Grizzle

General

Grizzle is the colour of the wild wolf. The pattern can be known under many different names, such as wolf grey, agouti, wolf sable, game colour etc. UKC use the term 'Grizzle' for all breeds for this pattern.

Grizzle appears as various shades of grey, cream and/or red with darker shading. The face, legs and undersides are typically lighter coloured. Genetically, grizzle is related to Tanpoint as well as Sable and shows some similarities with both.

Types of Grizzle

Grizzle as a pattern varies a great deal both between and within breeds. We have divided the pattern into three main types (Silver, Regular and Sooty) which are determined by colour and amount of shading. This Doc cannot cover all possible variations within the grizzle pattern, but it gives the basic guidelines. For breed specific deviations, see the individual breed standards. Note that the pictures provided do not cover all potential combinations but rather give an example of what to aim for. Please note also that these specific combinations may or may not be allowed in the breeds used - they are just here as examples of the grizzle pattern.

A grizzle dog is divided into the following 'parts':

• Base Colour
• Shading
• Light Markings
• (Trim)

Base colour is any area on the dog that is not covered by Shading, Light Markings or Trim, which are described further below.

Nose/eye colours

Unless otherwise mentioned in the standard, the following colours should be used for the nose and eyes:

• Grey grizzle - Black nose, brown eyes
• Red grizzle - Black nose, brown eyes
• Liver grizzle - Liver nose, amber eyes
• Blue grizzle - Blue nose, amber eyes
• Isabella grizzle - Flesh nose, amber eyes

Brindled grizzle

Only accepted if specifically listed in the standard. Appears as a regular grizzle but with striping present except on any areas that are a solid version of the shading colour. The striping colour matches that of the shading colour, black in grey grizzles, liver in livers etc.

Shading

Below are guidelines for the placement of Shading in Grizzles. The shading is divided into three groups - Light, Medium and Dark. Within all three categories, a range of looks is accepted and there is a certain degree of overlap between them. Shading/tipping is mainly present on the base colour but may be placed on Trim/Light markings when they overlap.

Silver Grizzles must have Light or Medium shading only.
Regular Grizzles allow any degree of shading unless otherwise specified in the breed standard.
Sooty Grizzles must have medium to heavy shading.

Additionally, some breeds may only allow certain degrees of shading within an allowed pattern - see the individual breed standard. If no requirement is listed, any degree (that is allowed for that pattern) may be used.

Gradual shading

For all types of shading, it's allowed to use a combination of colours/shades and/or a combination of solid/tipping, unless otherwise specified in the standard. The solid colour/darker colour should be on the upper parts of the dog, gradually lightening towards the extremities.

Light Shading

Lightly shaded dogs have only light amounts of shading present, with little of the underlying colour being obscured.

Light shading at its very lightest starts as faint to light tipping along the spine. Due to the limitations of some breed files, this tipping may not reach all the way to the tail root of the dog and/or be interrupted along the back. The shading may also be present on the head (may include ears), back of the neck, the upper body and/or the tail to any extent.

In dogs with Light shading, shading may only be represented as tipping, not solid colour. Exceptions are the ears, tailtip and as a stripe along the spine, which may be solid in colour.

Breeds that allow Light Shading also allow dogs showing just the base colour with lighter markings, ie. no shading at all present. Dogs with no shading may still have solid coloured tailtips and/or ears in an accepted shading colour for that base colour.

Medium Shading

This amount of shading overlaps Light shading at its minimum and Dark shading at its maximum. If the breed standard only allows Medium shading specifically, care must be given that the dog fits well within the category as to not be confused with a dog in another shading category.

Medium shading is defined as the dog having some degree of shading on the upper body/along the spine, the back of the neck, the top of the head and the tail. Shading may also be present on the top of the muzzle, the rest of the head (including ears) and the rest of the body (may include shoulders/hips). Shading in all of these area may be represented as solid colour and/or tipping to any degree. As for Light Shaded dogs, the ears and tailtip are always allowed be a solid version of the shading colour.

Dark Shading

This includes the most heavily shaded dogs, though a lightly marked Dark shaded dog may overlap a Medium shaded. Shading is present as medium to heavy tipping or solid colour on the upper body, backside of neck, head, ears and tail. It may also be present on the muzzle, rest of the neck and the rest of the body and legs down to but not including the ankles/wrists. The shading in all these areas may be presented as solid colour and/or tipping, but to qualify for as Dark, the dog must have enough shading present to give the impression of pronounced shading. In some cases, some or all of the underlying base colour may be partially or completely obscured by the shading.

Light Markings

Most Grizzles have some degree of lighter markings present. For allowed light marking colours, see further below.

In the patterns where Light Markings are required (Regular and Sooty grizzle), the lower muzzle (jowls, chin and sides of the muzzle, reaching but not including the cheeks) is the minimum required amount. Toes/fingers and lower legs are also required to be the light marking colour unless using a Trim colour (see further below).

