Discover Fascinating Dog Breeds With Unique Blue Tongues

In this guide

A dog's tongue is usually a straightforward shade of pink, which makes the handful of breeds with naturally blue or blue-black tongues genuinely striking to see for the first time. The colouring comes from extra pigment, the same kind responsible for birthmark-like patches in humans, concentrated in the tongue tissue. Puppies of these breeds are actually born with pink tongues, which darken over the following weeks.

Breeds With Fully Blue Tongues

• Chow Chow: The breed most associated with the trait, with a blue-black tongue considered essential to its official breed standard. A pink or spotted tongue actually disqualifies a Chow Chow from the show ring. Still rare and expensive in India, and its thick coat needs serious cooling through Indian summers.
• Chinese Shar Pei: The only other breed where a solid blue-black tongue is a formal breed requirement. Known for deep wrinkles and a short, bristly coat, it copes with Indian heat better than the Chow Chow but needs regular skin fold cleaning to prevent infection in humid conditions.
• Thai Ridgeback: A rare, athletic breed from Thailand with a distinctive ridge of reversed fur and, often, a blue or spotted tongue. Virtually unavailable in India at present.
• Eurasier: A German breed developed by crossing Chow Chow, Wolfspitz and Samoyed lines, sometimes showing blue-spotted tongues as a result. Extremely rare in India.

Breeds That Sometimes Show Blue Spots

• Akita: Distantly related to the Chow Chow, and occasionally shows blue-black spots on the tongue, though it is not part of the formal breed standard. Rare in India and, like the Chow Chow, better suited to cooler regions than to the plains.
• Tibetan Mastiff: Sometimes shows darker mouth pigmentation, though not the true solid blue-black tongue of a Chow Chow or Shar Pei. A far more common sight in Indian homes than the true blue-tongued breeds.
• Chow mixes: Crossbred dogs with Chow Chow ancestry, sometimes seen in Indian shelters and rescues, can inherit partial blue pigmentation on the tongue.

Should You Worry About Tongue Colour?

A consistent blue tongue in one of these breeds is simply a harmless pigmentation trait and needs no special care. What is worth watching, in any breed, is a sudden change in tongue colour, particularly a shift towards pale, bluish or purple that was not there before, since this can signal poor oxygenation and is a genuine emergency requiring immediate veterinary attention. Bumpy texture or unusual spots that appear suddenly are also worth a vet check to rule out anything more serious. For the handful of naturally blue-tongued breeds though, it is simply one more distinctive feature to admire, alongside the Chow's mane or the Shar Pei's famous wrinkles.

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