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Forest Trees

Teddy Roosevelt and Rat Terrier Colors and Markings

The traditional and rare colors and markings in the Rat Terrier.

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Bi Color

The bi color is a black, chocolate, blue, or pearl; and white. They have no copper points. In other words just 2 colors. Bi color is dominant over tri color and sable.

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Blue

The blue is a steel grey color with a blue nose.  They often have blue-grey eyes. The blue color is a
black dog with a recessive dilution gene.

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Chocolate Sable

The chocolate sable is a caramel-orange color and
may have chocolate tipped hair. They have chocolate
noses. The chocolate sable is a sable dog
with the recessive chocolate gene.

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Lemon/Apricot/
high red

The lemon, apricot, and high red are all caused by a recessive gene that blocks black pigment in the hair from developing. lemon is a light yellow color and are
usually white when born, apricot is a light caramel color and are usually very light or white when born, high red is the darkest of the three and are a very bright orange red and are caramel colored when born. the variation in color is caused by "intensity," a collection of genes that are not well understood. 
 the nose is usually black and may look faded as the dog ages, but can be any color.

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Chocolate Merle

The chocolate merle is a chocolate dog with the merle pattern.

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"True" Blue Merle

The true blue merle is a blue dog with the merle pattern. It can be distinguished from the black merle by its blue colored nose.

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Tuxedo Coat Pattern

Solid color with a white chest and paws. Any rat terrier color.

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White Coat Pattern

Extreme piebald, white covers the entire coat. Nose should be black, blue, or red depending on what the white is covering up.

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Tri color brindle "trindle"

The trindle is a tricolor dog with brindling in the copper points.

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Tri Color

The tri color is black, chocolate, blue, or pearl and white with copper points. The tri color gene is recessive to bi color and sable.

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Chocolate

The chocolate is a liver color with a red nose, and usually have hazel or amber colored eyes. In genetics, a "chocolate" would technically be called a "brown," but we will
call it a chocolate to avoid confusion with the other colors. The chocolate is a black dog with the recessive "brown" gene.

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Blue Fawn

The blue fawn is a light tan with blue tipped hair
and a blue nose.

A blue fawn is a
 sable dog with the recessive blue dilution gene.

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Calico Pattern

Red Headed Calico. The base color can be black, chocolate, blue, or pearl, with a red head and often red creeping up the legs.

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Black Merle

Also known as a blue merle because of the blue diluting effect the merle pattern has on the black coat. It can be distinguished from the true  blue merle by its black colored nose. Merles may have light blue or partially blue eyes if the merle pattern occurs over the eyes.

the merle pattern is caused by an incomplete dominant gene. Merle is accepted as an alternant color in the Teddy Roosevelt terrier in AKC.

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Red or Sable Merle

The red merle is a sable dog with
the merle pattern. This merle color can be
hard to see because the merle pattern doesn't
effect the red color, only the black tips of the
hair.

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Solid Coat Pattern

Solid color with very little white to no white. If the dog has tan it is called a
"_____ and tan," ex."black and tan."

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Ticking

Ticking is speckling that appears in the white of a piebald dog. Usually the ticking will be most concentrated in the feet and legs. There can be just a few specks or the ticking can be so extreme that it completely covers all the white, this is called excessive ticking.

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Sable/Tan/Red

The sable is an red to tan color they generally have at least some black tipped hair that tends to fade as they age, the tipped hair can range from almost nothing, a little on the face and ears, to as much as the dog above. Sable is recessive to bi color and dominant over tri color.

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Pearl/Silver

The pearl aka silver is a lavender color with a lavender nose,
and hazel-green or pale copper eyes. A pearl is a chocolate
dog with the recessive blue dilution gene.

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Dilute Chocolate Sable or Lilac

This is a color that is often over-looked because most
people simply dismiss it as a blue fawn. A lilac is a
faded caramel color with pearl or lavender tipped hair and a pearl or lavender nose. The lilac is a chocolate sable dog with the recessive blue dilution gene.

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Seal

Seal is a rare color in dogs, they are black, chocolate, blue, or pearl dogs that have a reddish hue coming up from the legs and sides. it is caused by sable "leaking through" in a dog that has only one copy of the dominant black gene.

A black seal dog with the merle pattern will dilute to a reddish tan color instead of the usual blue.

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Pearl Merle

The pearl merle is a pearl dog with the merle pattern.

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Blanket Back Coat Pattern

The color covers the back of the dog. White with any rat terrier color.

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Piebald Coat Pattern

Basically a spotted dog. White with any rat terrier color.

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Brindle

Brindle is a common dog coat pattern but rare in the RT or Teddy. A brindle dog is typically tan or red with a black irregular stripy or blotchy pattern throughout the coat. Brindles can have black, blue, chocolate, or pearl stripes over a lighter background. The brindling can be so extreme that the colors are reversed and the dog is dark with lighter stripes. Brindle is recessive to bi color and dominant over tri color and sable.

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