Rat Terriers are usually described by combining a base shade with white and a pattern such as pied, ticking, tan points, or sable overlay. Ten useful shade names are white, black, tan, chocolate, blue, blue fawn, apricot, lemon, red, and fawn. They are reader-friendly labels, not ten universally identical color classes: the United Kennel Club (UKC), American Kennel Club (AKC), and Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) use overlapping but different terminology.
If you are identifying a particular dog, record the shade first, then describe how white and any secondary markings are distributed. Registry eligibility depends on the specific standard, not on a color name alone.
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What colors do Rat Terriers come in?
Rat Terrier color descriptions commonly pair colored areas with white. The coat itself is short, close-lying, smooth, and shiny, according to the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC). White may be the background for patches, the only visible color, or one part of a two- or three-color pattern.
The ten shade names in this guide are an editorial set drawn from official breed materials: white, black, tan, chocolate, blue, blue fawn, apricot, lemon, red, and fawn. They should not be read as a single genetic or registry-wide classification. For example, the UKC uses “tan” broadly enough to include shades that another registry may call red, while AKC and CKC materials use red as a color label. Fawn also has different treatment in different standards.
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No official source reviewed publishes a reliable percentage for how often each color occurs. A photograph can show appearance, but it cannot by itself prove a dog’s pedigree, genotype, or show eligibility.
The 10 Rat Terrier shade names
The table separates base shade from pattern. “White” is included because it is both a color and the required ground color in the UKC standard; “pied,” “tan points,” and “sable” belong in the markings discussion below.
| Shade name | What it can look like | Registry terminology or qualification |
|---|---|---|
| White | An all-white appearance or white surrounding colored patches and smaller marks. | UKC permits a solid-white dog but otherwise requires some white somewhere on the coat. |
| Black | Black areas with white, sometimes accompanied by tan points. | Described in UKC and AKC materials; the pattern determines whether the dog is bi-color or tri-color. |
| Tan | Anything from dark tan through very light tan; the UKC description also spans dark mahogany red to light red. | UKC specifies a black nose and eye rims for its tan category. This broad range can overlap with the word “red” used elsewhere. |
| Chocolate | Brown areas ranging from dark liver to light chocolate. | UKC describes self-colored nose and eye rims with this shade. |
| Blue | A diluted blue-gray-looking pigment, usually seen with white areas. | Recognized as a color term in UKC, AKC, and CKC materials; UKC specifies self-colored nose and eye rims. |
| Blue fawn | A named combination of blue-toned and fawn-toned pigment, commonly shown with white. | Listed by UKC and AKC. UKC specifies self-colored nose and eye rims. It is a color combination, not a marking. |
| Apricot | Orange through faded-yellow shades, with white patterning possible. | UKC gives the orange-to-faded-yellow range and specifies black nose and eye rims; AKC and CKC also list apricot. |
| Lemon | Yellow-orange to faded-yellow pigment, often strongly contrasted by white. | UKC describes an orange-to-faded-yellow range with self-colored nose and eye rims; AKC and CKC list lemon. |
| Red | Red-toned colored areas, from lighter warm shades to deeper red. | AKC and CKC use red as a color label. UKC places red shades within its broad tan description, so the registry should always be named. |
| Fawn | Pale yellowish-tan pigment, potentially combined with white or other markings. | AKC and CKC name fawn. The cited UKC standard calls fawn a fault in its standard language, illustrating that registration or description terms do not automatically equal show approval. |
Why tan and red can seem interchangeable
The apparent disagreement is mainly a naming issue. The UKC’s tan description runs from dark tan to very light tan and from dark mahogany red to light red. AKC and CKC materials separately use “red.” Therefore, a dog described casually as red may fall within a UKC tan range, while an AKC or CKC description may call the same visible shade red. Identify the registry before treating either word as a formal class.
Rat Terrier markings and patterns
A marking explains where colors occur or how they are layered. It is not necessarily another base pigment. A black-and-white dog with tan points has a different pattern description from a solid black dog, even though black remains the base shade.
Pied or piebald
Pied is a white-and-patch pattern. The CKC defines it as “comparatively large patches of one or more colours in combination with white.” The AKC’s Rat Terrier educational presentation says any variation of pied patterning is acceptable and describes colored patches in combination with white. Patches may be large and clearly separated or arranged in a more irregular distribution.
Bi-color and tri-color
These terms count the visible color components rather than naming a particular shade. Under the UKC description, a Rat Terrier may be solid white, bi-color, or tri-color, but must always have some white. A black-and-white dog is commonly called bi-color; black, white, and tan points are commonly called tri-color. The exact classification still depends on the standard being applied.
