Eurasier Colors
- Kate Delgado
- Feb 5, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 9
Eurasiers come in a wide variety of colors. All colors and color combinations are permitted by the Canadian Kennel Club and American Kennel Club with the exception of pure white, white patches, or liver. Eurasiers can have face masks or light masks (often called reverse masks). Black is a recessive color for Eurasiers making the solid black color extremely rare.
The Eurasier Rainbow
Photos and colors come from the breed standard published by Walter Vorbeck of Kynologische Zuchtgemeinschaft (KZG) Eurasier organization in Germany.
Looking for a Specific Color
I never recommend getting a puppy solely for color, especially when it comes to Eurasiers. Eurasier coats tend to change dramatically from puppyhood to adulthood. This is mostly due to their overcoat coming in fully. Loba, for example, was born very dark and lightened over time because her undercoat is dark. Iroh was the opposite. Because these dogs come in so may color variations it can be hard to identify what color they will mature into. Eurasiers can also experience variations in color as adults, you will notice their coat getting lighter or darker all the time.
Iroh's Color Changing Over Time
The Science: Eurasier Coat Color Genetics
Coat color in the Eurasier is best understood as a layered system, where some genes establish the base color and others modify what appears on top. The base pattern is controlled by the A‑locus, which follows a clear dominance hierarchy: red/cream (Ay) is most dominant, followed by wolf‑gray or agouti (aw), then black and tan (At), with solid black (a) appearing only when no other A‑locus option is present. This explains why most Eurasiers are red, cream, or wolf‑gray, and why solid black is rare. The recessive black gene (a) entered the breed through the Samoyed outcrosses used during early breed development and can only be expressed when inherited from both parents.
A second layer, the E‑locus, controls whether black pigment can appear at all. Dogs that are ee (recessive red) cannot produce black pigment anywhere on the coat, resulting in a solid red or cream appearance regardless of their A‑locus genetics. In contrast, the mask gene (Em) is dominant over other E‑locus alleles; a Eurasier needs only one Em gene to display a black mask, which overlays — but does not change — the underlying base color. Dogs without Em may have no mask, while some show a pale or “reverse” mask due to additional modifiers.
Together, these layers explain the wide range of Eurasier colors and why dogs with similar genetics can still look quite different: dominant base patterns come first, with masks and shading refining the final appearance.
Our Dogs' Offspring Possibilities
Iroh: aw/a
This dog carries one copy of aw (Wolfgray) and one copy of a (Solid Black) which results in a Wolfgray coat color. However, this dog's coat color is also dependent on the E genes. The Wolfgray coat color is only expressed if the dog is also E/E or E/e at the E locus and ky/ky at the K locus which allows for agouti gene expression. This dog will pass on aw to 50% of its offspring and a to 50% of its offspring.
Loba: Ay/a
This dog carries one copy of Ay (Cream) and one copy of a (Solid Black) which results in a Cream coat color. However, this dog's coat color is also dependent on the E genes. The Cream coat color is only expressed if the dog is also E/E or E/e at the E locus and ky/ky at the K locus which allows for agouti gene expression. This dog will pass on Ay to 50% of its offspring and a to 50% of its offspring.
Each puppy will have a 50% chance to be Cream/Fawn (Loba's coloring), a 25% chance to be Solid Black, and a 25% chance to be Wolfgray (Iroh's coloring). All will have masks.
