Are you looking for a canine companion that looks like a tiger but is more beauty than beast? You could just be looking for a dog with a brindle coat.
Even though dogs have had brindle coats since the earliest breeds appeared in our ancient history, ‘brindle dog breeds’ are not actually a recognized category of dogs.
This is because the term ‘brindle’ simply refers to the ‘tiger-striped’ pattern found on a dog’s coat.
A brindled coat typically will have either black coloring and stripes on a red or orange background where the base color peeks through. Or light stripes over a darker background or coat, which resembles a tiger’s striped coat.
In either version, other colored stripes and spots might also be present, including silver, tan, or cream.
The darker or heavier brindle coloring is the most common. ‘Reverse brindle’ is when lighter stripes or splotches appear on a darker base coat.
Dogs in many different breeds can have this type of coat pattern, but not all dogs in those breeds will have the same coloring.
The brindle pattern on a dog’s coat is actually caused by a recessive gene. But there are some dog breeds that are known to carry this gene and where brindle coloring can be quite dominant.
We have gathered a list of those breeds where you are more likely to find your mini tiger. And you can take a prowl through them here.
The color, extent, and pattern of brindling on each dog’s coat can vary significantly between individual dogs. For example, a dog can have a brindle coat that covers its entire body, or it might only be on parts like the head and legs.
Just as there are no two zebras with the same pattern of stripes and no two people with the same fingerprints, no two brindled dogs will look the same.
So, each brindled dog is unique in looks as well as personality.
Some of the breeds where brindling makes a regular appearance include Boxers, Whippets and Greyhounds, Great Danes, French Bulldogs, and Mastiffs.
The size, temperaments and traits of these different breeds vary considerably. And having a brindle coat doesn’t have any effect on a dog’s personality.
So, it is best to find a breed that has the traits and attributes that will suit your family and lifestyle first. And then go looking for individual dogs within that breed that have the coat pattern you are looking for.
Look through our list and be ready to be blown away by the beauty of a brindle coat.