The Unique Coat Colors of the Siberian Husky

By Linda Cole

The Siberian Husky is one of seven dog breeds, identified through DNA testing, as one of the most ancient breeds with bloodlines closest to the gray wolf. Unlike most dog breeds, the Husky coat comes in a wide variety of colors, and some coats have multiple colors mixed in it. One coat is very much wolf-like.

Jet black - Individual solid black hairs make up the outercoat, which is monochrome, meaning, the coat is made up of different shades of a single color. The undercoat is either black or dark grey and the tail, ears and hindquarters are deep black. The paw pads are usually very dark.

Black - The outercoat is made up of individual black hairs, white at the root. There may be solid white hairs mixed in with the black. The tail, ears and hindquarters have yellow and brownish hairs mixed in. The undercoat can be white, beige, charcoal or a mixture of the three.

Silver black - Mostly white hairs with black tips make up the outercoat. The head and along the spine is black with silver on the ears, tail and hindquarters. They have a white undercoat.

Wolf grey - A yellow/brown color makes up the outercoat starting at the root and ending in a black tip. Beige, yellow, red or tan colors are found behind the ears, the hindquarters and along the saddle area on the back. The undercoat is beige.

Grey - The outercoat is made up of individual hairs that are crème and/or grey-brown at the root with a black tip. The undercoat usually is a mixture of silver and beige.

Silver grey - Different shades of white make up the outercoat with the tips being black. To look at the dog, you get an impression the head, back and hindquarters are silver. The coat is darker along the spine. Light grey or white make up the undercoat.

Piebald - This is a white dog with irregular patches of color on the head, rump or on both areas, usually a common color for the breed, which is black, grey or red. The undercoat is silver or white, but can be striped or one color. This is a rare coat color.

White with black saddle - This is a pattern and not a color. The coat is white but has piebald markings in the saddle area and hindquarters. The outercoat in the saddle area is black. The undercoat is the same as the piebald color.

White/Isabella white - Silver tipped hairs of the outercoat can be one color or striped. Buff tones are found on the ears, saddle, above the hock, elbow and mixed in the tail of the Isabella white coat. Silver or white make up the undercoat of the pure white coat and the Isabella white has some beige and yellow in the undercoat.

Copper - A beautiful deep red, copper or brown makes up the outercoat. A solid red that covers the dog's body, including on the ears, tail and hindquarters. Copper, brown or red make up the undercoat. The copper Husky will have either blue or amber eyes, but can also have one of each. They will never have brown eyes, and always have a liver colored nose.

Red/apricot - The outercoat is a solid apricot red, white at the root, and red at the tip with some solid white hairs mixed in. Red and white tones make up the undercoat. Eye color is the same as the copper coat, as is the nose.

Dilute red - Light red with a lot of white make up the outercoat, giving the coat a diluted red color. The undercoat is solid white. Eye and nose coloring is the same as the copper and red/apricot Husky.

Sable - Outercoat is made up of reddish colored roots with black tips, which is more prominent in the saddle area. Red, copper or chocolate make up the undercoat. The sable colored coat is a rare color and also known as Black-nosed Reds.

Wolf brown - Instead of the colors in the sable coat, the wolf brown outercoat is clearly brown with no red or copper. White or cream markings are on the chest, face, tail, and legs and the undercoat is beige or cream white. This coat color is found mostly in the Igloo Pak bloodline.

Agouti - Is the most wolf-like in appearance. The outercoat is always black at the tip and root with yellow in the middle. There's a grizzled look to the saddle area and the coat is usually a solid color with little to no white. Any white markings on the coat are actually cream colored. The undercoat is charcoal. The agouti coat is also called the wild coloring.

Siberian Husky eye colors can be blue, icy blue, green, brown, amber, bi-eyed (two different colored eyes), split eyed (the iris is split in half and one half is one color and the other half another color), and Parti, a rare eye color which is more than one color in each eye.

Photos, top to bottom:
Dilute red by Jack Pearce
Black by Katie Brady
Silver black, white, silver grey and copper by the OP Pack
Copper by Jena Fuller

Read more articles by Linda Cole