Shih Tzu Colors

Overview

The Shih Tzu is a breed that can be found in an array of colors and with a variety of markings.

It's common for owners to not know for sure what color their Shih Tzu is. Sometimes a puppy may be referred to as an unofficial color that is not recognized by the AKC, or other kennel club, through which the pup is registered. And in other cases, there can be some confusion when the color listed on the papers does not seem to match what is seen. In addition to this, it's common for Shih Tzu dogs to change color as they grow and mature.

This article will help you understand all about Shih Tzu colors and, of course, we'll show some examples as well.

In This Article:

List of AKC Recognized Colors (and corresponding color codes)

Overviews and Examples of Shih Tzu Colors

Puppy Color vs Adult Color

Black-tipped Hairs that Fade Away

Color Changes

List of AKC Recognized Colors of the Shih Tzu Breed

First, we'll take a look at the list and then dive into more details. Note that 'S' stands for standard and 'A' stands for alternative; these classifications are for use in the show ring.

There are single, double, and triple colors:

Black S 007

Black & White S 019

Blue S 037

Blue & White S 045

Brindle S 057

Brindle & White S 059

Gold S 091

Gold & White S 092

Liver S 123

Liver & White S 125

Red S 140

Red & White S 146

Silver S 176

Silver & White S 182

Black Gold & Silver A 235

Black Gold & White A 310

Black White & Silver A 033

Silver Gold & White A 188

White A 199

And there are markings:

Black Markings S 002

Tan Markings S 012

White Markings A 014

Black Mask S 004

The difference between a single color with a marking and a double color: The difference between a single color with a marking (for example, Black [S 007] with white markings [A 014]) and Black and White [S 019]), has to do with percentage of that secondary color.

A marking is a very small patch of color, commonly appearing on the chest. A secondary color, on the other hand, is distributed over much more of the coat.

Overviews and Examples of Shih Tzu Colors

Black

Benji, seen here at about 10 years old,

photo courtesy of Elizabeth Grimm (Colorado)

A solid black Shih Tzu is very rare; there is usually a white marking somewhere (and often on the chest); however, full black coloring does exist.

Black Shih Tzu dogs always have black pigmented noses. This is because liver dogs (the nose is liver, which some refer to as brown) lack all black pigmentation and therefore you will not see a true black dog with a liver-colored nose.

Read more about Black Shih Tzu Color and see some adorable photos.

Blue

Blue is not any certain coat color. Blue, like liver (more ahead), is a hue that is seen and expressed in a Shih Tzu's skin points (the nose, eye rims, lips, and paw pads). Blue is a diluted black and it occurs when the D-Locus allele (dilution gene) affects the black allele.

Blue Shih Tzu can have range of coat colors; however, those colors will typically appear diluted (faded) and you will not see any dark black hairs since that D-Locus allele is affecting the coat.

In many cases, it is much easier to identify a blue Shih Tzu when they are a pup, since diluted hairs may be in abundance at that time; as the pup matures, more white may overtake the coat.

When examining the nose (or other skin points) for the classic blue sheen seen with this color, it is often much more apparent when outside in bright sunlight.

Brindle

Riley, a pretty brindle Shih Tzu, photo courtesy of Christine Wyman

Brindle is technically a pattern. It can include a wide range of colors. They may be in the brown family, with golds, tans, and browns striping through the coat. Or colors can be in the grey family, with white, grays, and black striping through the coat.

The brindle (striping) may be light or heavy and it can range from thin to thick. It is very common for brindling to fade off as a Shih Tzu matures. A once heavily brindled puppy often grows into an adult with a light coat (white, cream, light gray, etc.) with brindle just on the ears or in light patches over the back.

Read more about Brindle Shih Tzu Color information, and see some cute photos.

White

Roscoe, a pure white Shih Tzu, seen here at 5 months old,

photo courtesy of Christina and Tonio Bianca

It is extraordinarily rare for a Shih Tzu to be solid white. This is because with so many other possible colors, in most cases a secondary or third color is almost always passed down and will be intermingled in the coat. Even if both sire and dam were solid white themselves, there would be a high chance of other colors from past generations being genetically passed down. And, there are few (if any) breeders that are focusing on producing all white Shih Tzu dogs.

A note that some pure white Shih Tzu dog have pink patches on the nose.

Read more about White Shih Tzu Color information, and see some cute photos.

Liver

CoCo at 11 weeks old; she is liver with white markings;

photo courtesy of Colleen

Liver, like the aforementioned blue, is not any one particular coat color; rather, it is seen and expressed in a Shih Tzu's skin points (the nose, eye rims, lips, and paw pads). The liver skin pigmentation can range from a very light liver (it will have a pink sheen) to a very dark liver (dark brown).

Note that some refer to dark livers as chocolates; but chocolate is not an official color with the Shih Tzu breed (as it is with others).

The actual coat color of livers vary quite a bit, but will be in the brown family, often along with some level of white, and can range from light gold all the way to deep dark coffee brown. If a Shih Tzu is liver and white, the colors on the coat other than white may be referred to as liver-colored 'spots' or 'areas', even though that 'color' has quite a range.

Some livers have green or light amber eyes.

