10/28/2026
🍫 SABLE vs. CHOCOLATE SABLE PEMBROKES
Believe it or not... these two puppies are BOTH purebred, AKC-registered Pembroke Welsh Corgis! One is a Chocolate Sable and the other is a traditional Sable.
Meet Sparky (Chocolate Sable) and Jack (Sable) from our Burton Boys litter! 💜
At first glance... they look almost identical. Same general coat color, same sable pattern... so what's the difference?
GENETICS! 🧬
More specifically, the B Locus which determines whether a dog's eumelanin (black-based pigment) is expressed as black or brown.
🐾 Jack - Traditional Sable: His black-based pigment remains black, giving him darker shading throughout his coat and black pigmentation on his nose, lips, and eye rims.
🍫 Sparky — Chocolate Sable: He inherited two copies of chocolate-associated B-locus variants, changing what would normally be BLACK pigment into BROWN. This affects his nose, lips, eye rims, and the darker shading throughout his coat.
Here's where it gets interesting!
In a Pembroke that is genetically patterned to have a predominantly black coat, such as a Tricolor, the difference can be DRAMATIC. Large areas of black fur become chocolate brown like you would see on a chocolate lab.
.. But in a Red or Sable Pembroke? There's significantly less black-based pigment to begin with! 🙂
Most of that beautiful red or golden coat comes from a completely different pigment called pheomelanin, which the B Locus doesn't affect.
That's why Chocolate Reds and Chocolate Sables can look SO similar to their traditionally pigmented counterparts. Sometimes, the most obvious difference is simply their nose, lips and eye rims!
BUT WHAT DOES THE AKC BREED STANDARD SAY? 👀🤔
This is something I think is especially interesting!
The Pembroke Welsh Corgi breed standard recognizes Red, Sable, Fawn, and Black and Tan, with or without white markings.
It also specifically requires a BLACK, fully pigmented nose.
Under the Color section, the standard describes "Bluies" as a very serious fault-- referring to dogs with a diluted or smoky appearance associated with gray or LIVER pigmentation of the eye rims, nose and lips.
And THAT is where things get a little confusing!
The standard's description groups liver and gray pigmentation together when discussing Bluies, even though ✨ genetically ✨, Chocolate (B Locus) and Dilute/Bluie (D Locus) are two DIFFERENT things!
A genetically chocolate dog produces brown eumelanin, while a genetically dilute dog has reduced black pigment intensity. They can sometimes look remarkably similar, particularly in Red and Sable Pembrokes. 😁
So... while chocolate pigmentation is NOT accepted under the current conformation standard-- that doesn't automatically mean a chocolate Pembroke is mixed with another breed. Infact, one of the most influential kennels in the beginning of the breed - the Rozavel Kennel - produced a chocolate female from a mother-son inbreeding back in the 1920's. That line specifically produced MANY champions over countless decades!
Anywho, nonstandard color does not automatically mean non-purebred. 💜
Here at The Adirondack Corgi, we proudly own and breed AKC-registered Chocolate Pembroke Welsh Corgis. We understand that their pigmentation falls outside the conformation standard, and we've never claimed otherwise.
But understanding the difference between a breed standard, a dog's pedigree, and the genetics behind its appearance is incredibly important! 😊
And sometimes... the difference between two puppies that look nearly identical comes down to a tiny piece of their DNA. 🧬🍫
Now that you've seen Sparky and Jack side by side, can YOU spot the difference?! 👀😝
