Liver (dogs)
A brown coat colour in dogs caused by a genetic dilution of black pigment
Liver in dogs is a brown coat colour created by a genetic change that dilutes black pigment. Only dogs with two copies of the recessive gene show this colour, which also affects the nose and eye colour, turning them brown or amber.
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- Liver is a brown coat colour caused by a recessive gene in dogs.
- Dogs with Liver colour have brown noses and amber or yellow eyes.
- The colour results from dilution of black pigment (eumelanin).
- Liver can combine with other genes to make Isabella or Merle patterns.
- Genetic testing is needed to confirm Liver in some cases.
What colour is Liver (dogs)?
Liver in dogs is a shade of brown that appears in the coat, nose, and eyes. It results from a genetic change that dilutes the usual black pigment, making the fur and features brown instead of black. The colour can range from medium to dark brown and is sometimes confused with other reddish or brownish shades in dogs, but true Liver always affects the nose and eyes as well.
Where does Liver (dogs) come from?
The name 'Liver' for this dog coat colour refers to its brown appearance, similar to the colour of animal liver. The colour is caused by a recessive gene at the B locus, which dilutes black pigment. Only dogs with two copies of this gene (bb) show the Liver colour. The term is sometimes replaced by 'Brown' or 'Chocolate', but 'Red' can be misleading because it may refer to a different pigment.
How Liver (dogs) is defined
Liver colour in dogs is not made from a substance, but is the result of genetics. The B locus gene, when present in two recessive forms, changes the black pigment (eumelanin) in the dog's coat to brown. This genetic trait can only be confirmed by testing, as several different recessive b genes exist.
Brown around the world
What the brown family means from country to country.
Brown is the colour of Nazism in German political speech, after the brown shirts of the party's stormtroopers. To call a view "brown" is to call it far right.
Politics and protestDanger and warningShameSource: SturmabteilungMasi is bark cloth beaten from paper mulberry and printed in brown and black. It is worn at weddings and funerals and given in ceremonial exchanges.
Sacred and holyWeddings and marriageSource: Tapa clothKuntunkuni is a dark brown mourning cloth of the Asante, dyed with tree bark. Adinkra cloth, stamped with symbols, was first made on such dark grounds for funerals.
Mourning and deathSadnessSource: Adinkra symbolsThe batik of the Javanese courts at Yogyakarta and Surakarta is dyed in soga brown with indigo and cream. Some court patterns were once reserved for the royal family.
Royalty and powerPrideSource: BatikBogolanfini, or mud cloth, is cotton painted with fermented river mud in browns, black and white. Hunters wear it for protection, and women after childbirth.
Protection and healingSacred and holySource: BògòlanfiniShades and relatives of Liver (dogs)
Liver can combine with other dilution genes to create new shades. When mixed with the Blue dilution gene, the result is a light, warm-grey called Isabella, also known as Lilac or Silver. Liver can also appear in Merle patterns, producing a light reddish-grey with dark brown patches, sometimes called 'Red Merle' or 'Liver Merle'. Some dogs may look brown but are not genetically Liver.
Colours that go with Liver (dogs)
Harmonies are worked out from the value #B86D29. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Liver (dogs)
What colour is Liver in dogs?
Liver is a brown shade that appears in a dog's coat, nose, and eyes when a specific recessive gene dilutes the black pigment.
Where does the name 'Liver' come from?
The name comes from the brown colour's similarity to the appearance of animal liver.
How can you tell if a dog is Liver?
A true Liver dog will have a brown nose and amber or yellow eyes, not black. Genetic testing can confirm the trait.
Are there other names for Liver in dogs?
Yes, Liver is also called Brown or Chocolate. The term 'Red' is sometimes used but is misleading.
Can Liver combine with other colours in dogs?
Yes, Liver can mix with other dilution genes to create colours like Isabella or Merle patterns.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Liver (color)" (the section "In dogs"), written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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