See 10 Rare and Unique Pug Colors

It’s so fun to explore rare Pug coat colors you’ve never seen before–and even those you’re unlikely to spot in real life!

Rare Pug colors include brindle, pink, merle, platinum, chinchilla, pied, silver-fawn, apricot, black and tan, and chocolate. Pink and chinchilla Pug colors are caused by albinism or leucism and are very difficult to tell apart. Albino Pugs have a variety of health problems associated with their lack of pigmentation.

In this article, we’ll discuss ten rare and unique Pug colors, which colors are accepted under AKC breed standard, and more.

AKC Accepted Pug Colors

The American Kennel Club (or AKC) accepts only two colors as standard. These are fawn and black. Fawn Pugs may also have black masks on their faces and black ears, as well as a few other black markings.

Of course, these are the most common Pug colors. Most breeders will try to adhere to breed standards set by the AKC.

Rare colors are seen more seldomly. We’ll talk about X rare and unique Pug colors below.

Rare and Unique Pug Colors

1. Brindle

Brindle, or striped, Pugs are fawn with black streaks in their fur. They also typically have a black mask, meaning the fur around their eyes and nose is black. Their ears may also be black, though not always.

2. Pink/Albino

Pink is another term for an albino Pug. These pups have very light skin with a white-pink hue. They have pink noses and blue eyes.

Albino dogs are often deaf and blind. They’re very sensitive to light and often suffer from eye issues. They have an increased risk of developing sunburn and skin cancer.

Breeding albino Pugs is very unethical! There’s a good reason that they’re one of the rarest Pug colors.

3. Merle

Merle Pugs are fawn with black and darker tan or brown patches. They often have heterochromia or two different eye colors. Usually, one blue eye and one brown eye.

It’s thought that most merle Pugs have some Chihuahua ancestry, though it might be far back in their lineage.

4. Platinum

Platinum Pugs are dark gray. They typically have darker black markings on their face, ears, and down the center of their backs.

5. Chinchilla/Leucistic

Chinchilla, or leucistic Pugs are white. They lack pigment in their fur and have less pigment than other dogs overall.

Leucistic Pugs have a bit more pigment in their eyes and their pink skin is a bit darker than albino Pugs. It’s very difficult to tell the difference between leucistic and albino Pugs.

Leucistic Pugs have fewer health problems than true albinos, but even professionals have trouble identifying their physical differences by sight alone.

6. Pied

Pied Pugs have black and white or brown and white fur. The colors are typically equally spread throughout the coat.

These dogs may have French Bulldog or standard Bulldog lineage.

7. Silver-Fawn

Silver-fawn Pugs are a variation of a fawn coat. They have shiny, grayish tinges to their coats and are very light in color.

8. Apricot

Apricot is darker than fawn and orangeish in color. Like fawn Pugs, they have black markings.

9. Black and Tan

Black and tan Pugs are black with tan markings. These are commonly above the eyes, on the ears, legs, paws, chest, and neck. This Pug coat color is very rare!

10. Chocolate

Chocolate Pugs are dark brown in color. They sometimes have white markings on their chests.

Why Not to Buy Rare-Colored Pugs

I hope you’ve enjoyed this list of rare Pug colors! These are Pugs that most of us don’t see day to day, and they’re tons of fun to explore.

However, please note that most breeders selling rare Pug colors are breeding even more unethically than other Pug breeders–which is to say, they’re extremely unethical.

Pugs have snouts that are so short it impacts their ability to breathe. They cannot freely exercise or just be dogs, and often need surgeries just to survive. Short snouts like those that Pugs have are called brachycephalic.

You can see why breeding a Pug in the first place is highly unethical. When we add in these rare coat colors, even the ones that don’t cause added health problems, most breeders are only breeding them because they can charge more.

Most will cut costs as low as possible, meaning little or no genetic health testing or vetting, poor housing conditions, and poor overall care.

They’re also less likely to make sure their puppies go to a good place because they’re only looking to profit.

If you’d like to adopt a Pug, please adopt from a reputable shelter or rescue organization. If you want a unique-looking pup, try looking at Pug mixes for adoption in your area!

Summary of 10 Rare and Unique Pug Colors

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/adogslifephoto