Chihuahuas come in various coat colors and patterns, and the AKC official standards accept any color and design. Color and pattern preferences among breeders and Chihuahua lovers abound; for each selection, there is a Chihuahua in that color.
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But some of them may be very difficult to find. From top to bottom, these are the rarest colors you’ll find in a Chihuahua.
- Merle
- Brindle
- Lavender or Lilac
- Pure White
Merle
The merle Chihuahua is not a color but rather a coat pattern. They are not the rarest Chihuahuas but are not easy to find. One reason they are rare is that a breeder has to know what they are doing to produce a healthy merle.
Due to the number of colors and patterns occurring in the Chihuahua breed, the ethical breeding of the merle pattern can be much more complex than in other species that limit the allowed colors and patterns ~ The Chihuahua Club of America.
If a breeder does not know the ethical way to breed a merle Chihuahua, they are prone to many health issues.
They may be born deaf, with abnormalities of the eye such as increased intraocular pressure, ametropia (images fail to focus on the retina), microphthalmia (abnormally small or malformed eyes), and colobomas (occurs before birth and missing pieces of tissue in structures that form the eye).
The double merle gene may also cause abnormalities in the skeletal, cardiac, and reproductive systems.
My Remedy Jane is a blue merle with one blue eye (she is very healthy!)According to the Chihuahua Club of America, the merle pattern is best shown in chocolate or blue merle. If you consider buying or adopting a merle Chihuahua be sure to have them tested and have a thorough veterinarian exam.
Brindle
The brindle Chihuahua is also not a color but a pattern. The brindle is not the rarest Chihuahua, but they are challenging to find, just like the merle.
Brindle is a pattern sometimes referred to as tiger-striped. The brindle pattern is not rare in some other breeds, such as Boxer, Great Dane, English Mastiff, and Boston terrier, to name a few.
The streaks of color are irregular and usually darker than the base color of the coat, although very dark markings can be seen on skin that is only slightly lighter. ~ Wikipedia
Again it’s all in the breeding. Breeding Chihuahuas that produce the brindle pattern is not necessarily an easy thing to do. I don’t breed Chihuahuas and know very little about breeding and what genes have what color or design. But I do know that producing a true brindle is not easy.
Lavender or Lilac
Lavender or Lilac color is diluted chocolate, creating a pigment known as “lavender” in Chihuahuas. The lavender color is difficult to breed because it is hard to reproduce. You may not get lavender puppies even if you mate two lavender dogs, and one of the mates must have the diluting “d” gene, as in blues.
A lavender Chihuahua (photo courtesy of www.chichibabies.comIt is referred to as lavender or Lilac because of the purplish tint to the light chocolate color.
Pure White Chihuahua
The pure white Chihuahua is the rarest color of all. Why is the refined white Chihuahua so rare? To have a genuinely all-white Chihuahua, you must breed two pure-white Chihuahuas.
A rare all-white Chihuahua will have no black pigment to his skin. This means that the eyes, nose, and even the nails will be a light color, and the ears will also be pink.
Sometimes the cream Chihuahua is confused with an all-white Chihuahua. However, a cream Chihuahua will have those deep, dark black eyes you can get lost in and a black nose. At the same time, the pure white Chihuahua will have light eyes and a pink nose. This does not mean that they have albinism, either.