Tan points
Tan points are localized tan markings over another base color, often above the eyes, on the muzzle, chest, legs, or beneath the tail. The AKC educational guide says they are common and can range from cream to rust. Tan points do not turn the whole dog into a separate “tan” base color; they describe a secondary distribution.
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Sable is an overlay or shading effect in which darker hairs influence an otherwise lighter colored area. UKC permits sable overlay on colored areas, and the AKC guide describes sable with white markings and shading. Because it is an overlay, “sable” should not automatically replace the underlying shade in a coat description.
Ticking, speckling, and mottling
These are small flecks or pigment marks, often visible inside white areas. The AKC educational material calls speckling, ticking, and mottling common and says heavy ticking is undesirable in that guide. UKC allows a ticked white area as long as white still predominates. A lightly speckled white patch is therefore a pattern detail, not a new color category.
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Other descriptive pattern names
The AKC presentation also uses terms such as badger markings, blanket-back, Irish marked, and spotted or patched. These labels can help caption photographs or describe where pigment lies, but they should not be treated as universal registration codes. When a formal classification matters, use the wording of the relevant registry’s standard.
Do Rat Terriers have to have white?
Under the UKC Rat Terrier breed standard, yes. It states: “The Rat Terrier may be solid white, bi-color or tri-color but must always have some white, which may be of any size and located anywhere on the dog.” The white may be a large pied field or a smaller area, and it may contain ticking provided white remains predominant.
The same UKC standard lists black, tan, chocolate, blue, blue fawn, apricot, and lemon among its remaining accepted color names. It calls fawn, cream, fallow with a black mask, and silver faults. It disqualifies brindle, merle, absence of white, any solid color other than white, and albinism under that standard.
Those rules are not a universal statement about every registry or every country’s paperwork. AKC and CKC descriptions use their own lists and classification systems, so quote the applicable standard when discussing a particular dog’s eligibility.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Color names, registration labels, and show eligibility are different
The AKC breed page publishes registration color names and codes. Its registration guidance explains that “color” means the prominent color, while “marking” means the secondary color or pattern, and directs owners to the breed standard for show classification. A registration label therefore records an identification choice; it does not, by itself, prove that a pattern is preferred or eligible in conformation.
| Term or pattern | What the cited standards say | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Silver | Appears among AKC registration descriptions; UKC calls silver a fault. | Do not assume an AKC registration option means UKC show acceptance. |
| Fawn | Named by AKC and CKC; the cited UKC standard calls fawn a fault. | Name the registry whenever fawn is discussed as a formal category. |
| Brindle | The cited UKC standard and the AKC educational material identify brindle as a disqualification. | It is not an accepted show pattern under those cited rules. |
| Merle | The cited UKC standard and AKC educational material identify merle as a disqualification. | A merle-looking coat should not be presented as an accepted Rat Terrier show color under those materials. |
| Solid non-white coat | UKC requires white and disqualifies any solid color other than white. | A dog that appears entirely black, blue, chocolate, or another non-white shade does not meet that UKC requirement. |
The AKC educational presentation cited here was adopted May 22, 2009. Standards and registration systems can be revised, so consult the current rulebook for a live conformation decision rather than relying on a color chart alone.
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- Record the prominent shade. Choose the closest visible base term—such as black, chocolate, blue, apricot, lemon, red, or fawn—without treating the choice as a genetic test.
- Check for white. Note whether white is the background, a large patch, a small blaze, or another area. Under UKC rules, its location and size may vary, but some white must be present.
- Classify the overall pattern. Use bi-color or tri-color when counting visible color components, and pied or piebald when large colored patches occur with white.
- Add secondary details. State whether tan points, sable overlay, ticking, speckling, mottling, spots, or patches are visible.
- Name the registry if the description has a legal consequence. “Red,” “tan,” and “fawn” do not map identically across UKC, AKC, and CKC materials, and a registration option is not automatically a show approval.
This sequence keeps a marking from being mistaken for a base color. For example, “black-and-white, tri-color with tan points and light ticking” communicates more than simply calling a dog “tan.”
Does coat color affect everyday care?
Color does not change the basic coat routine described by the CKC. The short, smooth, shiny coat generally needs weekly brushing, with more frequent brushing during seasonal shedding. Grooming can make markings easier to see, but it cannot establish registry status or genetic ancestry.
What color information can and cannot tell you
A careful description can identify visible shade and pattern, help a breeder or registry complete paperwork, and make a photograph understandable. It cannot establish a dog’s parentage, predict health, or prove that a dog is purebred. Those questions require pedigree records, applicable registry documentation, or appropriately validated genetic testing rather than visual color terms.
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