20 Tricolored Dog Breeds (With Pictures!)

Tricolored dogs are striking, beautiful, and completely unique – no two dogs will have the same coat pattern. Some of the most common combinations are brown, black, and white, or blue, black, and gray but these aren’t to be confused with brindle or merle colorings. Brindle is a more stripey mix (think stripey greyhounds) and merle looks a little more like marble. Tricolored dogs have three distinct colors on their coat and are actually fairly common.

We’ve put together a list of these beautiful, multicolored pups just in case you’re thinking of adding one to your family!

Bernese Mountain Dog

The coat of these big and impressively fluffy dogs is normally a mixture of black, brown, and white. It’s common that the main body color of the Bernese Mountain Dog (especially from the back) is black, with brown and white patches on the legs, chest, and face.

These pups may look striking but they’re gentle giants and make wonderful family pets. As well as being beautifully colored, their coats are also thick and long so need regular grooming. They love to be outside, can withstand colder conditions, and need regular exercise. 

Greater Swiss Mountain Dog

You’d be forgiven for thinking this tricolor breed is just a short groomed Bernese, they do look very similar. Just like their slightly fluffier cousins, Swiss Mountain Dogs usually have a black body with light brown and white markings around the legs, face, and chest.

These pups are incredibly loyal dogs and make great family pets. Originally bred to work in the Swiss Alps, these mountain dogs need a good walk every day (preferably through an Alpine meadow). They’re a big tricolor dog breed so need early training or their sheer size becomes a bit of a problem. They also have pretty droopy jowls, so make sure you have a tissue to mop up any unwanted drool!

Australian Cattle Dog

These short-haired dogs have beautiful tricolor coats – usually blue or red mottle with patches of tan and black. They’re incredibly strong, intelligent, and need lots of mental and physical exercise. Although their strength makes them look a little intimidating, Australian Cattle Dogs are actually really loving and make great family dogs. They have a lot of energy though, so need to be trained well and have access to outdoor space.

Beagle

The Beagle is one of the most iconic tricolored dogs. These medium-sized pooches might be multi-colored, but their fur is short and sleek, making it relatively easy to care for. The most common combination of colors is white, black, and light brown with them all typically being spread right across the body.

These dogs are firm family favorites. They’re loving, intelligent, cheeky, and care a lot about their owners. They are scent hounds, however, so make sure you keep a good eye on them or they’ll be off following their nose!

Australian Shepherd

These amazing dogs are quickly becoming one of my favorite dog breeds. They’re just so beautiful! Of course, this is helped by the unique colors in their fur. Australian Shepherds come in a few variations which can include, white, black, copper, brown, and red. Their fur is long and pretty fluffy, which may look incredible, but requires regular brushing.

As their name suggests, these tricolored dogs will herd anything given a chance. They’re very intelligent and excel in agility and obedience training. They’re high-energy dogs which means they like to be part of an active family with confident owners.

Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Although not necessarily what you’d imagine a cattle herding dog to look like (how can those little legs run fast enough!), these pups were originally bred to keep livestock under control. They have a lot of energy, are really eager to please, and love to play. They’re great companions for children and also make wonderful therapy dogs. They’re intelligent but they can also be pretty stubborn, so early training is a must.

It’s common to see these pooches in a mixture of three colors, including black, white, fawn, and brown. Their coats may look pretty, but Corgis are big shedders.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

These elegant, fluffy dogs are also unbelievably cute. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels come in an array of colors, one being the iconic black white, and tan combination – which quite often ends up with them having adorable tanned eyebrows! Because they’re so hairy they do need quite a lot of regular brushing, especially the longer hair on their ears and tails.

They may be small, but their Spaniel heritage means they have quite a lot of energy for their size. You can’t expect them to curl up on the couch all day. They’re incredibly loving and always want to be close to their humans. They make great family pets.

Basset Hound

These notoriously lazy hounds are easily recognizable due to their little legs and enormous ears. Their markings are usually a mixture of white, black, and brown across their body. Their coat is short, making grooming and cleaning a little easier.

Basset Hounds are stubborn and don’t love the great outdoors. They’d be happy wandering around the home or snoozing on the sofa. But regardless of how much they protest it’s important to get them exercising as weight gain can be a problem. Their stubbornness also makes them a little difficult to train. That being said, there is absolutely nothing cuter than Basset tricolored puppies. All that skin and ears!

Boxer

Boxers are really popular and with good reason. They were originally bred as fighters and guard dogs but are now loyal, playful, and loving pups. They have a lot of energy and need almost 2 hours of exercise a day. If you can’t provide this, it will lead to destructive behavior. 

They have a short coat that can be in many different colors. One of the most striking is the tricolor, which is usually a mix of brown, black, and white. Because their fur is short it’s also pretty easy to look after it – a light weekly brush is enough. 

Collie

Both the long-haired (rough) and short-haired (smooth) Collies can be a tricolored dog. Their coats come in an array of colors, but arguably the most famous trio is tan, black, and white. Both types of Collie are shedders so need regular grooming and brushing.

Collies have long been a favorite for dog owners. They’re loyal, highly intelligent, and very playful. They make great additions to active families. They need a lot of physical and mental exercise, so make sure you play mental games with them as well as letting them run a lot.

Papillon

The Papillon, which means butterfly in French, is so named because of its big, hairy butterfly-shaped ears. Normally, these tricolored pups are white with tan or black markings around their face, ears, and back. Their fur is pretty feathery and needs brushing once or twice a week.

