorkie will never be entirely black, but will always have a bit of tan on its coat – even if it is just a really small amount. A solid black coat is a dominant gene. Because purebred Yorkies are two colored, it is impossible for a purebred Yorkie to be solid black.
Yorkies generally carry the greying gene as well. It is expected that the Yorkie’s black coat will lighten as it ages.
A Yorkie that has an entirely black coat that does not fade will not be a purebred, but a cross. Crossbreeds can make wonderful pets as well, however.
Gold
What is a gold Yorkie? Think golden blonde coloring!
Yorkies commonly display a gold coat. They are generally born with a black and tan coat. The black generally lightens to a grey or blue and the tan can lighten to a beautiful blonde.
Although Yorkies can have blonde in their coats, Yorkies that have a solid blonde coat are extremely rare.
A purebred golden Yorkie is more likely to have small patches of black, grey or blue than be a solid color.
A solid gold Yorkie is most often not a purebred, but a cross.
In rare cases, a Yorkie’s coat can lighten over the years, with the black hairs lightening to become almost indistinguishable from the gold and/or turning gold.
White Yorkies
A purebred Yorkie cannot be entirely white with no other colors in their coat. The only exception to this would be if the Yorkie was an albino. An entirely white Yorkie is oftentimes a mix between a Yorkie and a Maltese.
A white Yorkie with patches of color on it’s coat can definitely be a purebred. These Yorkies are referred to as Parti Yorkies.
Parti
What is a Parti Yorkie? Think white coat with patches of color.
The common use of the term Parti Yorkie has come to include any Yorkie that has white on its coat.
Technically though, a parti Yorkie will have white on over 50% of their coat.
An abstract or parti-factored Yorkie will have less than 50% of white on their coat.
The white in the Yorkie’s coat is the result of a recessive gene. The white will not express itself in the coat unless it receives this recessive gene from both its parents. A Yorkie, therefore, can be a parti carrier even though it has traditional coloring.
The colored markings on the parti Yorkie’s coat will vary for each Yorkie. No two coat patterns will be alike.
The parti Yorkie is now recognized by the AKC, but dogs with white on them cannot be shown.
The parti Yorkie used to not be considered desirable, so breeders would not breed for that color. However, with their rise in popularity, more breeders are breeding parti Yorkies and they are becoming more common.
Yorkies can come in a variety of different colors. When purchasing a Yorkie, health and personality are far more important than color. It is also important that the dogs are ethically bred and that the parents and puppies are cared for in loving manner.
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