Masks
are very common in Papillons. They are clusters of black hairs on the face.
They can range in size from covering just a little around the eyes or nose
to covering the entire face. Normally the black mask will be on both sides of a blaze (if there is a blaze)
but sometimes, particularly if it is a large mask, it will cover up a blaze.
Masks can occur on w/blacks, tricolors, w/sables, w/lemon sable, and w/livers.
Masks are most noticeable on sables and lemon sables. It is very difficult
to know if a w/black or a tricolor Papillon has a mask because the black hairs that compose
the mask blend in with the black facial hairs. In some instances, one can see a mask on a
w/black or a tricolor by looking at the dog in bright lighting because
black hairs from the mask will often times appear to be darker than the remaining black facial
hair.
On w/livers, the mask will be brown and it will blend into the
surrounding brown facial hairs. But, sometimes the brown hairs that compose the mask will
be darker in shade than the rest of the brown coat hairs.
W/reds and w/lemons can not have masks for genetic reasons that are explained on the Coat Color Genetics page.
OTHER
