Chihuahua Coat Colors & Examples

Some dog breeds have signature coat colors. Dalmatians, for example, are always white with conspicuously darker spots. Maltese are always white. Chihuahuas are markedly more diverse in the coat color department, however. The dainty Mexican dogs can appear in a wide range of different hues.

Chihuahuas can appear in any coat color, indicates veterinarian and author of the ASPCA "Complete Guide to Dogs," Sheldon L. Gerstenfeld. Some colors are more common than others, however. These colors include beige, black, fawn and red. Other oft-seen Chihuahua coat colors are deep chocolate brown, yellow, white, blue and sable. When it comes to Chihuahua coats, uncommon colors don't exist, indicates Elaine Waldorf Gewirtz, author of "Chihuahua - Your Happy Healthy Pet". Some breeders might attempt to charge higher prices for Chihuahuas with "special" coloring, although no colors of their coats are any more valuable than others.

Not only do Chihuahuas appear in many diverse colors, some of them have single colors, while others have more than that. Many Chihuahuas have pure coats of just white, for example. Others, however, have patches of different colors on their coats. Some Chihuahuas have white markings over otherwise fully black coats. Some Chihuahuas have black markings over otherwise fully white coats, in contrast. Chihuahuas with markings on their coats are often referred to as parti-colored.

While Chihuahuas exist in all different colors, no specific colors are considered to be preferable to any others; Chihuahuas of all different kinds of colors are permitted to participate in dog shows. While Chihuahuas run the gamut in coat colors, some breeders choose to produce dogs of certain specific colors or patterns, whether solid or parti-colored. If you're particularly familiar with fawn Chihuahuas, don't be surprised. Chihuahuas of that color are especially common among pet owners.

Chihuahuas also appear in two different coat types, smooth and long coats. While Chihuahuas with long coats, as their name expresses, have much longer hair than the others, they are otherwise the same with regard to breed traits. It isn't even unheard of to see a long-coated Chihuahua in a litter of mostly smooth-coated Chihuahuas. Their coat care requirements are similar, too. Smooth- and long coats alike have relatively straightforward and simple grooming needs. Chihuahuas don't shed too heavily in general, although the smooth-coated Chihuahua sheds more than the long-coated type.