It’s said that a good Pointer cannot be a bad color.

Good thing!

Even though the genetics determining Pointer coat color are fairly straight forward, there are still eighty-one different possible sire and dam gene combinations, and from them, a Pointer of any color can be exhibited in an AKC  conformation show ring as long it is liver, lemon, black, or orange, and either in combination with white or solid-colored.

Solid color Pointers are somewhat rare in the United States, and many of us can go a lifetime without ever having seen one. That said, this color option been around in Pointers since the beginning of the breed, that is to say, for centuries. We’re told that solid colored Pointers are more common in Scandinavia, and some breed authorities believe that the solid color dogs are the result of a cross that was made many, many generations ago to the Greyhound. Back in the 17th century in England, a Pointer was originally used to point out hares for Greyhounds to track down, so it’s not a stretch to consider that there were romantic dalliances between the two. 

Genetically speaking, solid is a dominant coloration pattern.  This means that a solid-colored parent is necessary to produce a solid color puppy. No matter how many solids are in a pedigree, however, a parti-color Pointer will never a solid when bred to another parti-color Pointer.

In our view, these dogs are stunning, but we’re told it can be a challenge to show them as the solid color can be optically illusory. Various sizes of white may found on a solid-colored Pointers, usually on the chest, chin, or throat, but without “topographical patterns” such as ticking or points, a solid color can present as a lighter boned dog when s/he isn’t, and it underscores the importance of a hands-on examination to determine substance.

Image: English Pointer sculpture made of resin offered by is available here