Sloughi Coat Colors

The black markings are the black mantle, the brindling and the black mask.
Genetically, the black mantle, the brindling and the black mask are inherited independently of each other and are found on all the Sloughi coat colors ranging from very pale sand to red fawn. They can occur together or separatly or be absent altogether.
The dilutes of black, chocolate or blue (whether mantle or brindling), although they exist, are not accepted by the FCI standard.

Black Mantle
The black mantle is inherited recessively.
This means that if both parents are black mantle, all the pups are black mantle
If one parent is black mantle and the other parent has a different color but is carrier for black mantle, some pups will be black mantle
If one parent is black mantle and the other parent has a different color and does not carry the gene for black mantle, no puppies will be black mantle, but all would be carrier for black mantle
Dark overlay is a weak expression of the black mantle and is found in Sloughi with black mantle ancestry.

Left: pale sand black mantle black mask, Morocco © de Caprona 2008 ~ Right: sand black mantle, Tunisia © Biebach

Various extent of the black mantle in adult bitches, from reaching the elbow to reaching the hindfeet, Moussem Marrakech, Morocco
Note the second bitch from the left who is red fawn with black mantle © de Caprona 2008

Occasionally Sloughis show the reverse of a black mantle, being dark underneath in areas where a black mantle would have fawn markings. Since this pattern is not passed on directly to the progeny, it seems that it must be inherited recessively.

Dark Overlay
The dark overlay is found on solid coats and brindle coats and varies in its density - it also tends to fade with age. Typically, the top of the tail is covered with black hair.

Left: overlay on sand black mask © de Caprona ~ Center: overlay on red fawn, Sloughi puppy, Tunisia © de Caprona 1999 ~ Right: overlay on sand, Tunisia © Wissem Nacef 2015

Left: overlay on sand brindle black mask, Morocco © de Caprona 2008 ~ Right: overlay on pale sand black mask, Morocco © de Caprona 2008

Faint red brindle with overlay and black mask © de Caprona

Sand with overlay and black mask © Pia Chaouki ~ Red fawn with overlay and black mask © Satu Lukkarila

Brindling
The genetic inheritance of brindling is complicated and is not fully understood but the current view is that it is dominant to fawn but recessive to solid dominant black. One parent needs to be brindle to have brindle puppies. However dogs with dysfunctional melanocortin 1 receptor (they cannot have black hair, no black mask for example), could be hidden brindles and pass on the brindling to their pups. The brindling varies from very faint to very tight, and it is not yet fully understood what influences the density of brindle stripes.

Left: sand brindle black mask, Algeria, © Mangelsdorf 2010 ~ Right: sand brindle black mask, Morocco © de Caprona 2008

Left:faint brindling on sand with black mask, Tunisia © de Caprona 1999 ~ Right: reddish sand brindle faint mask, Tunisia © Biebach

Left: red brindle from Algeria © de Caprona 1999 ~ Right: tight brindling on red fawn with black mask, Morocco © de Caprona 2008

Variations of the brindling, Morocco © de Caprona 2008

Black Mask
The black mask is inherited dominantly, which means one parent needs to have a black mask to pass it on to its offspring.
Sloughis can have or not have a black mask.
The black mask is found on all the coat colors of the Sloughi, from pale sand to red fawn with or without black mantle or brindle.

From hardly any black pigment on the muzzle to a black mask reaching the eyes.
Left and right: Morocco © de Caprona 2008; Center: Tunisia © Biebach

Left: sand brindle with black mask, Morocco © de Caprona 2008 ~ Right: sand brindle no mask, Tunisia © de Caprona 1999

Left: sand black mantle with black mask, Morocco © de Caprona 2008 ~ Right: black mantle no black mask, Tunisia © G.Schwartz

An example of a Sloughi with all black markings, black mantle, brindling, black mask combined on sand.

courtesy Elyse Rhode Goudineau

Coat colors no longer accepted by the FCI after Morocco took over the standard in 1973

White, dilute blue and liver
A Sloughi can have a blue mask instead of a black mask, blue brindle markings or a blue mantle
A Sloughi can also have a liver mask instead of a black mask, brindle markings or a liver mantle.

White Tunisian Sloughia. Courtesy William Guerbi

Blue mantle, Marrakech, Morocco 2008 © de Caprona ~ Liver brindle Douz, Tunisia 2011 © de Caprona ~ Liver mantle, Ghardimaou, Tunisia, 2010 © Adib Samoud

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