Pugs are a hugely popular dog breed because of their wrinkly, short little bodies and cute pug faces. If you’ve ever considered getting a pug but thought they weren’t different enough from one another, think again.
Since pugs are one of the oldest canine breeds, there is a lot of variation in their physical appearance. Aside from their size, the most common difference is coat color.
We’ve all seen pugs in their signature chocolate and coffee colors. But what about pugs that don’t have any black or tan on them? Let’s examine the broad array of colors that make this breed unique.
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Most Popular Pug Colors
There’s no such thing as a solid pug color because most of them have dark or light patches. This distinctive coloring gives them their special look, and the majority of them have some combination of the following:
- Black: either solid black or black saddle like a dalmation.
- Fawn: with puppies that are born black, then later develop reddish-brown color.
- Silver: which stays the same color throughout their lives.
- Apricot: similar in shade to apricot fruit, but the apricot pug’s coat is slightly paler.
Note: Apricot and silver are not official pug colors as far as the American Kennel Club is concerned. Still, they are the colors most commonly found after black and fawn, the two officially recognized AKC pug colors.
Pugs usually come in fawn and black because the breed was from several other dogs already available in these colors. In fact, the pug is one of the few breeds that can be traced back to a single ancestor. And yet, pugs are one of only a handful of breeds that can be born in any color, and each color has a name, which might surprise you.
Top Ten Different Pug Colors
The color of a pug is determined by two genes: one controlling the amount of black pigment and the other controlling the amount of red pigment. This genetic mapping creates beautiful colorations. Here are some fan favorites:
1. Pink
An increasingly popular pug is the albino pug, or what some people call the pink pug. This color isn’t entirely new, as albino animals have been around forever, but the increasing popularity of the pink pug is one of the latest designer puppy crazes.
Pink is the rarest pug color. A pink pug may also have blue instead of brown eyes. Owners love their unique look, plus the fact that pink pugs do not require special grooming or suffer from acne like many other pugs.
2. White
White pugs are pure white and not a mix of other pug colors. White pugs are just a natural mutation. They do not have albinism either.
The white coat of these pugs gives them an exotic look that does not go unnoticed, which makes them excellent companions if you like to show off your canine buddy on walks. They’re quite the conversation starter!
3. Cream
The cream color is similar to a fawn pug but paler in color with a more ivory appearance than brown. Cream-colored pugs have black noses, ears, and eye rims, setting them apart from albino pugs.
4. Blue
Blue is the least common pug color, and it’s a unique one that not many people have seen before. It’s grayish-blue primarily, with black markings on the ears and sometimes around the muzzle. Blue pugs are extremely rare and are considered a show dog variety.
5. Sable
Sable is different from black, chocolate, or tan because it results from specific genes. As a result, the fur of a sable-colored pug has a base color that is not black, brown, or red, but rather these colors with black tipping on the hairs.
A popular example is Roxy, who is famous on YouTube for her videos and was born with this coat color.
6. Tuxedo
A Tuxedo pug has a black body with white markings on its face and legs. The term tuxedo is descriptive because it looks like the pug is wearing a tuxedo dress suit.
7. Brindle
The brindle pug has an almost tiger-like appearance. It has a brown or tawny hue with streaks of color, such as gray or black. Some owners have compared the brindle pug coat to a speckled fudge brownie. Got milk?
Unlike most other pugs, it has very little white on its body. But sometimes, however, white is found on its muzzle, giving the brindle pug the appearance of having a devilish smile.
8. Panda, or Black & White
Black and white pugs are one of the more exotic color combinations. Pugs with this marking may have a black nose and tongue instead of a pink one. They are so adorable that it is hard to take your eyes off them, and they love to entertain you with their cute little personalities.
9. Black & Cream
Black & cream is pretty standard, but not necessarily in pugs. Black is the primary color of the coat, while the face, ears, neck, legs, and chest have cream-colored markings. Another variation is the black & tan pug with similar markings that are slightly darker and tan in color.
10. Brown
Brown is a rare pug color. The brown color is because of a gene mutation that results in a solid brown coat, including the fur around the eyes, muzzle, and nose. They tend to be expensive because of the difficulty in breeding them, which adds to their exclusive charm.
To Summarize – The Most Popular Pug Colors
So what’s the most popular pug color? That would be fawn, the creamy coffee-colored option coming in at over 60%. Black comes in second with about 22%, with apricot and silver rounding out the bottom two.
Regardless of what you choose, the many different pug colors to match your personality and style make dog ownership even more fun! After all, it’s a pug world and we just live in it.
About the author
Rachael is the co-founder and editor at Pug Facts. Owner of one elderly Pug, she’s dedicated to helping other Pug owners create healthy, happy, lives with their furry best friends.
