I received a great image today in my RSS feed (Check it out below) of a handsome puppy who looks like a purebred Golden Retriever. However, one distinct feature that might lead one to believe he’s not a purebred is his black spotted tongue. I have always heard that Chow Chow’s have black tongues and if your dog has a black spotted tongue then he’s probably mixed with a Chow. The different color tongues I’ve heard of are solid black, blue black, and purple from a spotted tongue to a full black tongue.
What a face, originally uploaded by Syncharmony.
My dog Linus has a spotted black tongue and until today I’ve always assumed that he must be mixed with a Chow. Originally we had heard from the shelter that he was primarily an Australian Shepherd with some possible Chow and Labrador Retriever. He was on the fluffy side when he was younger further leading us to believe that he was part Chow.
After a little internet research today I came across a couple sites that may have the answers to my question.
Can A Purebred Dog Have a Black Tongue?
Well we already know that a purebred Chow Chow has a blue black tongue and I confirmed that at the Wikipedia website. The Wikipedia site confirms that not all mixed breed dogs with black/blue black/purple spots on there tongue have Chow mixed in with them. In fact an article on The Great Tongue Debate professes that there are more than thirty pure breeds with members known to have spotted tongues. Here are some other interesting facts:
- A dog with a partially black tongue does not necessarily mean he’s mixed with a Chow.
- Chow’s are not the only breed with a blue black tongue. Sharpei’s share the blue black tongue trait.
- More than 30 pure breeds are known to have members with the blue black tongue trait.
- Spots on a dogs tongue are like freckles or birthmarks on people.
- If a dog looks like a Chow, but has a completely pink tongue it is most likely not a purbred Chow.
From the Great Tongue Debate:
Breeds known to have members with spotted tongues:
- Airedale
- Akita
- Australian Cattle Dog
- Australian Shepherd
- Belgian Sheepdog
- Belgian Tervuren
- Belgian Malinois
- Bichon Frise
- Bouvier de Flandres
- Bull Mastiff
- Cairn Terrier
- Chinese Shar-Pei
- Collie
- Cocker Spaniel
- Dalmatian
- Doberman Pinscher
- English Setter
- Eurasier
- Fila Brasileiro
- Flat-coated Retriever
- German Shepherd
- Golden Retriever
- Gordon Setter
- Great Pyrenees
- Irish Setter
- Kai Ken
- Keeshond
- Korean Jindo
- Labrador Retriever
- Mastiff
- Mountain Cur
- Newfoundland
- Pomeranian
- Pug
- Rhodesian Ridgeback
- Rottweiler
- Shiba Inu
- Siberian Husky
- Tibetan Mastiff
- Thai Ridgeback
Check out the Great Tongue Debate for more information. They also received a ton of pictures of dogs with black and spotted tongues and have posted to their site.
Linus has a spotted tongue and now it’s definitely up to debate what breeds are in his mix. The Golden Retriever in the image at the top of this page may or may not be a purebred and according to the list Golden Retriever is one of the breeds said to have members with spotted tongues. So we can’t assume that the spots on his tongue means he is not a purebred.
As a puppy raiser I’m around purebred Labrador Retriever and Golden Retrievers quite often. I’m going to keep an extra close eye out for Labs with spotted tongues.
How about you? Do you know a dog with a black/blue black/purple or spotted tongue? If so, is he a purbred dog?
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{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
My 1st GDA puppy Kamra has black sports on her tongue. Just a little extra pigment to make special
Eclipse is a pure Golden Retriever and has a sizeable light black spot on his tongue, it’s actually grown with him /grin/ Coreena’s Loden from GDB was a purebred Lab and also had black spots on his tongue
I have had 2 dogs that were rescued. When I spoke to the vet, I was told they were chow mixes based on their tounges having black spots. As they both got older, 1 started to look more and more like an all black german shepard and looked nothing like a chow. The other looks like a black lab with a curly tail and pointy ears. So when I got my pure bred golden retriever and he had 2 black spots I didn’t know what to think. So I did some research and came across your website! Thanks.
Purebred chows without blue/black noses and tongues are common if they were improperly bred. Line breeding is a common practice-breeding the daughter back to the father. If this practice is carried out over a long enough period of time then your purebred chow will show discoloration and still be considered purebred.
@Heather, thanks for leaving the comment. That’s very interesting information on Chow’s. When I first got my dog Linus and saw the blue/black on his tongue everyone just assumed he was part Chow. All of this information really helps clarify (or maybe confuse) his lineage.
I have a pure bred black lab and she has a black/purple tongue, it’s not spotted, it is completely black.
I was wondering if a lab can have a all black tongue and still be purebred? I see on here that its normal to have spots sometimes but what about all black?
@Kate, I’m not too sure about the all black tongue and still being a purebred. Someone else may be following this thread that might have more information about black tongues and purebred Labrador Retrievers.
As a veterinary assistant I can tell you that only breed mixed with Chow’s and Sharpei’s have blue/black tongues, whether they be fully covered or spotted. You golden retriever is a mix. If you still have concerns over exactly what breed then I suggest getting blood work done at your local veterinary hospital.
my purebreed choc. and my purebreed blk male had 3 camo moasic, pups!has anyone seen this this is my 4 breeding and im blown away. they are all different. beautiful!!!! 1 day old. i wittness tie myself
To the vet, Lucky claims to be a pure breed black lab. But her tongue has quite a bit of black. I’m still not sure what to believe. A chow mix or pure breed?
My girlfriend and I just adopted a black lab from the pound. her name is Bailey. She’s a great looking dog. Looks completely like a full black lab but has a spotted tongue. I looked up possible mixes and she doesn’t look like any of them. Just a regular black lab but with a spotted tongue. I think it could be possible for regular pure breds to have it. It’s like a person being born with a birth mark. I don’t think people can predict everything. Just the way some things are.
I saved 2 puppies at the age of 5 days old and they are Huskey / Lab Mix. They are now 7mos old now. One is white with gold ears. He has the face of a lab and the coat of a huskey. He has a blue/purple tongue. The other is black with gold markings on his face and legs and has a pink tongue with black spots. He has the coat of a lab. They are the best dogs I have every owned. In the past I have owned German Shepeads and Rotts.
Our 8 month old shepard from Slovakia has a large purple spot on her tongue.. We have papers that indicate she is a purebred. We believe that she is.
I have a 9 month old pure breed AKC registered golden retriever and today I noticed she has 3 black spots on the very back of her tongue…I brush her teeth often and have never seen these spots till today!
i have a purebred german shephard. hes primarily black with only brown on his feet. with all that black on him its not surprising half his the underside of his tongue is black. its just pigmentation