Dam: Black/Silver Coat
Loki: Black (Bb/D_/mm) Click here for Loki’s puppy pics
Loki’s Sire: Chocolate(bb/D_/mm) “Dutch Henry”
Loki’s Dam: Blue Merle (B_ / dd /Mm)
“Morgan”
Sire: Shaded Red
**Retired-Produced Larger than standard sized puppies and open faces that do not meet the standard
Sire: Double Chocolate (bb)
(Projected Breeding with Loki Bear August 21, 2026)
Sterling Jasper (bb/D_/mm)
Sire: ‘Bird Dog’ Lilac (bb/dd/mm)
Dam: ‘Snowball’ Creme (Bb) / (D_) / (mm) / (e/e)
Krystal Chow Bears • Buyer Education
Understanding Coat Color Genetics: Piebald, Chocolate, Merle & Black
Chow Chow coat genetics can look complex, but the rules are consistent. This page explains how
piebald, chocolate, merle, and black work, plus the most common myths.
What “cream” means in Chow Chows
Cream is not a white pattern and it is not the same as piebald. In Chow Chows, cream is
a recessive expression of red that affects how color is expressed in the coat, not where
pigment develops.
- Cream dogs still have full pigment development throughout the body.
- Cream does not disrupt pigment placement in the ears or eyes.
- A cream dog can genetically be black based or chocolate based beneath the coat.
Buyer safe takeaway: A cream Chow can produce black or chocolate puppies depending on the
genes it carries. Cream affects coat expression, not health, and it does not introduce white spotting or
nonstandard pattern genetics.
What “piebald” means
Piebald is a white spotting pattern, not a color. It controls where white appears on the body.
It does not create chocolate, merle, blue, or lilac.
- Piebald affects placement of white, not pigment type.
- A piebald dog can still be genetically black based, chocolate based, etc.
- The colored areas follow normal coat color genetics.
How chocolate puppies are produced
Chocolate is controlled by a separate gene often described as the B/b (brown) gene.
A puppy must inherit two chocolate genes to be a true chocolate.
Buyer safe takeaway: A black dog—including a black piebald—can produce chocolate puppies
only if it carries the chocolate gene and the other parent also contributes chocolate.
Piebald does not create chocolate, it only affects how much white is present.
What merle is (and what it is not)
Merle is a pattern gene, not a base color. It creates a mottled or marbled look
within colored areas. Merle does not create chocolate or lilac, and it does not affect white areas.
- Merle shows as patchy/marbled patterning inside black or brown areas.
- Merle is dominant, if a dog has it, it usually shows it.
- Merle is separate from chocolate, piebald, and dilution genetics.
Why solid black usually means “not merle”
In most cases, a dog that appears solid black (with or without white spotting) is
not merle, because merle typically shows obvious marbling in pigmented areas.
There is a rare exception called cryptic merle, where patterning is extremely subtle.
When merle status matters for responsible breeding decisions, DNA testing is the only way
to confirm merle with certainty.
Putting it all together
- Piebald controls white placement only.
- Chocolate requires two chocolate genes from the parents.
- Cream is a recessive expression of red that lightens the coat while maintaining normal pigment development.
- Merle is a pattern that appears within colored areas when present.
- Solid black most often indicates nonmerle, though DNA can confirm.
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