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All Husky Colors Explained – from Red to Agouti

The Siberian Husky’s most commonly recognized color is black and white.

This ranges from pure white or the white with gray which makes them look like a wolf.

But what are these Husky colors actually called? Does it even matter?

Yes, not only is it a call to brag about your dog’s color with friends, but it’s also helpful if you can express what you’re looking for when choosing breeders.

More importantly, you’ll know whether or not there are health problems with some colors, as is the case with many other breeds.

It doesn’t help with the confusion that the AKC recognizes the following color (patterns):

All colors from black to pure white are allowed. A variety of markings on the head is common, including many striking patterns not found in other breeds.

AKC Husky breed standard

The Siberian Husky is truly a unique breed and thus they’ve decided to give a relatively vague description while the colors for other breeds are meticulously detailed.

Let’s dive into the AKC color code for this breed:

  • Red Husky
  • White Siberian Husky
  • Black Husky
  • Black & White Husky
  • Agouti Husky
  • Gray Husky
  • Sable Husky
  • Piebald Husky
  • Saddleback Husky
  • Black Tan & Husky
  • Brown Husky

The UK has a similar list of Husky colors, except for the last three colors: Saddleback, black tan, and brown with white are missing in the UK standard.

However, the UK also adds a couple of color variations through specifications.

Siberian Husky color chart

Besides the ones mentioned above, the following colors also exist (mostly variations of red, white, grey, and piebald):

  • Light Red & White
  • Red & White
  • Dark Red & White
  • Cream & White
  • Light Grey & White
  • Silver Grey & White
  • Wolf Grey & White
  • Dark Grey & White
  • Black Grey & White
  • Red & White Piebald
  • Black & White Piebald
  • Grey & White Piebald

As you can see, labeling your Husky can be quite a challenge.

We’ll dive deeper into how each color looks and what distinguishes them.

Red Husky

The red Husky comes in a handful of colors, ranging from deep red to copper or creamy tones.

Two red Huskies working as sled dogs. One Husky's coat is copper red, the other Husky has a rich red coat.
Photo by Alex Kosev on Shutterstock

Copper Siberian Huskies are on the darker, rich end of the red spectrum while your dog can also have a very cream or light red coat.

Sometimes they’re also referred to as “chocolate” or “brown” if the red is very rusty and almost indistinguishable from pure red.

Compared to the other more basic colors like black, gray, and white, the red Husky is quite rare.

Red Huskies often come with pink noses.

White Siberian Husky

The all-white Siberian Husky is a favorite of many and comes with a white undercoat.

Pure white is more commonly seen in other breeds.

There are plenty of white Huskies with splotches of black, but rarely do you see a purely white one.

Pure white Siberian Husky puppy on grass.
Photo by ANURAK PONGPATIMET on Shutterstock

White Huskies can look similar to the Swiss Shepherd with their stunning, long fur.

Black Husky

The all-black Husky (also called jet black) has a much more intimidating look to him compared to his lighter friends.

Studies have shown that there is a thing such as “Big Black Dog Syndrome”.

All black Husky puppy with white paws.
Photo by Natalya Rozhkova on Shutterstock

Don’t be discouraged though, color is absolutely no prediction of your dog’s temperament.

Black is a beautiful color and if you’re interested in going for one, there’s absolutely no issue with that.

The gene that produces the black color in dogs is actually dominant in most cases and yet it’s uncommon to see Huskies where only black came through.

Black & White Husky

The black and white Husky is what you most commonly see when you scroll through cute puppy posts.

Black and white Husky with blue eyes.
Photo by Sergii Chernov on Shutterstock

Their coat often seems to be washed down a bit with age as puppies often change coat colors a little bit.

Agouti Husky

The Agouti Husky resembles the grayish color of wolves and is dark at the undercoat’s base while showing various mixed colors on the outer coat (hence the agouti markings).

Siberian Husky agouti

While the space in between can be lighter, the outer coat often resembles the base with its darker color.

Gray Husky

Similar to the agouti color, the wolf gray Husky has a range of colors between his top coat and undercoat.

Medium gray and white Husky standing in the garden.
Photo by Nejron Photo on Shutterstock

Contrary to that, the silver Husky doesn’t have as much color variety and the result is a silver, almost blue color.

No other colors like a reddish brown are present and the undercoat is mostly white instead of beige.

A mix of these two is most commonly seen in the gray Husky and it’s called dark gray.

