COAT COLORS WHITE and SABLE

WHITE & SABLE Sable Papillons have red and black hairs interspersed throughout their coat. In other words, a sable Papillon has patches of interspersed red and black hairs and separate areas of white hairs. Because there is a wide variance in both the shade of the red hairs and the ratio of red to black hairs we will discuss these two factors separately. We should point out that the shade of the red color and the amount of black interspersed hairs seem to be independent of each other. However, Papillons that have a lot of black hairs often appear to be darker than those Paps that have less black hairs. The vibrissae (whiskers) that grow from the red regions (not white regions) on the sable’s face are normally black. Note: There is often confusion between w/sables and tricolors due to AKC registration form which refers to the tricolor as "white, black, & tan." Although sables may have white, black, and tan/red colors in their coats, they should not be registered as "white, black, & tan." The distinguishing factor between the two is that tricolors have solid black spots on their body with specific tan points. Sables, on the other hand, may have a coat of any red shade with black hairs interspersed throughout the red areas.

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RATIO OF BLACK to RED HAIRS. . .

As we just pointed out, sable Papillons have red and black hairs interspersed throughout their coat. Between individual Papillons, there is great variance in the ratio of black to red hairs; some sables have a lot of black hairs, while others have a tiny, almost unnoticeable, amount of black hairs. We've just explained how most Paps have red hairs that grow in place of some of the black hairs. Well, it is also possible for a sable to grow black hairs in place of red hairs. Often, this processes can continue throughout a Paps life, but it is not as pronounced as the loss of black hairs after birth. The growth of black hairs in place of some of the red hairs is most noticeable on those Papillons who do not have a lot of black hairs to start off with. There have even been Papillons who were born with no, or almost no, black hairs that later grew some black hairs at about one year of age. On Papillons who do not have a lot of black hairs, the black hairs tend to be clustered at the ear tips and at the base of the tail. These dogs are also called clear sables, and often they are incorrectly registered as w/red. We have just explained that often sable puppies will have some black hairs that will begin to grow out red. During this time it is expected that an individual hair will be red at the base with a black tip. Often, this is not permanent as after the puppy goes through its first molt (a time when a puppy's baby coat is replaced by adult coat hairs) the tipped hairs are shed and solid red hairs grow out. This same phenomenon occurs for Papillons who have red hairs that begin to grow out black. However, they will have hairs that are black at the base with a red tip. Again, this is usually temporary and will last until the hair is shed and a solid colored hair grows in its place. There are some Papillons, however, who have individual hairs that are tipped with two or more colors throughout most or all of their lives. These Papillons are often called shaded sables.

Above, CH Clearlake Widowmaker is illustrating the color sable. Notice how the red and black hairs are randomly interspersed throughout his coat. Although sables have three colors in their coats, they should not be confused with the tricolor whose coat has a very specific pattern. The red and black hairs of a sable are randomly mixed. Unlike the tricolor who has solid black spots on his body, the sable has a mix of red and black hairs on his body.

Above is the same dog showing a close up of his coat. Notice how his body spots have a mixture of red and black hairs.

Above, Gabriel Seine CGC NAC OJC MX MXJ illustrates the color sable, but notice how he looks to have no black hairs.

A close up of his coat shows that he does have a few black hairs. If a Papillon has even one black hair among the red hairs, at any time in it's life, it is a sable. Often, if a sable has only a few black hairs, the black hairs that it does have will be located at the ear tips or the base of the tail. Papillons who have very few black hairs are often termed clear sables.

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THE VARIOUS SHADES OF A SABLE. . .

There are many shades of red that a sable Papillon can be. The red hairs can vary from pale shades of yellow to bright red to dark chestnut or mahogany. It is also possible for an individual sable Papillon to have several different shades of red throughout its coat. For example, the red hairs behind the ears, closer to the belly area, or under the tail may be a lighter shade while the dorsal hairs along the spine may be a darker shade of red. Because there are so many various shades, breeders and owners have come up with different adjectives to describe the various shades. None of these terms should be used when registering a sable. All shades of a sable should be registered with the AKC as "white and sable." The only exception may be the lemon sable. This is because the lemon shade is caused by a separate gene. For this reason, we have created a separate page devoted to lemon sables.

Above is CH Sherjak's Desiderata illustrating a very light colored sable. This light shade is often referred to as blonde or gold sable.	Above, CH Clearlake Just Dance illustrates another shade of sable. Sometimes this shade is called biscuit or fawn sable.
CH Clearlake Hot Wheels illustrates a dark sable.	Above, CH Copper Mist Ice Dancer is illustrating a bright red shade of sable often referred to as a red sable.
Above is another example of a red sable, illustrated by CH En La's Bravisimo.	Above is a close up of CH En La's Bravisimo.  If you look at his ear fringe you can see a few black hairs. These black hairs show that he is a sable.
Above is BIS CH Flashpoint Mission Possible.	Above is a profile view of BIS CH Flashpoint Mission possible.
Above is Blicci's Tiny Trixie.	Above Menine's High Fidelity illustrates a mahogany sable, which is a very dark sable who appears almost brown in color instead of red.
Above is Kenrics All That Jazz "Jazz" representing a shade of sable often referred to as black sable.	Above is a close up view of Jazz's coat. When you part his coat, you can see that the base of his hairs is red while the tips is black. This means he is a sable. A tricolor or a white and black Papillon would have solid black body hairs.

Here is Debbie illustrating another black sable. The picture above is of Debbie as a puppy. Her coat was a mahogany sable color. Look at the picture of Debbie to the right.	Above is Debbie as an adult. Her hairs are now a dark red at the base and black at the tips, just like the preceding dog, Kenric's All That Jazz.

Above is Coco, reflecting what is known as a shaded sable. The concept is the same as for a black sable. The base of the hair is red, while the tip is black. The difference between a shaded sable and a black sable is that with a shaded sable, you don't have to part the hair to see that it is a sable dog. You can see that the individual strands of hair have two or more colors.

Above is CH Paraja Air Force One. Like Coco, he is a shaded sable. You can see that the base of his hairs is red and that the tips are black. Shaded sables have individual strands of hair which are two or more colors. Often you see where the individual hair is a light red shade at the base, a darker red in the middle, and black at the tips.	Above, Ty demonstrates another shaded sable.

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SABLES as PUPPIES. . .

Sables often undergo a lot of changes as they mature. Usually sables are born with a lot of black hairs. As they mature, most of these black hairs fall out and are replaced with red hairs. On the other hand, some sables grow more black hairs as they mature. In addition to the changes in ratio of black to red hairs, sables may change their shade as they mature. Most sables are born a darker red shade which lightens with maturity. Some on the hand, darken with age. 10 weeks old 2 year old adult Above, Gabriel Seine CGC NAC OJC MX MXJ, illustrates the changes a typical Papillon goes through from puppyhood to adulthood. Gabriel was born with a lot of black hairs. As he matured he shed many of his black hairs and replaced them with red hairs. In addition, his red hair brightened with maturity. 10 weeks old 2 year old adult Above, CH Clearlake Widowmaker "Andrew", illustrates the same changes. As he matured, many of Andrew's black hairs were replaced with red hairs. In addition, his red hairs brightened. 8 weeks old about 1 year old adult Above, CH Gail's Hell Cat "Gia", illustrates another typical sable puppy. She is a brighter shade of red and has less black hairs as an adult. 3 days old 8 weeks old adult Some sables have so many black hairs that they look like w/black puppies at birth. Above, Can Ch Bluechip Hershey Kisses Am Can CD, illustrates this.

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