Cardigan Colors
Color Chart
I have attempted a color chart like this before. It confused even me. I'm going to try again, listing the main colors and modifiers. This chart is listed with only genotypes. You may not necessarily know the genotype of your dog. However, if the listed results match what you have in a litter of puppies, hopefully this list will help you guess!
| Color of Parents | Color of Puppies |
| Basic Colors | |
| Tan point tri to Tan point tri | Tan Point Tri |
| Red (carrying tri) to Tan point tri | Red and Tan point tri |
| Red (not carrying tri) to Tan point tri | Red -- all puppies will carry tri |
| Red to Red (both parents carry tri) | Red and Tan point tri |
| Red to Red (only one parent carries tri) | Red (some puppies will carry tri) |
| Red to Red (neither parent carries tri) | Red (no puppies will carry tri) |
|
Modified Colors -- Brindle |
|
| Brindle (carries tri) to Tan point tri | Brindle, red, tan point tri, brindle point tri |
| Brindle (doesn't carry tri) to Tan point tri | Brindle, red |
| Brindle (carries tri) to Red (carries tri) | Brindle, red, tan point tri, brindle point tri |
| Brindle (doesn't carry tri) to Red (carries tri) | Brindle, red (some puppies will carry tri) |
| Brindle (doesn't carry tri) to Red (doesn't carry tri) | Brindle, red (no puppies will carry tri) |
| Brindle (carries tri) to Brindle (carries tri) | Brindle, red, tan point tri, brindle point tri (some of these puppies will be homozygous brindle) |
| Brindle (doesn't carry tri) to Brindle (carries tri) | Brindle, red (some puppies will carry tri) |
| Brindle (doesn't carry tri) to Brindle (doesn't carry tri) | Brindle, red |
| Brindle (homozygous) to Brindle (carries tri) | Brindle (some puppies will carry tri) |
| Brindle (homozygous) to Brindle (homozygous) | Brindle (homozygous) |
| Brindle point tri to Tan point tri | Brindle point tri (carries for tan points), Tan point tri |
| Brindle point tri (homozygous) to Tan point tri | Brindle point tri (all carry for tan points) |
| Brindle point tri to Red (carries tri) | Brindle point tri, Tan point tri, Red (carry tri), Brindle (carry tri) |
| Brindle point tri to Red (doesn't carry tri) | Brindle, red (all carry tri) |
| Brindle point tri (homozygous) to Red (carries tri) | Brindle point tri (carries red points), Brindle (carries for tri) |
| Brindle point tri (homozygous) to Red (doesn't carry tri) | Brindle (all carry tri) |
| Brindle point tri to Brindle (carries tri) | Brindle (carries tri), red (carries tri), brindle point tri, tan point tri (some of the brindles and brindle point tris can be homozygous for brindle) |
| Brindle point tri to Brindle (doesn't carry tri) | Brindle, red (all carry tri -- some brindles can be homozygous for brindle) |
| Brindle point tri (homozygous) to Brindle (carries tri) | Brindle point tri, Brindle (some will be homozygous) |
| Brindle point tri (homozygous) to Brindle (doesn't carry tri) | Brindle (some will be homozygous) |
| Brindle point tri to Brindle point tri | Brindle point tri (some can be homozygous for brindle), Tan point tri |
| Brindle point tri (homozygous) to Brindle point tri (carries for red points) | Brindle point tri (some carry for red points, and some are homozygous brindle) |
| Brindle point tri (homozygous) to Brindle point tri (homozygous) | Brindle point tri (homozygous) |
| Brindle point tri to Brindle (homozygous brindle, carries tri) | Brindle (some will be homozygous, all will carry tri), Brindle point tri (some will be homozygous) |
| Brindle point tri to Brindle (homozygous brindle, doesn't carry tri) | Brindle (all will carry tri, some will be homozygous) |
|
|
| Sable (carry tri) to Tan point tri | Sable, Red, tan point tri (reds and sables carry tri) |
| Sable (doesn't carry tri) to Tan point tri | Sable, Red (all carry tri) |
| Sable to Red (both carry tri) | Sable, Red, Tan point tri (Reds and sables carry tri) |
| Sable (doesn't carry tri) to Red (carries tri) | Sable, Red (some carry tri) |
| Sable (doesn't carry tri) to Red (doesn't carry tri) | Sable, Red (none carry tri) |
| Sable (carries tri) to Brindle (carries tri) | Sable, Red, Tan point tri, Brindle point tri, Brindle (solid colors carry tri) |
