In the dog world, one color or marking can be known by different names in different breeds. As far as we know, what’s known as sable in a Borzoi is known as domino in the Afghan Hound, so named after a noted show dog of the 1950s, Tanjores Domino. That same pattern is called grizzle in the Saluki, and both domino and grizzle are caused by the same gene interaction. Grizzle, while used in a few other breeds, may not refer to the same appearance, or phenotype in those breeds, though it should be noted that a certain pale grizzle-type pattern seen in Finnish Lapphunds and in Lapponian Herders may be the same domino.
Grizzle appears at birth and is present for the life of the dog. It can vary in color in a Saluki from brown to gray to black, and is most evident with a widow’s peak on the dog’s head. Hair shafts are typically banded. A dark overlay may cover the top of the dog’s body and outside legs. These dogs don’t carry the recessive “a allele” and need to be the “atat” to express grizzle/domino. The colors can be silver grizzle, deer grizzle, ivory grizzle…
Saluki, Borzoi, Finnish Lapphund, and Afghan Hound owners, share below in the comments section, if you would, your own pictures to help us learn the terms mentioned above as they pertain to your breed.
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A genetically different type of sable is found in the English cocker spaniel and perhaps in a small minority of sable American cocker spaniels. It has been present in the English cocker since at least 1938, and probably much longer. It is known as “cocker sable” and is caused by a unique allele, h, on the e locus. A phenotypically sable dog would be homozygous eheh. (English cockers are “fixed” atat at the a locus.) Depending on the extent of the sable, there may be a domino-like widow’s peak or a distinctive cross-shaped face marking, especially in “solid” (self, SS or Ss) colored dogs. The self-colored cocker sable is usually known as “shaded sable.” Sable roans also occur. In most countries of the world, cocker sable is no longer allowed in the conformation ring, and sable English cockers cannot be registered as sables. A few breeders strive to keep the color alive nevertheless.