The Lhasa Apso is a smart Himalayan dog that balances independence with love and loyalty. Multiple studies have shown that the Lhasa Apso is one of the oldest dog breeds in the world!
The Lhasa Apso is an ancient breed that originated in Tibet’s mountains. The Lhasa is named after the holy city of Lhasa, where Buddhist priests raised them in monasteries so that they would roam as sentinels.
The most common Lhasa Apso colors include gold, cream, and honey, but they are also found in dark-grizzle, slate, smoke, and other shades of brown, white, and black. As a puppy gets older, its coat frequently changes hues.
If you are wondering what all of these Lhasa Apso colors look like, stay tuned!
1. Grizzle Lhasa Apso
Grizzle is a color pattern that appears on the Lhasa Apso’s fancy coat as mixed hair with no discernible pattern.
When you look closely at a Lhasa Apso puppy, the colors appear blended together, giving the impression that there is only one color. In reality, the grizzle coat coloring combines lots of colorful hairs, including black, tan, white, or brown hairs.
Sometimes, white hair is mixed with black, which gives a grayish appearance to the grizzle Lhasa Apso. This is also because black tips on hairs combined with a beige to cream base color give a remarkable grizzle touch to the Lhasa Apso’s coat.
The grizzle coat color is a bit hard to describe but we have some examples for you. The most similar dog breed is the Border Terrier and many Border Terrier breeders offer grizzle puppies. In fact, both of these Terriers are often mixed with Lhasa Apsos!
However, it is not entirely known how a purebred grizzle Lhasa Apso got its coat color. It’s all up to genetics anyway!
2. Red Gold
A red gold Lhasa Apso dog is typically a clear sable (with little to no eumelanin tipping on the hairs) or a ruddy recessive yellow. This means that the fancy-looking red gold Lhasa Apso takes on more of a vivid ginger appearance.
The red hue is not as diluted as we see it in the red merle Australian Shepherd, it resembles more of the shade of a red Boston Terrier.
Just like in most other dog breeds, Lhasa Apsos red gold is not literally red gold. The red is commonly a shade of brown, chocolate, or liver color, while the gold color leans more towards yellow and orange hues.
Red hairs in red gold Lhasa Apsos are extremely shiny, especially when exposed to the sunlight. Undoubtedly, the red gold Lhasa Apso puppy is a small dog with a remarkable appearance!
3. Black Lhasa Apso
There is a chance that a purebred Lhasa Apso will be born with a solid black coat. Solid black Lhasa Apso dogs can be registered with the AKC.
In order to appear solid black in color, the Lhasa Apso dog must have three color-coding genes: B for black pigmentation, D for dense coloration, C for full color.
All of the genes that are in charge of coloring and making the Lhasa Apso’s coat shiny and thick must be dominant genes. Solid black Lhasa Apsos do not have any different colored hairs or a “black mask”.
The solid black Lhasa Apso puppy is quite rare and its appearance in the litter surprises any dog owner or breeder!
4. Golden Lhasa Apso
The golden Lhasa Apso is a true good luck omen! This little dog is very cute and very rare too!
But, the golden Lhasa Apso color should not be mistaken for the red gold Lhasa Apso coat color. Here’s the difference.
The golden color derives from brown and yellow coat color pigments. In other words, the golden Lhasa Apso comes in a pale gold to wheaten. The golden shine of a Lhasa Apso’s long coat really makes a big difference.
More often than not, breeders cross Lhasa Apso puppies with purebred Golden Retrievers, which results in the Goldenapso Retriever. This is one of the rarest Golden Retriever mixes, but it is also one of the most adorable hybrids!
The Goldenapso Retriever carries color genes from both its parent breeds.
So, the chances are high that it will inherit a golden, smooth and soft coat from its Golden Retriever parent. However, the Goldenapso Retriever’s coat may be as long as that of its Lhasa Apso parent.
5. White Lhasa Apso
While most Lhasa Apso puppies inherit multiple coat color shades, white Lhasa Apsos inherit a completely white coat. Solid white!
This means that the whole of this Lhasa Apso’s coat is as white as snow! And I’m talking about the white Maltese kind of color.
The white coat color on the Lhasa Apso breed is recessive, which means that there are not going to be many white Lhasa Apso puppies. This is why some Lhasa Apso breeders value white pups more than cream, red, or black and tan pups.
Due to the fact that most paw lovers believe that white dogs may have canine albinism, we must note that white Lhasa Apsos are not albino dogs.
Even though the rare albino Lhasa Apso may appear, it is still not considered as a white Lhasa Apso. Like most dog breeds, albinism in Lhasa Apsos is undesirable.
6. Black & Tan Lhasa Apso
Black and tan is a color often seen in big dogs like Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds, and Rottweilers. Well, the little Lhasa Apso dog is joining the black and tan canine crew!
In black and tan Lhasa Apsos, tan color markings are similarly distributed across its body like they are in Doberman Pinschers.
However, Lhasa Apsos have long hair, and Doberman’s don’t. And this makes a big difference. But, there are also some white markings that make the black and tan Lhasa Apso stand out from other black and tan dog breeds.
Black and tan Lhasa Apsos’ base body color is pure black, but they inherit adorable tan spots above the eyes and around the nose. The tan patterns also spread across the Lhasa Apsos’ chests and limbs.
Due to the fact that white markings often lean towards light cream color, light cream markings can be mistaken for white ones.
Because of the white markings that can cover the tan ones, this color is frequently misidentified as solid black.
7. Cream Lhasa Apso
Cream Lhasa Apsos seem to be the most popular and most favored Lhasa Apso puppies. In fact, this Lhasa Apso color is so frequent in litters, that most reputable Lhasa Apso breeders often have a cream Lhasa Apso pup to offer.
As we previously mentioned, white and cream colors are similar and can be easily mixed up. So sometimes, people think that cream Lhasa Apsos are white.
When you take a second look, you can notice darker shades of cream and beige.
Most cream Lhasa Apsos produce sable colored puppies because the cream color changes its hue. Comparison wise, most cream Lhasa Apsos look similar to the cream long haired Dachshund and the cream Shiba Inu puppy.
Usually, cream Lhasa Apsos inherit brown markings across their back and on their little fluffy ears.
8. White Markings
White markings are present on any colored coat. Whether it’s a cream Lhasa Apso, or a red one, the white markings are typically found on the chest, muzzle, tip of the tail, and muzzle blaze.
White markings are nothing new in the canine world. Similar white markings are found across base colors of Border Collies and Corgis.
9. Sable Markings
Did you know that the most popular Lhasa Apso color is sable?
The sable coat color is a very unique blend of cream, gold, and liver tones. Often seen in French Bulldogs, the sable is composed of varying proportions of hairs in both light and dark colors.
In the Lhasa Apso breed, sable markings are color patterns created by black-tipped hairs that are overlaid on a gold, cream, red, or red gold base color.