Have you ever looked at a tiny Corgi puppy and wondered what color it will grow up to be? You’re not alone! During a recent vet visit, my own veterinarian asked me the very question that inspired this guide: “How do I know how a puppy will look like?”

Corgi puppies undergo remarkable color changes as they mature, and what you see at week one might be drastically different from what emerges at one year.

Follow along as we explore each color variation with side-by-side comparisons showing the same dogs at different ages. By the end of this post, you’ll be able to look at any Corgi puppy and make an educated guess about its future appearance!

Corgi Color Basics

Before diving into specific colors, let’s understand what coat colors exist in Pembroke Welsh Corgis:

Color Type Variations
Red From light tan to deep red
Sable Full sable with a cap to indistingushable frrom red
Tricolor Black-headed tri, red-headed tri
Red Corgi
Adult Red Head Tri
Red Corgi
Adult Black Head Tri
Red Corgi
An assortment of red corgis
Red Corgi
Sable

For more detailed information about the genetics behind these colors, check out my previous blog post on Corgi color genetics.

Red (and White)

Red Corgis are the easiest to identify in my opinion. They have a grayish-red coat when they are born, which will turn into a true red color as they grow up.

Red Corgi
Puppies about a week old

Even the untrained eye can see that the puppy closest to the camera is a red puppy, while the others appear completely black.

Be aware that red can range from a light tan to a deep red. Intensely colored puppies tend to maintain their rich color, while initially grayish puppies can also develop vibrant coloring over time.

Here you can see the progression of a red (or more precisely, sable, which we’ll discuss later) girl:

Red Corgi
4 Weeks
Red Corgi
8 Weeks
Red Corgi
1.5 Years

Tricolor

Tricolor puppies are clearly distinguishable at birth since they tend to be predominantly black with hardly any red. As they age, they gradually fade to show more red coloring.

The rate and pattern of this fading depend on whether they are black-headed or red-headed tricolors. Red-headed tricolors fade faster, and by about 1.5 years of age, they will have hardly any black left on their head, retaining only a black saddle pattern on their back.

Eyebrow as Indicator vs. Ear Tip

Many people use the inner tip of the ear as an indicator for the final color of the dog, but experience shows this method isn’t always accurate. Black-head-factored red-headed tricolors can retain a black tip in their ear up to three months of age.

A more reliable indicator is the position and rim of the eyebrow point:

  • In BHT (Black-Headed Tricolors): The eyebrow point rim is clearly separated from the black of the head. It’s smaller and located over the first third of the eye.
  • In RHT (Red-Headed Tricolors): The eyebrow point is larger, located on top of most of the eye, and has a much fuzzier outline.
tri Corgi
BHT 4 Weeks (small and clearly separated)
tri Corgi
RHT 4 Weeks (fuzzy)

For comparison, here are slightly older puppies showing the same pattern:

tri Corgi
BHT
tri Corgi
RHT

Here is the progression of a red-headed tricolor. Notice how the black cap fades over the first 1.5 years while the red becomes more intense:

tri Corgi
4 Weeks
tri Corgi
10 Months
tri Corgi
8 Years

Sable

Sable is a fascinating color pattern in Corgis with three different expressions:

Type Description
Full sable Sable with a black cap
Hidden sable Sable that fades and appears red
Half sable Sable that shows black in the coat but not on the head

What makes sable puppies particularly interesting is that they are indistinguishable from red puppies at birth. While the black hair in red puppies will eventually fade, in sable puppies, the black will remain to varying degrees. The first visible signs of sable typically appear around 8 weeks of age.

tri Corgi
A litter of reds and sables

As you can see above, there is no visual difference between the reds and sables at this early stage.

By 4-5 weeks, the first signs of sable become visible in the coat. The black hairs are more noticeable, giving the coat a slightly “dirtier” appearance compared to pure reds:

tri Corgi
Sable 4 Weeks
tri Corgi
Red 4 Weeks

By 10 weeks, the difference becomes more pronounced:

tri Corgi
Same Sable 10 Weeks
tri Corgi
Same Red 10 Weeks

Black Mask

The black mask is clearly visible at birth and remains relatively consistent throughout the dog’s life. On black-headed tricolors (BHTs), the mask is often almost invisible as it blends with the black head coloring.

Masked Corgi
Mask on Red/Sable
Masked Corgi
Mask Development

Conclusion

Understanding how Corgi coat colors develop can help both breeders and potential owners set appropriate expectations for a puppy’s adult appearance. While genetics provide the foundation, seeing the actual progression through photographs offers valuable insights into this fascinating process.

Remember that each Corgi is unique, and slight variations can occur even within the same color classification. What remains constant, however, is that all Corgis—regardless of their coat color—bring the same loving, intelligent, and energetic personalities to their families!

I hope this visual guide helps you better understand the colorful journey of Corgi puppies as they grow into adults. If you have questions about specific color patterns or would like to see additional examples, please leave a comment below!

Special thanks to all image owners for allowing me to use their photographs in this educational guide.