Is a Dudley nose the same as a flesh colored nose? When is a flesh colored nose a Dudley nose?

And what does either have to do with this photo of a Dogo Argentino puppy?

Let’s discuss. A Dudley nose and a flesh‑colored nose can look similar, but the terms are used differently.

A flesh‑colored nose is a descriptive term as seen in the Pharaoh Hound AKC standard (“Nose: flesh colored, blending with the coat”). It is a nose that generally matches the tan, chestnut, etc colored coat.

A Dudley nose is a nose that lacks the dark pigment normally required for that breed and color, often with similarly pale eye rims and lips. It is usually permanent rather than seasonal, and in many standards, “Dudley nose” is shorthand for an unpigmented or largely unpigmented nose where black or brown pigment is expected. In most AKC breed standards (and generally true of UKC and FCI standards, as well), a Dudley nose is specifically faulted, often severely. In some breeds, it is listed as a serious fault; in others it is a disqualification. The key distinction is that in breeds where the correct nose color is black, a flesh-colored nose is considered a Dudley and is not acceptable. But in breeds whose standard calls for a brown, liver, or self-colored nose to match coat pigment, a lighter nose is correct and not considered Dudley at all.  It depends entirely on the breed’s standard. 

Genetically, nose color is produced by eumelanin, which occurs in two basic forms: black and brown (liver). Dogs with at least one dominant B allele (BB or Bb) can produce black eumelanin; dogs that are bb produce brown eumelanin. A brown dog with a brown or light brown nose has pigment appropriate to its genotype; that nose is correctly pigmented, even if it appears lighter than a typical black nose. A true Dudley nose, by contrast, occurs when eumelanin is not deposited in the nose leather (and often surrounding tissue) even though the dog’s genotype and breed standard call for dark pigment.

We use a photo of a Dogo Argentino because while it’s not unique for a breed to have strict pigment requirements across all exposed skin (nose, eye rims, lips), some sources say it’s unusual. In some breeds, the nose carries the strongest pigmentation requirement because it is important to breed type and overall expression, and minor variations in eye rim pigment are tolerated, especially in predominantly white breeds where peripheral pigment sometimes varies.

The AKC standard indicates that noses other than black are a disqualification, while the FCI standard is similarly worded: “Nose: Strongly Black pigmented.” The UKC standard is a tad more forgiving. It calls for the nose to be “large and black… Some pink pigment on the nose is acceptable, provided the nose is predominantly black. Disqualification: Flesh colored or predominantly flesh colored nose.”