In the AKC, any color or combination of colors is allowed in the American Hairless Terrier (hairless variety) with the exception of albino or merle, though the most common colors are black, sable, blue, brindle, red, or brown.

While the United Kennel Club breed standard is in agreement about color in the hairless variety,  its language regarding color in the coated variety is more specific: It states that a coated AHT may be solid white, bi-color, tri-color, sable or brindle, but it must always have some white which may be of any size and located anywhere on the dog. It adds that the white area can be ticked as long as white predominates. The remaining accepted colors are black, a range of tan, a range of chocolate, blue and blue fawn a range of apricot, and a range of lemon.

A casual observer wondering about the dog’s color should know that the dog’s eye rim pigmentation corresponds with the nose color, and the nose pigment (self colored or black) can help determine the color genetics of the dog. Black and tan dogs have black nose and eye rims, while the apricots, lemons, chocolates (suddenly, we’re hungry) blue and blue fawns will have a self-colored nose and eye rims.