5 Major Shiba Inu Coat Colors

Shiba Inu have several coat colors that give them a beautiful plushy appearance. Their appealing look is what has made them a favorite for most people. The dogs’ wolf-like appearance with a plushy coat is one of its own.

Shiba Inu coat colors give the dog an adorable face and body, thus making it a favorite for many. The breed’s appealing look results from centuries of natural breeding. Luckily, the crossbreed proudly features looks that showcase its natural evolution with graceful beauty.

If you’re still in the decision phase thinking about owning a Shiba Inu, this guide will help you decide which is your perfect choice from a beauty perspective.

Best Smart Shiba will list the different Shiba Inu coal colors: red, black and tan, sesame, and cream or white.

5 Major Shiba Inu Coat Colors

Shiba Inu dogs have a double coat. This means the dog has a soft fluffy inner layer that keeps the dog warm during cold temperatures.

On the other hand, the dog has a longer and harder outer fur layer, which protects the inner one.

Thankfully, Shiba Inus coat layers hardly get matted. This makes the breed easy to brush and keeps them neat looking.

Nevertheless, Shiba Inu shed heavily, especially towards the end of spring and fall. This shedding will cause large amounts of hair in your home.

So, you must take the initiative to brush their coats or take them to a professional groomer.

You can also come across Shiba Inus with long hair, the long-haired Shiba Inus. However, this is considered a flaw in the breed, making this specific Shiba breed unpopular.

Unlike many other breeds of dogs, Shiba Inus have more than a dozen colors. However, only five Shiba Inu coat colors are common.

So, the five Shiba Inu coat colors are;

5 Major Shiba Inu Coat Colors

Red Shiba Inu

This is the most common Shiba Inu color. Additionally, it’s also the most desirable, especially in different Shiba Inu award shows.

So, you’ll be right to say that red is likely the original color of Shiba Inus. This color also gives this breed a beautiful foxlike appearance.

The red Shiba Inu doesn’t have a strong Urajiro. Instead, the Urajiro in red Shiba Inu appears slightly blurred.

Therefore, the blurring comes from the gene controlling the red color in the Shiba Inu and tends to lighten towards the belly.

Black and Tan Shiba Inu

Black and Tan colored Shiba Inus have a tricolor coat assuming you factor in the Urajiro. This specific Shiba Inus have a rusty or black tinted base with tan tips.

Assuming you get a single hair from a Shiba Inu in this category, the hair will have all three different colors.

The hair will have a white base, a reddish tan middle, and a black tip.

Some Shiba Inu owners opt to choose this color over the red one due to the attractive spots. This specific colored Shiba Inu sports an attractive white bow tie which goes along well with the Urajiro.

Sesame Shiba Inu

Sesame Shiba Inu is the rarest among the five different Shiba Inu colors. Besides, this breed is one of the most mislabeled due to the requirements a Shiba must meet to be labeled as a Sesame Shiba Inu.

The Sesame Shiba Inu must have a red base coat. Additionally, this dog must have an overlay of black which is even over the whole body.

Also, the hair must be less than 50% black. Although the black is often around the chest region, there can’t be any areas that have a black patch.

So, the overlay of black color in Sesame Shiba Inu must remain even. This excludes the chances of having a black mask.

So, the color patterns of this dog resemble a black and tan Shiba. However, the black spots are replaced with a black overlay.

The key features of a Sesame Shiba Inu include;

• They must have an overlay of black color.
• There can be no black mask.
• They must have a red base coat.
• Their overall hair must be less than 50% black.
• They shouldn’t have black patch areas. So, the black overlay must remain even.

Cream Shiba Inu

The cream Shiba Inu is the least desirable among the Shiba Inu coat colors. This is a result of the difficulty in seeing the Urajiro trademark.

Besides, cream Shiba Inu is very rare to find and results from two recessive genes. If you’re not keen enough, you may confuse some cream Shiba Inus for white Shiba Inus since they’re so light.

Sable Shiba Inu

This isn’t among the Shiba Inu recognized colors. Therefore, most people end up calling this color sesame.

Nevertheless, as you saw in the Sesame section, the color patterns must follow strict guidelines for a Shiba Inu to qualify as a Sesame.

Any Shiba Inu with Sesame coat colors but fails to adhere to the strict guidelines end up falling in this sable category.

Now that we know the five colors, its time we explore the Shiba Inu coat color chart and the registration codes.

Shiba Inu Coat Color Chart and Registration Codes

Description	Registration Code
Black & Tan	018
Cream	076
Red	140
Red Sesame	298
White Markings	014

 

What Is the Rarest Coat Color of Shiba Inu?

The rarest color of Shiba Inu is the Sesame color. Besides being the rarest, it’s also among the most difficult to define due to proper requirements.

You’re now asking yourself, what are the requirements of a Sesame Shiba Inu? Below are the requirements that qualify a Shiba Inu to be in the Sesame category.

• They must have an overlay of black color.
• There can be no black mask.
• They must have a red base coat.
• Their overall hair must be less than 50% black.
• They shouldn’t have black patch areas. So, the black overlay must remain even.

So, use the requirements above to identify whether you have a Sesame Shiba Inu or yours is a Sable Shiba Inu.

Additionally, Sesame Shiba Inu are further categorized into three. These categories are as mentioned below;

• Sesame: Shiba Inus that have a white and black coat in equal proportion.
• Black Sesame: Shiba Inus has a lot of black hair compared to white hair.
• Red Sesame: Shiba Inus has lots of red hair and some black and white spots.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Color Is Shiba Inu Fur?

Shiba Inu fur can assume different colors; however, the common colors are red, black and tan, sesame, and cream.

Nevertheless, you can also find Shibas with colors aside from the ones above. One example is the cream Shiba Inu which is rare to find.

Do Shiba Inu Puppies Change Color?

Shiba Inu puppies slightly change in color as they mature. However, the change doesn’t deviate far from the original color.

So, despite the color change, the final color doesn’t look much different from the original colors.

What Kind of Coats Do Shibas Have?

There’s no doubt that Shiba Inus have a double coat. However, we have some Shiba Inus with a single coat, and they’re not pure Shiba Inus.

Pure Shiba Inus must have a double coat. The double coat contains thick inner fur and soft inner fur.

The Warp Up on Shiba Inu Coat Colors

Shiba Inu coat colors have many variations; however, the standard red coat color is very attractive, as are the other four.

On the other hand, a true Sesame Shiba Inu is very rare to find. So, most Shiba Inus that owners think of being Sesame Shibas are indeed Sable Shibas.

After Sesame Shiba Inu, the cream Shiba Inu is the second rarest that you’ll find and results from combining two recessive genes.

The limitations with the cream Shiba Inu make it least desirable. Cream Shiba Inu can hardly get into a competition show for Shibas.

At this point, I hope you’ve learned something one or two things concerning Shiba Inu coat colors.