Chihuahuas come in a huge variety of coat colors and patterns. The AKC official standards accept any color and pattern. Color and pattern preferences among breeders and Chihuahua lovers abound and for each preference, there is a Chihuahua in that color.
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 Chihuahua, but they are not easy to find either. One reason they are rare is that a breeder has to know what they are doing to produce a healthy merle.
Due to the amount of colors and patterns occurring in the Chihuahua breed the ethical breeding of the merle pattern can be much more difficult than in other breeds who 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 a plethora of 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 is missing pieces of tissue in structures that form the eye).
The double merle gene may also cause abnormalities of skeletal, cardiac and reproductive systems.
According to the Chihuahua Club of America, the merle pattern is best shown in a 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 just like the merle, they are difficult to find.
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, Boston terrier, just 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 a coat 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 don’t know very much about breeding and what genes produce what color or pattern. But I do know that breeding a true brindle is not easy.
Lavender or Lilac
Lavender or Lilac color is diluted chocolate. This creates a color known as “lavender” in Chihuahuas. The lavender color is difficult to breed because it is hard to reproduce. Even if you mate two lavender dogs you may not get lavender puppies. One of the mates must have the diluting “d” gene as seen in blues.
It is referred to as lavender or lilac because of the purplish tint to the diluted chocolate color.
Pure White Chihuahua
The pure white Chihuahua is the rarest color of all. Why is the pure white Chihuahua so rare? To have a truly 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. 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 that you can get lost in and a black nose. Whereas the pure white Chihuahua will have light eyes and a pink nose. This does not mean that they are albino either.
Don’t miss: What is a blue or a blue Merle Chihuahua?