The term "smoke" indicates refers to what characteristic?

The term "smoke" indicates refers to what characteristic?

• A. The last half of the hair is colored while the undercoat remains white
• B. The entire coat is uniformly colored
• C. The underbody is colored and the outer coat white
• D. The dog has no undercoat

Answer: (A)

Smoke refers to a coat pattern where the pigment is concentrated on the ends of the guard hairs while the undercoat remains white. This creates the characteristic smoky look, with colored tips standing out against a white undercoat. That combination—colored tips on the outer hair and a white undercoat—is what defines the smoke pattern. If the coat were uniformly colored, that wouldn’t be smoke; if the underbody were colored with a white outer coat, or if there were no undercoat at all, those describe different coat patterns or conditions.

Smoke refers to a coat pattern where the pigment is concentrated on the ends of the guard hairs while the undercoat remains white. This creates the characteristic smoky look, with colored tips standing out against a white undercoat. That combination—colored tips on the outer hair and a white undercoat—is what defines the smoke pattern. If the coat were uniformly colored, that wouldn’t be smoke; if the underbody were colored with a white outer coat, or if there were no undercoat at all, those describe different coat patterns or conditions.