What is a brindle-colored dog?

Brindle-colored dogs exhibit dark streaks over a lighter base coat of fur. This variation is born out of a combination of different genes present in the breed. These genes determine the color and frequency of the striping.

Dogs with brindle coats sometimes have only a few darker stripes. Others have a high concentration of stripes. In some cases, brindles have a small number of white markings as well. The breeds in which brindles are most often found include boxers, corgis, Boston terriers and pit pulls. A breed that is almost 100 percent brindle is the treeing Tennessee brindle, a hunting dog from the Ozark Mountains region.