| Sable (doen't carry tri) to Brindle (carries tri) | Sable, Red, Brindle (some carry tri) |
| Sable (doesn't carry tri) to Brindle (doesn't carry tri) | Sable, Red, Brindle (none carry tri) |
| Sable to Brindle (homozygous) | Brindle |
| Sable (carries tri) to Brindle point tri | Sable, Red, Tan point tri, Brindle point tri, Brindle (solid colors carry tri) |
| Sable (doesn't carry tri) to Brindle point tri | Brindle, Red, Sable |
| Sable (carries tri) to Brindle point tri (homozygous) | Brindle, Brindle point tri |
| Sable (doesn't carry tri) to Brindle point tri (homozygous) | Brindle (all carry tri) |
|
|
| Blue merle (tan points) to Tan point tri | Blue merle (tan points), Tan point tri |
| Blue merle (tan points) to Brindle point tri (carries tan points) | Blue merle (tan points), Tan point tri, blue merle (brindle points), Brindle point tri |
| Blue merle (tan points) to Brindle point tri (homozygous) | Blue merle (brindle points), Brindle point tri (all carry tan points) |
| Blue merle (brindle points, carries tan points) to Tan point tri | Blue merle (tan points), Tan point tri, blue merle (brindle points), Brindle point tri (some may carry tan points) |
| Blue merle (brindle points, homozygous) to Tan point tri | Blue merle (brindle points), Brindle point tri (all carry tan points) |
| Blue merle (brindle points, carries tan points) to Brindle point tri (carries tan points) | Blue merle (tan points), Tan point tri, blue merle (brindle points), Brindle point tri (some may carry tan points) |
| Blue merle (brindle points carries tan points) to Brindle point tri (homozygous) | Blue merle (brindle points), Brindle point tri (some may carry tan points) |
| Blue merle (brindle points, homozygous) to Brindle point tri (homozygous) | Blue merle (brindle points, homozygous), Brindle point tri (homozygous) |
|
|
| Red (carries chinchilla) to Red (carries chinchilla) | Red (some may carry chinchilla), Red Chinchilla |
| Red (carries chinchilla) to Brindle (carries chinchilla) | Red, Brindle (some may carry chinchilla), Red Chinchilla, Brindle chinchilla |
|
|
| Tan point tri (carries brown dilute) to Red (carries brown dilute) | Tan point tri (may carry brown dilute), Red (may carry brown dilute), Brown dilute tri, Brown dilute red |
| Blue merle (tan points, carries gray dilute) to Brindle point tri (homozygous, carries gray dilute) | Blue merles with brindle
points (may carry gray dilute), Brindle point tri (may carry gray dilute),
Gray dilute merle with brindle points, Gray dilute tri with brindle points
|
Conclusions:
Guessing your dog's genotype is the one of the oldest games in the book. A brindle can carry any number of other colors. We know a brindle carries at least one red gene, but do they carry both red and tri? Does he carry sable, or chinchilla, or one of the dilutes? Look carefully at the chart. Sometimes certainly color combinations give you a better chance at identifying your dog's underlying genetic makeup.
My stud dog is a bright red brindle. His sire was a sable, his dam another red brindle. Looking back one more generation (grandparents) didn't help me much -- they were all brindles. Knowing that his sire is sable helps me with one clue -- he couldn't be homozygous brindle because one parent is a solid color. In his first breeding he was bred to a red and white bitch. It was the first breeding for both dogs, so we waited to see if the puppies would give us any clues as to the recessives each parent might carry. The first puppy born was a tri-color. Eureka! We now know that the sire and dam both carry tri. With the appearance of one puppy we knew the color genotype of both parents. It usually isn't that easy.
In Cardigan we have mostly dominant modifiers. Dominants genes are easy -- you must have a parent that color to get a puppy that color (with the exception of sable, because brindle masks sable). The recessives are more difficult because they can remain hidden for countless generations. Chinchilla is that way, as well as both dilute factors.
I hope this helps new breeders understand Cardigan colors a little better.