Some dogs have spots on areas of white fur, commonly called “ticking”. While this is a characteristic of Dalmatians, many breeds can be spotted, such as Border Collies and American Staffordshire Terriers.
What is ticking on a dog?
Ticking is flecks or spots of colour on white areas. It can occur on any white area on a dog, so long as the white is "real" white ( i.e. so long as it's caused by the white spotting series and not by a phaeomelanin intensity gene such as the I locus or urajiro).
What does ticking mean in dog color?
Put another way, ticking is a pattern of colored hair (usually extremely small spots of colored hair or coat flecks) that happens inside what would otherwise be white markings. Ticking is the color you'd see if the area hadn't been white. For ticking to express itself genetically, there has to be a white spotting gene.
What's the difference between ticked and roan?
Most breed standards use the terms "ticked" and "roan" interchangeably, with the former referring to clearly defined flecks on a white background and the latter to flecks so closely spaced that the mixture appears even.
How can you tell if a puppy will be roan?
First, look at the bottoms of the puppy's feet. At 1-3 days old you can tell if your puppy will be roan or brown & white by looking at the color of the pads of your puppy's toes. If the toe pads are pink, your puppy will be brown & white. If the toe pads are brown or mostly brown, your puppy will be roan.
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