Common Greyhound Colours

Choosing a Greyhound colour can be challenging. Sometimes the dog's colour won't matter, and you will go with what is available. In other cases, you might have decided you want a specific colour, resulting in your shopping around

Greyhound colours will affect the price of the Greyhound, with rare colours, combinations, and patterns often being much more expensive than common colours.

Fawn / Fallow

The yellowy tan fawn Greyhound can come in various shades, including red fawn and blue fawn. This is the most common Greyhound colour.

Blue

Interestingly, grey Greyhounds are referred to as blue and are a dilution of black Greyhounds. The parent dogs must carry a specific recessive gene for a blue Greyhound, which is considered a relatively rare colour.

Black

A pure black Greyhound is one of the rarest colours you will find despite being common in other breeds. All black Greyhounds will also have black foot pads, lips, and noses.

White

Pure white greyhounds are rare and more commonly found mixed with other colours like red, blue, and black.

Red

You will find different shades of red Greyhounds, from the deeper, rich colour like a deer to brighter orangey colours. Red Greyhounds aren't as rare as some other colours but can be tricky to find sometimes. It is much more common for red markings on dogs with a different colour base coat.

Brindle

Brindle dogs come in various base coat colours and have black stripes like a tiger. Brindle Greyhounds are quite common as they can be found in many colours.

Sable

Sable colouring is when the base colour is tipped with black. This makes the dog look darker than usual. Sable colour can be found on all colours of Greyhound but is more noticeable on lighter dogs.

Grey

Grey Greyhounds aren't considered to be breed standard and are similar to blue Greyhounds, lacking only the blue tint.

Slate Grey

Slate grey Greyhounds are closer to silver in colour, and the light grey is more common in Italian Greyhounds.

Liver

Liver Greyhounds come from a diluted black with amber eyes and a brown nose.

Merle

Merle Greyhounds are a striking, mottled black and white colour and often have piercing blue eyes. Despite their beautiful appearance, this colour is frowned upon because there is a greater likelihood of genetic disorders and deafness.

Other markings commonly found on Greyhounds include a black mask around the muzzle, ticked or spotted, partially coloured or mixed, or the Irish pattern resulting in a white collar around the neck.

The colours recognised by the Australian National Kennel Council are:

• Blue
• Fawn
• White
• Black
• Red
• Fallow
• Brindle

As well as these colours, any broken with white is considered acceptable.

Like with other dogs, the colour of the dog you choose will be down to your preference. There are many great colours and combinations to choose from, including a wide range of brindle colours, including; blue brindle, red brindle, black brindle, blue, fawn brindle, and sable.

You might be torn between black Greyhounds or a white Greyhound. Ultimately, the decision is yours.

Most Greyhounds' puppy coats won't change to a large degree as they get older. The very sleek appearance of the short coat makes it ideal for racing Greyhounds and is typically straightforward to groom.

Choosing the colour of your dog is not always easy, but you are likely to have a preference. If you are buying a puppy, you might be able to look around for a wide selection of colours.

Alternatively, those more interested in adopting retired racing Greyhounds might find their options more limited.

Greyhound racing is a huge industry, and as the dog gets older and can no longer race, it is often no longer needed by the owner. The dog's body has very little body fat, helping to make them the fastest dogs.

Many Greyhounds find themselves in care after a racing career, and it can come as a surprise that this breed known for its athleticism is very laid back and typically lazy.

Greyhounds can get on well with other pets when trained and socialised, so no matter what colour you decide on, they can make an excellent addition to your home.