Chihuahua Colors

The names may be a bit misleading, such as a blue Chihuahua which certainly is not actually the color blue. Can you imagine?

For example, a black Chihuahua is not considered more valuable than a parti-color dog. You may, of course, have a preference for a certain color.

If you are buying a Chihuahua dog and want a particular color, it is recommended to find a good breeder ahead of time. You can ask that breeder if he or she has plans to breed a certain color.

Experienced breeders carefully pair dogs together to produce litters in the color that they are striving for...but remember that Mother Nature has the last say.

With so many colors and so many markings, this makes each Chihuahua very unique. There are 30 AKC recognized colors (some are combinations). There are also 11 recognized markings that a Chihuahua may have.

Black: A full, solid black is very rare. Many black Chihuahua dogs will have some type of marking on the body.

Red: This can range from a dark orange or a brown/orange and is often referred to as mahogany.

Brindle: This is actually a pattern. It is a particular striping. Most brindle Chihuahuas are black over fawn; this will look similar to 'tiger stripes' which can be thin or thick. 

Chocolate: Chocolates have brown fur; however, there is more to it than this. A true chocolate colored Chihuahua will be so based on skin color. Instead of black eye rims, nose, lips, and paw pads, these areas of skin pigmentation will be brown. 

Merle: This is a splashed pattern, usually with blue or black splashes. This color may carry through to the eyes as well. The gene that creates this produces random dilutions to the coat of the Chihuahua. It is important to never breed two Merles together as it can produce puppies that have issues with sight and/or hearing and other health problems. 

Fawn: This is a light tan that may have an undertone of red. 

Gold: Shinier than fawn, especially noticeable when the Chi is outside.

Blue: Blue is determined by skin color. The coat may appear to be any shade or variance of black. It is the skin pigmentation that classifies a Chihuahuas as blue; the paw pads, lips, eye rims and nose will be blue. For many Chihuahuas, these areas may appear black, however under bright light (outdoor sunlight works well), there will be a noticeable bluish tint.

Blue & Tan: Blue, as described above, with tan points, usually with tan tips on the paws. Some have tan around the ears and/or above the eyes.

Gray & Silver: Many ask what the difference is between gray and silver on a dog. The element that makes silver, is that white slivers will slice through the gray coat, producing a color that is shinier than an otherwise standard gray.   

With most blue Chihuahuas the fur will be black, (either dull, muted or shiny) but the nose will have a blue tint to it that is most noticeable in the direct sunlight. Other skin points that will show blue are the lips, eye rims, and paw pads. In some cases, the dog's eyes may also be blue.

What do ruby eyes on a Chihuahua mean? Ruby means that dark eyes, under certain lighting conditions, appear to be red. In general, only white or light colored Chi have ruby eyes and they will appear to be a dark red at night or if the light hits them just right. 

Blue eyes can be found with this breed, however are considered to be a fault.

For some senior Chihuahuas, there can be a slight greying to the fur, this is never a dramatic change, but more of graying usually involving the facial hairs and scattered throughout the coat, sometimes only noticeable in bright sunlight.