They might be small, but this tricolor dog breed has a big personality. They’re very active for their size, love to play, and interact with their humans. They’re highly trainable and are very eager to please.

Basenji

The ‘barkless’ dog (you can read more about dogs that don’t bark here) is very adventurous and intelligent. This intelligence can lead to a stubborn streak, but with good training, they can be loyal and very fun. They’re not a good match for first-time dog owners though. They also need a lot of exercise to burn all that energy!

These brown, black, and white dogs have a relatively short coat that doesn’t require too much grooming. Their bodies are generally black and white, with brown markings around their face. 

Chihuahua 

If you ever get on the wrong side of a Chihuahua you’ll know that their size is not an indication of their personality. They can be pretty fierce. You shouldn’t let that put you off though. These super cute, tiny dogs are great pets that don’t require too much exercise, but that do have a fun side. 

There are different types of Chihuahuas and they come in many different colors and combinations, including black, white, tan, blue, fawn, and gray. The long-haired breeds need a little more grooming than the smooth ones but neither needs more than the odd brush every week.

English Bulldog

These rolly pups are wonderfully sweet and funny tricolored dogs. Their prominent color is normally fawn or white with big patches of black or brindle on their body. The English Bulldog‘s fur is very short and requires minimal grooming.

Although once bred to fight bulls and other dogs, these lazy dogs now like nothing more than to sit on their owner’s feet and relax.

American Staffordshire Terrier

They may look intimidating, but staffies are actually really protective, loyal, loving, and fun dogs. They’re also great with children! So much so that they have the nickname of being a nanny dog. Staffordshire Terriers have a lot of energy and need good, steady training to harness it.

This tricolor breed comes in a variety of colors such as gray, black, white, blue, and brown. Their fur is short and doesn’t need a lot of grooming or washing, a wipe down will be enough.

English Coonhound

The tricolored English Coonhound is a descendent of the English Foxhound. Just like their fox-loving ancestors, these pups need a lot of exercise, play sessions, and mental stimulation.

They do really well in homes with large yards that they can roam and explore (plus it’s a great way to keep them entertainined). These hunting dogs are certainly not suitable for those living in apartments as they can be really loud (so another good reason to have a large yard)!

They can be very loving and affectionate, are relatively easy to train, and don’t require too much grooming. They do, however, need a good leader that can offer them consistent training.

English Coonhounds come in a variety of different colors, many of which include ticking (flecks or small spots on white coats). These colors include blue and white ticked, red and white ticked, red and white, tricolor, and black and white.

Entlebucher Mountain Dog

The Entlebucher Mountain Dog is a Swiss herding dog that closely resembles the Bernese Mountain Dog (although with slightly shorter hair). Like many herding dogs, these pups can be a bit territorial and won’t mind barking at people or objects they’re not sure about.

These dogs are happiest roaming the Alpine slopes, but if you can’t offer them that, you need to make sure you give them plenty of exercise and mental stimulation. Entlebucher Mountain Dogs love to have a job to do and excel in all types of doggie sports and activities. For experienced and active families, these doggos make wonderful pets. They’re loving and create really strong bonds with their humans.

These tricolored dogs have a thick double coat that’s mainly black. They can have white chests, faces, feet, and tails and will usually have brown/rust markings where the black meets white. They can also have adorable brown eyebrows!

Pomeranian

You wouldn’t think that a tiny Pomeranian is in the same canine family group as the Alaskan Malamute or the Samoyed, would you? But they are! These small Spitz dogs are feisty and adoring family members that are surprisingly active for their size.

They’re very intelligent and can be quite independent, so exciting and firm training sessions are a must with Pomeranians. Much like Chihuahuas, these dogs don’t seem to be aware of how small they are, so early socialization is important if they’re not to become too yappy or aggressive towards other, much larger, dogs.

Pomeranians come in all sorts of colors, everything from black and brown to red sable, brindle, and white! It's also fairly common for them to be tricolored and a mixture of almost any other coat color. These pooches are considered medium shedders so you’ll probably want to brush them once a week to keep most of the hair at bay.

Shetland Sheepdog

Shelties, as they’re also called, originated in the Shetland Islands off the North coast of Scotland. They were originally bred to protect farms and herd and it’s thought that they’re a descendant of Border Collies (although many think they look more like smaller Collies).

These dogs need a lot of exercise and do really well in dog sports such as agility and herding. They’re very sociable and love to make new friends – although they can be quite protective of their family members. They’re very affectionate and playful and don’t do well being left alone for long periods. They like to be in the heart of the family!

These very cute dogs come in many different colors. The tricolors are black, white, and tan; and blue merle, white, and tan. They have a relatively long double coat so weekly brushing is recommended to stop tangles from forming.

Panda Shepherd

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The first Panda Shepherd was born in 2000 to two purebred German Shepherd dogs with a long line of purebred history.

Really, the only difference between a Panda Shepherd and a German Shepherd is the coat color! So, if you’re lucky enough to find a Panda shepherd, you’ll be getting an affectionate, intelligent, hard-working dog that’s full of energy and loves to play with its family.

These dogs love to use their brains and don’t like to get bored – so make sure you provide them with plenty of toys, exercise, and new experiences.

These pups have a KIT gene mutation which is what causes them to be tricolored. Unlike their bear cousins, these dogs aren’t just black and white but can also have patches of tan.

Because these pups are fairly new and rare, it’s really important you research your breeder well. Their rarity has led to some unethical breeding that doesn’t have the pup’s best interests at heart.

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Many dogs have a beautiful and unique tricolored coat. Can you think of any more you’d add to the list? Let us know in the comments!