Light markings may also include any of the following:

• Above and/or around the eyes
• Inside the ears
• The cheeks
• The throat and/or front of chest (as two symmetrical chest spots or as a single large patch)
• On the elbows/knees
• As a stripe behind the shoulders as lines down the sides (called a harness marking). When present, there may be a secondary harness marking, placed in front of the shoulders, as well
• On the undersides of the body
• On the leg feathering, if present
• On the tail (the underside or the whole tail)

Trim

Additionally, Grizzles may show 'trim' (optional). Trim is a secondary marking colour (which is always darker than the primary marking colour), used between the base colour and the light markings. Trim may be used on any area where a Light Marking may be used, and is also allowed to be placed on the ears, the snout and the backside of the neck.

Additionally, trim may be used instead of the Light Marking colour on the toes/fingers and/or lower legs.

Light Markings and Trim are always represented by solid colour, but tipping furfiles may be used to create a gradual effect between Light Markings/Trim, Trim/Base colour and Trim/Shading.

Allowed Combinations

By combining the shading, light markings and trim presented above with the colour combinations below, three different grizzle patterns can be produced with a vast array of possible variations. The individual breed standards will list which of the following combination/s are allowed for that particular breed.

Silver Grizzle

Silver Grizzles are very light coloured grizzles with faint shading.
The base colour is always white with Light shading. Medium shading is also accepted, but only if present as tipping, not solid colour (with the exception of the ears, tailtip and line along the spine which may always be a solid version of the shading colour).
There are no visible Light Markings or Trim present due to the solid white base colour.

For all of the below combinations, two or more Shading colours may be combined to form gradual effects. In such dogs, the upper parts of the dog should use a darker colour and the lower a lighter. The combination must be realistic - for example take care combining cool colours and warm colours as they may clash unrealistically in certain arrangements.

The following Silver Grizzle combinations are currently accepted:

Name	Base Colour	Shading Colour	Pigment Family
Black Silver Grizzle			Black
Red Silver Grizzle			Black
Liver Silver Grizzle			Liver

Regular Grizzle

These are the classical 'wolf like' grizzles. Unless otherwise specified in the breed standard, the shading may range from Light to Dark or not be present at all. For Red Grizzle, unless the breed standard lists 'Light' or 'Dark' specifically, both are allowed.

Different Shading Colours, Light Marking colours and Trim colours may be combined to form gradual effects. The combination must be realistic - for example take care combining cool colours and warm colours as they may clash unrealistically in certain arrangements. Furfiles may be used to create the impression of gradual tipping, blurred edges etc.

Note: represents the petz internal hair20 texture at 0 transparency

Name	Base Colour	Shading Colour	Light Marking Colour	Trim Colour	Pigment Family
Grey Grizzle					Black
Red (Light) Grizzle					Black
Red (Dark) Grizzle					Black
Liver Grizzle					Liver
Blue Grizzle					Blue
Isabella Grizzle				N/A	Isabella

Sooty Grizzle

Sooty grizzles are heavily shaded grizzles, ranging from a dog with less defined markings than a regular grizzle to one that appears like a solid shading coloured dog with only faint underlying colour showing through.

Sooty grizzle is represented as a grizzle with Medium to Heavy shading, with the shading colour present as tipping on the whole dog including the Light Markings and Trim areas. The tipping may range from light to heavy and should harmonise with the rest of the shading/tipping present on the dog. Light markings are optional and may be replaced with a trim colour.

The Sooty Grizzle pattern may be linked to the Masking gene. As a result, all Sooty Grizzles must always have a muzzle that is a solid version of the shading colour (and so the light lower muzzle is not required in these grizzles). The whole face/head may also be a solid version of the shading colour, as may the toes/fingers.

Sooty Grizzles may retain very visible light eye spectacles/eye spots (with or without tipping) even if other Light Markings/Trim areas are obscured to any degree.

The following Sooty Grizzle combinations are currently allowed:

Name	Base Colour	Shading Colour	Light Marking Colour	Trim Colour	Pigment Family
Black Sooty Grizzle					Black
Red Sooty Grizzle					Black

(Note that Sooty is not accepted in Siberian huskies, these dogs just illustrate the pattern)

Example Gallery

Below is a range of examples of the various grizzle patterns displayed on dogz. Remember that these are just examples - the grizzle pattern in particular allows for a wide range of looks

A medium-shaded red (light) grizzle dog with urajiro markings	A medium-shaded grey grizzle dog with trim markings, with white in the trim pattern and a small mask	A medium-shaded liver grizzle dog with trim markings
A medium-shaded grey grizzle dog with trim markings	A medium-shaded grey grizzle dog	A medium-shaded grey grizzle dog
A medium-shaded grey grizzle dog with white in the irish spotting pattern	A medium-shaded black silver grizzle dog	A medium-shaded grey grizzle dog with white in the piebald pattern
A medium-to-heavy-shaded red (dark) grizzle dog with trim markings and white in the irish spotting	A medium-shaded red (dark) grizzle dog with urajiro markings and white in the irish spotting pattern	A medium-shaded red (dark) grizzle dog with trim markings and urajiro markings
A medium-shaded liver grizzle dog with trim markings and urajiro markings	A medium-shaded grey grizzle dog with trim markings	A medium-shaded grey grizzle dog with white in the piebald pattern
A medium-to-heavy-shaded red (dark) grizzle dog with white in the irish spotting pattern	A red sooty grizzle dog	A red sooty grizzle dog