The other colors are not as rich, but they can definitely be present.

It’s hard to distinguish gray Huskies from each other and they might even be confused with the pure agouti/sable Husky if you don’t manage to check out the undercoat coloring.

Sable Husky

The sable Husky has a reddish undercoat and black on the tips.

The coat is partly white which makes them easy to confuse with the red ones.

Sable Husky with a reddish undercoat and grey tips walking in the snow.
Photo by Volodymyr Burdiak on Shutterstock

Shades of gray can overlap with the copper-red color.

Piebald Husky

Siberian husky piebald

The piebald Husky has splotches of black on his back and around the ears.

Unlike the regular black and white Husky, the black spots are more pronounced and don’t take up as much real estate of the Husky’s body.

Piebald Huskies are very rare.

Saddleback Husky

Similar to piebald, saddleback is more of a pattern in the Husky instead of a color.

It looks like the white is sitting on top of a darker-colored coat.

Black Tan & White

Black and tan Huskies often don’t look like Huskies but mixes instead.

A Husky Rottweiler mix is quite often black and tan, for example.

If the tan parts are less pronounced they can just as well look like German Shepherds with their medium-length coat.

Brown & White

Siberian husky brown and white
Photo by KateChris on Shutterstock

It’s really hard to differentiate between a brown and white and red or copper Huskies as it really depends on the degree of the brown.

What is the rarest color of Siberian Husky?

The rarest color of Siberian Husky is the pure white Husky while piebald Huskies display the rarest color pattern.

Which Siberian Husky Colors You Should Avoid

The Siberian Husky Club of American (SHCA) strongly discourages the breeding of merle and brindle Huskies as they’re not recognized as purebred.

Check the following statement for more information from the AKC-recognised club:

(…) it is our strong belief that “merle” markings (and the genetic health issues that are associated with the merle gene) and “brindle” markings are not genetically possible in the purebred Siberian Husky gene pool. Therefore, it is our belief that a Siberian Husky exhibiting merle or brindle patterning is the result of impure breeding. As such, the Siberian Husky Club of America, Inc strongly discourages anyone from purchasing or breeding a merle or a brindle Siberian Husky.

Siberian Husky Club of America (Sep. 1, 2018)

Dogs with the merle color can carry many health issues anyway (mainly seen in merle on merle pairings) and even though you may like the appearance, you’re best advised by staying away from this color pattern, especially with the Siberian Huskies.

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Disclaimer: This blog post does not substitute veterinary attention and does not intend to do so. I am not a veterinarian or pet nutritionist. If your dog shows any sign of illness, call your vet.

About Danielle

Equipped with 5+ years of expertise as a Rottweiler owner, I partner with licensed veterinarians and trainers to share research-backed and actionable advice for you and your furry friend.

Nadine

Monday 18th of July 2022

Hey there! My husky started out as a soft cream, then turned black as he got older. I was once told by a breeder than he'd be a "strawberry" red when she saw his puppy pictures. Would that be a sable or agouti?

Danielle

Monday 18th of July 2022

Hey Nadine, so if he started out in a cream color and got darker, it'd probably be called Sable if the cream color is still visible and perhaps even a bit reddish with black tips. However, if your dog turned a really dark gray/black with only some lighter spots, it's more on the Agouti side.

The Husky comes in plenty of colors and it's not unusual that the finer points of their coat change, but a turn from cream to black sounds really interesting.

In any case, hope you'll both have lots of fun together! Danielle

Madylin

Thursday 27th of May 2021

I breed my Pure Breed husky and she had a red mom and a black and white dad, she has some red in her but, not a lot. We breed her with a pure breed black and white husky. She had 2 red babies

Saundra Burke

Thursday 13th of May 2021

if i have a white dad, and his Dad was agouti, and I breed him to a sable or wolf gray ( the white) what colors will get?

Danielle

Friday 14th of May 2021

Hi Saundra, genetics is always a tricky topic and it'd be important to know what the sable/wolf gray dog has as ancestors. Also, it's not only the dad that's important but also the mother. Furthermore, sometimes colors from previous generations can shine through so you'd need to go even further the big picture. That being said, it's most likely that some shade of gray will come through with the pups (whether it's clear Gray, Agouti, or Sable).

Keep in mind that color is one of the least important measures when breeding. Socialization, temperament, diet - these things are key.

Cheers, Danielle