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15 Common Pug Colors and Patterns (With Pictures)

Ed Malaker

By Ed Malaker

Pawn pug sitting on beige floor

Pugs are extremely cute dogs with scrunched faces and small, compact bodies. They make wonderful pets and are ideal if you have children. If you are thinking about getting one of these amazing dogs for your home and are wondering what colors and patterns they come in, read on for a list of several of the most common ones so you can see if this breed is right for you.

Recognized Pug Colors

1. Fawn

pug fawn
Fawn-pug 1(Image Credit: Smokerking92, Wikimedia Commons CC 4.0 International)2

Fawn is one of only two colors that the American Kennel Club recognizes.3 It’s also the most common, with studies showing that more than 60% of Pug owners have a fawn Pug.2


2. Black

Black pug lying on the grass
Image Credit by: Jumpstory

Black is the second most popular Pug color, with 27% of Pug owners reporting owning one.4 It’s also the only color besides fawn that the American Kennel Club recognizes. The solid color gives the dog a glossy appearance.


Other Common Pug Colors

3. Apricot

Apricot is one of two additional colors that the U.K. Kennel Club recognizes that the American Kennel Club doesn’t. This light yellow to orange color is darkest on the dog’s back. It’s also the third most popular Pug color.


4. Silver

The silver Pug is extremely rare, and it is the other color that the American Kennel Club doesn’t recognize but the U.K. Kennel Club does. It’s a shiny dark-grey color that some kennels might register as fawn due to the lack of black coloring.


5. Silver Fawn

The Canadian Kennel Club recognizes the silver fawn color as an official color of the Pug. This variation of the fawn color produces a light-dark apricot coat with a shiny grey sheen over the entire body.


Other Available Solid Colors

6. Albino

Albinism is actually a lack of color due to the absence of the genes that make melatonin. It’s extremely rare and results in a white coat and blue eyes.


7. Brown

The brown Pug appears when a pair of genes dilute the black color to produce brown. Dogs with this coat often have a solid color throughout, even on the muzzle and around the eyes.


8. Cream

A cream Pug has a pale coat between fawn and white, with the light color covering the entire body and dark patches around the ears, muzzle, and eyes.


9. White

The white coat resembles the albino color, but the black nose and dark fur around the eyes show that the pigment genes are present. These dogs will also have dark eyes.


Other Available Bi-colors

10. Black and Cream

The black-and-cream coat is attractive on the Pug. The dog will have distinctive cream markings on the face, ears, legs, and other body parts, with most of the back and head having a black coloring.


11. Black and Tan

The black-and-tan coat is a favorite among pet owners, but it is rare. These dogs will usually have distinct tan patches above the eyes and on their legs, with most of the body having a black coloring.


12. Panda

black and white panda pug fetching a dog toy
Image Credit by: Chelle129, Shutterstock

The panda Pug has a bi-color coat of black and white. It will usually favor one color over the other, but there will be a black patch over the eye, like a panda, which is how it gets its name.


Available Patterns

13. Sable

The sable pattern colors the tips of the guard hairs black but leaves the rest of the hair its base color. The dog’s coat will get darker as more of the tips are tinted, and it creates a shadow effect that’s especially noticeable when the dog walks or you pet them. You can find black-and-fawn and apricot sable coats on the Pug.


14. Brindle

Brindle is a coat pattern that results in stripes, similar to tiger stripes. They will usually be black over a fawn background.


15. Merle

The merle pattern creates patches of color on the dog’s body, and on Pugs, the patches are usually solid black, with the rest of the coat being grey or white.Divider 8

Conclusion

When looking for a Pug, you will most likely find ones with a fawn coat, though black is also fairly common. Other available colors include apricot, silver, and silver fawn, and you can usually find these by shopping around your local breeders. However, if you are looking for something more exotic, like a panda or a cream Pug, you might need to search more broadly, as they are quite rare and hard to come by.


Featured Image Credit: Steshka Willems, Pexels

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