Every now and then, a liver is further diluted (dilution genes play upon the liver color) which even further dilutes the liver resulting in what is unofficially called lavender. Both liver and lavender will be registered as livers.

Read more about Liver and Lavender Shih Tzu Color information, and see some cute photos.

Silver

This is Domino, a silver and white Shih Tzu, at 5 years old,

photo courtesy of Adriana Verissimo

Silver is a very pretty color. Unlike grey (seen with other some other breeds), silver usually has a nice shine to it. It can range from very light to dark and more than one shade may appear in the coat.

It is very rare for a Shih Tzu to be a solid silver; most will either be silver with a marking (usually white) or will be a sliver and white (white patches appear over a good portion of the coat).

Gold

Princess Jameela, a gold and white Shih Tzu,

photo courtesy of ShakeySpice

Gold as a solid color with a marking or within a double-color coat such as gold and white, is rather rare with the Shih Tzu breed. It is, however, commonly found intermingled within a tri-colored Shih Tzu.

It is a light, shiny, and pretty color and while it can fade as a Shih Tzu matures, it will always hold some gold tone, even if it transforms to a soft yellow.

Red

Miss Gigi, a red Shih Tzu puppy that's 2 and 1/2 months old,

photo courtesy of Carol

Red is a color that you don't see too often with the Shih Tzu breed. And this is because red, already a rare color, is often only obvious on a Shih Tzu puppy. As the pup matures, the red often lightens. It can end up looking gold or even a deep cream in some cases.

Red is one of the two basic colors of all dogs (the other is black). These two basic 'foundation' colors are then affected by other genes that in turn produce other colors. So, red is the base color for cream, golds, and tan.

Double-Colored

This is Jenson, a double colored black and white Shih Tzu,

seen here at 4 years old,

photo courtesy of Claire Clark

There are several pretty double-colors with the Shih Tzu breed and all official ones have white as one of the colors.

White can be paired with black (seen above) and the classic combo of black and white is one of the most commonly seen. White can also be paired with red, silver, gold, blue (which as we covered is a skin pigmentation so the color seen in the coat will be a diluted color), liver (which as we covered is also a skin pigmentation so the color seen in the coat will be a diluted brown ranging from light to dark), or brindle (which as covered is a pattern of stripes). So, there are lots of variations with double colored Shih Tzu and every one will be absolutely unique.

Read more about Black and White Shih Tzu Color information, and see some cute photos

Or read more about Double Colors, also with some adorable photos.

Tri-Colored

With so many possible colors in the Shih Tzu bloodline, coats that hold 3 colors (tri-colored) are common. And, there can even be a forth color (for example, Silver, Gold and White with Tan markings or Black markings). Most, but not all, tri-color Shih Tzu dogs have some level of white in the coat.

Read more about Shih Tzu Triple Colors, and see some cute photos.

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Puppy Color vs Adult Color

Kai first seen at 8 weeks and then at 22 months old. Photo courtesy of Belinda Aficial

It is extremely common for Shih Tzu to have a color change as they mature. Just about every one of them will. It's not just a matter of some dark colors on the hair tips no longer being there which can be quite a transformation in itself (more details next), there are all kinds of things that can happen (which can be shocking to owners who are not prepared).

Colors such as reds, silvers, and golds can fade. Markings can fade off or come in stronger. And brindle, as mentioned earlier, which is a very common color pattern with this breed, can fade off and end up only touching the ears or other small accents.

When a Shih Tzu has Black-tipped Hairs that Fade Away

An interesting color aspect with the Shih Tzu breed is that it's common for Shih Tzu puppies to have lots of black or dark-tipped hairs. The hairs will have light roots. But, the dark tipping can be so intense that the pup has an overall shaded hue over their coat or in some cases looks almost black.

Shih Tzu puppy with black tipped hairs - pic 1

Coco Puff at 2 months old and with lots of black tipping over her coat

This type of coloring is referred to as sable (or sabling) which is not an official color or marking with the Shih Tzu breed, but is for some other breeds. With the Shih Tzu, this is usually a very fleeting color marking.

Remember, the roots of these hairs are light. So, as a Shih Tzu matures, the hairs grow longer. When the coat is eventually trimmed, all of those dark hair tips are clipped off. Suddenly, a lighter coat is revealed. In some cases, you'll have to do a double-take and wonder if the groomer is returning the right Shih Tzu to you.

Shih Tzu black tipped hairs now gone- pic 2

Coco Puff at 22 months old, the dark hairs are now gone (they were cut off during a trim)

and she is now a much lighter-colored dog.

Color Changes

If you're bringing home a Shih Tzu puppy, it's fascinating to know that their adorable coloring might change as they grow. Don't be too surprised if the distinct colors and patterns you fell in love with at first evolve over time.

For instance, those charming white patches your puppy sports may expand, covering more of their coat than before. Similarly, the striking brindling that gives them a unique appearance can gradually fade away, creating a more uniform color. Even the deep, rich liver tones that are so eye-catching in Shih Tzu puppies can soften to a lighter liver shade as they mature.

This color transformation is a natural part of a Shih Tzu's development, adding an element of surprise and delight as your puppy grows into their adult coat.

Read more about Shih Tzu Color Changes and see some lovely photos.