Sometimes it is hard to picture a color or how it looks from a person's description. This page will, hopefully, clearly illustrate the different minpin colors that we raise and make it easier to understand what I am meaning if we speak on the phone.

First let me explain that a dilute colored dog is a dog affected by a dilution gene.  This gene does what the name says.  It dilutes the color.  A blue dog is genetically a black dog, that is affected by the dilution gene turning the coat color into a grey.  A fawn dog is genetically chocolate.  A tan dog is genetically red. A dilute stag red is a blue stag, or a blue stag.   Not only is the coat diluted, but the skin leather is also diluted on these different colors. 

Another difficulty in understanding a lot of this arises from the minpin club not bothering themselves with the dilute colors.  I guess if they ignore it, it will all go away?  At any rate there is some confusion about what the dilute colors are called.  I have heard dilute reds called champagne fawns as well as tans.  Inconsistency abounds in the color names. 

Names for colors vary from breed to breed.  A chocolate minpin is the same color as a red doberman, and the base coat is the same as liver in some other breeds.  While it is all fascinating, it can be a bit confusing.

There are some common misconceptions out there about the dilute colors---blue in particular.  Here is some information to help people with understanding about the blue color.

1.  Blue can have skin/coat problems, BUT, others have good skin and coat.  Some of this depends upon genetics,  some on diet, and some on contentment.  Happy dogs have better coats.

2.  Blue can be AKC registered.

3.  Blue can't be shown in the U.S., but can be in Canada and Great Britain.

4.  A fawn has been successfully shown to championship status in Canada.

5.  Breeding a blue dog to another minpin doesn't necessarily produce blue puppies.  Both parents must carry the dilution gene to produce blue color.

6. Any color is only skin deep.

A blue is a dilute black and rust. The black color has been diluted down into a blue.  Very striking to look at, and a real attention getter, some blue dogs do have skin or coat problems.  Some of these problems are more common in different bloodlines.

I believe on all of the dilute colors that the environment, and diet a lot to do with the quality of a dilute coat.

This can be a lovely color, and on a sweet pup.

 I just want to make a comment here.  There is a question as to which is the "best" color of minpin.  In my opinion, it is the color of your dog, or the color that YOU like.  What I like for color might not be what you like.  But ANY COLOR IS ONLY SKIN DEEP.  I have seen beautiful dogs in every color.

This is a two year old blue beauty, a daughter of Amy and Riley.  She has a wonderful dark blue coat, and is just generally beautiful.  She is shown with her black and rust daughter.  (Amy and Riley's grand daughter).

She was sold to Cynthias Pups, and is living in Maryland.  Take a good look at this girl, and you can see that blue is beautiful. 

This little girl is a dilution of the clear red color.  This is shown by the fact that the leather and skin on her body is a blue shade in areas where it would be black on a normal clear red color.  She is registered with AKC as a tan.  In the right lighting it is obvious that there is also a "peachy" shade to the red. 

I am presenting here an over simplified list of minpin colors in order of dominance.

Stag red is the most dominant of the minpin colors.  Black and tan or black and rust is next in line, and therefore so is blue and tan.  Chocolate is recessive to stag red and black, and so of course is fawn.  The most recessive color is the clear red or dilute clear red.  This can be confusing, as it sometimes seems backwards.  Two clear reds bred together shouldn't produce much but clear red.  Two chocolates bred together should only produce either chocolate, or occasionally clear red.  And of course if the chocolates are dilute factored, the could also produce fawn or tan. 

A stag red, since it is a dominant color can also produce almost any color if the genes are hidden beneath the dominant stag red color.  Recessive genes are tricky as they hide beneath the dominant genes, but can exhibit themselves in the right combination. 

 A nice little book with an easy to understand section on minpin color genetics is by D. Caroline Coile.  The title is Miniature Pinschers, A Complete Pet Owner's Guide.  This is an inexpensive paperback book that is informative, and easily understood.  It also has lots of nice photos.