What Is a Reverse Brindle Dog?

Reverse brindle is a coat color in specimens of certain dog breeds. Dog with reverse brindle coats typically appear to be mostly black or to have fawn brindling on a black background. So-called reverse brindle actually is brindling so heavy that it produces this effect.

Many breeds have a standard for brindles. Boxers, one of the most common examples, have only two true colors: fawn and brindle. For any brindle breed, reverse brindling is possible. Some refer to the heavy brindling that produces a dog to be almost black as sealed brindling, but this term is not standard. Reverse brindling is based upon genetics, but it is not possible to predict whether a dog will be a brindle or reverse brindle. The Boxer World website outlines the genetic transmission of the brindle coat, showing that it is the dominant pattern in boxers. Brindle tends to be a dominant color for breeds that exhibit the pattern. Other brindle breeds include Shetland sheepdogs, Dutch shepherds, whippets and corgis.