Husky colours. provides an extensive picture gallery highlighting the wide assortment of markings and colourings that can occur in a siberian husky. Some work has been carried out into Siberian colour genetics to try to explain the variations that we get. 

Basic Colouring:

There are two base colours: "Black" (B) and Red (r). Black is dominant over red. NB: Black can later be turned into shades of silver and grey by banding genes later discussed

Each Siberian will have two colour genes in its genetic makeup one from each parent. This determines its base colour.  For example where both parents are Br:

75% of the litter will be "Black" & 25% "red". 

Rebel is therefore "rr" and Arwen & Logan are either "BB" or "br".  As a littermate was red, both parents must carry the red gene and therefore the potential for Arwen & Logan to also carry the gene is also highly likely.

Coat Pattern:

There are four main patterns which determine the amount of colour and location on the body. In order of dominance:

• Solid colour (almost no white and considered rare)
• Irish pattern (typical pattern, white legs, face, chest, underbody and tail tip)
• Piebald (mostly white with coloured ears, head markings and large spots)
• White (restrict the expression of colour even though the dog is a B or r carrier.

A Splash coat is a variation of Irish pattern with extra white, often found in dogs carrying the Irish/Piebald gene.

It is the banding on the dogs hairs that give the illusion of colour i.e. silver or grey from a Base Black colouring. The rule is is that the darker the dog the more monochromatic the banding.  A grey dog is likely to move from white at the base through to Black at the tip.  The more the white, the lighter the dog.

Agouti dogs have three bands moving from white, through to buff or red, and then black.

Banded hair is dominant over monochromatic hair.

In this case as Rebel is a dark copper he has monochromatic hair for the most part. Whereas Arwen and Logan have a greater proportion of white with Black tips.  See pictures.

Undercoat Shading

Undercoat colour can range from dark to white. As a rule the undercoat is never darker from the guard coat ie the hair tips.  it is the combination of the under and outercoat that helps to create all the variation in colours that we see today.

Additional articles

Siberian Colour Genetics
http://www.huskycolors.com/genetic.html
http://www.huskycolors.com/breed4color1.html
http://members.aol.com/AATUK/genet1.html
http://members.aol.com/AATUK/genet2.html