Across all the different dog breeds, there are a number of different coat textures with a variety of coat types, lengths, colors, and patterns. The brindle coat is a very distinctive “tiger stripe” consisting of darker streaks on the lighter base color running down the dog’s back. The Brindle is a coat pattern and not a breed; There is no breed of dog.
Why do some dogs have bristles?
Like other dog traits, brindle coats are genetic. A dog inherits half of its genes from its mother and half from its father, and this makes up the dog’s unique genetic data, including coat color and coat pattern.
There are only 8 genes that make up a dog’s coat color. One of these genes, called the agouti gene, must be present to produce the brindle pattern.
Dog coat color is made up of only two pigments: black (eumelanin) and red (phaeomelanin). The amount of melanin in a dog’s body determines all the great color variations between dark and red.
Brindle color chart: a range of darks and reds
The black pigment in the dog’s coat creates color variations, such as a range of browns called “liver” and grays called “blue”, along with a variety of mixed versions. dilution of these colors. Similarly, red coat colors range from deep red to orange, cream, yellow and brown.
The distinctive “tiger stripe” bristles can be found in all of these color ranges. Although the coat pattern is described as a stripe, it is sometimes mixed into the coat and is not particularly obvious. The brindle pattern can even appear in blobs.
The terms ‘back streak’ and ‘black streak’ are used to describe the brindle coat with a greater concentration of darker stripes. This makes the brindle pattern look inverted. Interestingly, the bristles can develop as your dog ages. So a puppy with a snake skin color may develop stripes as it gets older.
These breeds are known for their bristles:
- Boxer
- French bulldog
- greyhound
- Whippet
- Dutch Shepherd
- Great Dane
- Akita
- Russell Terrier
- American Staffordshire Terrier
- Dachshund
- Sugarcane Corso
- Bullmastiff
- Bull Terrier
- Plott Hound
- Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Crossbreed dogs can also carry the guard gene.
Brindle dogs in the book
Dogs with bristles are often sought after and have appeared throughout literary works. Some of the more famous brindle breeds include the Jock, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the companion of author Percy Fitzpatrick, who wrote a book, Jock of the Bushveld about their travels in South Africa backpacking.
Author Laura Ingalls Wilder also introduced a striped Bulldog named Jack in her first books. Little House on the Prairie series.
