16 Red Dog Breeds

Irish Setter

The Irish Setter boasts a deep, rich, red coat. Most commonly described as mahogany or chestnut, this sporting dog’s coat is definitely an eye-catching color. Their coats are smooth, fine, and glossy. This makes regular brushing a must to keep it shining at its best.

The Irish Setter is an energetic pup with a pleasant temperament and a positive approach to work. They appreciate close companionship with family members.

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever has a medium-length coat that can vary from golden to coppery red with white markings. Originally bred as sporting dogs for duck hunting, this breed is becoming increasingly popular.

Though on the small side for a retriever, Tollers have big personalities. They are very affectionate and intelligent, which translates into a need for plenty of activity to wear them out mentally and physically.

Irish Terrier

The Irish Terrier is known for its fiery red coat and temperament. These bold but lovable dogs have a coarse, wiry outer coat and a softer, finer undercoat. Their coats vary slightly from golden to ginger red. A characteristic beard gives the Irish Terrier a distinguished look.

Regular brushing will keep the coat orderly and clean. Occasionally, you may need to take your Irish Terrier to the groomer for hand-stripping. This helps a new layer of fur to grow in healthy and strong.

The breed makes a wonderful companion for the adventurous, active person since they seem to have no fear and are always ready to go.

Dachshund

The Dachshund may not be the first dog that comes to mind when thinking of red-coated breeds, but these famous little dogs come in a wide variety of colorings, including a deep, rich red hue.

The Dachshund’s coat comes in three varieties: smooth-coated, long-haired, and wire-haired. Smooth-coated Dachshunds are easy to care for. Their short coats do not need much more than the occasional bath or wipe down.

Longhaired Dachshunds need more frequent brushing to keep their flowing locks looking nice and tangle-free.

Wire-haired Dachshunds, like the Irish Terrier, may need to be taken to a groomer for hand-stripping once in a while.

Whichever coat a Dachshund has, its beautiful red coloring will be sure to turn heads.

Redbone Coonhound

This hunting dog sports a stunningly sleek, glossy, short red coat. With a chiselled muscular structure and sleek fur, these pups are impressive to behold.

As a shorthaired red coat dog breed, grooming is very easy. Weekly use of a shedding tool will keep the coat of a Redbone Coonhound shiny and healthy.

Take the time you saved grooming and invest in a healthy dose of daily activity for these dogs to remain well-balanced. This breed makes a wonderful companion for the avid runner or hiker.

Vizsla

The strikingly golden-red Vizsla also sports a glossy, short coat and lean, agile build. This is another dog that does not require much grooming. They have no undercoat, so you do not need to brush often. Occasionally, use a shedding tool or grooming mitt to keep the coat glossy and healthy.

The Vizsla loves an active life, both physically and mentally. Giving these pups plenty of exercise and playtime creates a strong bond between dog and human.

Australian Shepherd

The Australian Shepherd is a breed full of energy, intelligence, and fur. These herding dogs boast long, beautiful coats with a wide range of color patterns, including red. In fact, these dogs can even have a merle coat, which is a calico-like type featuring red, liver, and cream shades.

Such a long, stunning coat requires a bit more care to keep it looking luxurious. Weekly brushing is ideal. When shedding season comes, an undercoat rake will help remove the dead hair from their double-layered coat.

If you are someone with the time to care for this pup’s grooming and activity needs, you'll have a very loyal companion in this red-coated dog breed.

Shiba Inu

With a golden to red coat, pointed ears, and small size, the Shiba Inu is one foxy red-coated dog. The quiet, somewhat aloof nature of this breed also draws frequent comparisons to foxes. But this canine is a spitz-type dog that does well in moderately active, calm households.

Besides their iconic red colorings, the Shiba Inu can also have a black and tan coat. Whatever color it comes in, keep in mind that the thick coat sheds a large amount, particularly during their moulting season which happens twice a year. Brushing during these times can help reduce the amount of loose hair floating around your house.

Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever’s coat may come in a variety of gold shades, some tipping into deep mahogany tones that appear red to the eye. This is particularly true of 'field-type' golden retrievers, which tend to have a somewhat leaner body structure and shorter hair.

Their thick, double-layer coats are waterproof and shed a lot. Once or twice a year, they go through even heavier shedding periods. Brushing regularly will help keep this dog’s coat shiny and clean as well as reduce the number of hairballs floating around your house.

Cocker Spaniel

The Cocker Spaniel is known for its luxurious, flowing coat. They come in a variety of colorings including black, white, tan, brown, and red.

Be aware that the fur and feathering can easily develop tangles and mats, so regular combing is essential. The Cocker Spaniel also has sensitive skin, so be gentle when combing so you do not irritate or cut it.

Rhodesian Ridgeback

Another hunting dog to add to the list of red-coating dogs is the Rhodesian Ridgeback. This athletic breed varies in color from golden wheat to deep burnt red with either black or brown muzzles. Their iconic mark is the ridge of fur down their spines that grows in the opposite direction, appropriately earning them the name “Ridgeback”.

With such short hair, the grooming requirements for this breed are minimal and weekly brushing is all that is needed to keep their coat shiny and clean.

Akita

These large, bear-like dogs have curved tail and upright ears similar to the Shiba Inu, but in much larger proportion. The Akita's thick coat can be red, but black, white, tan, and chocolate shades are also possible.

Although they possess such a thick coat, they do not shed much on a consistent basis. However, twice a year their thick undercoat will shed profusely.

Pomeranian

The Pomeranian is a toy dog breed with a double-layered coat, which has made these dogs famous for their fluffy appearance.

This extra poufy coat comes in a wide variety of colors including red, orange, black, tan, and brown. Like the other fluffy dogs on this list, their long hair requires frequent brushing to keep it clean and untangled.

Despite its tiny size, the Pomeranian is an active dog and loves to play and run. However, because they are so small, these dogs can easily meet their exercise needs with indoor play or a walk around the neighborhood.

Poodle

If you prefer a red dog with a curly coat, look no further than the popular poodle. These dogs can be seen in three sizes: standard, miniature, and toy. All have the same lean, athletic build and curly hair in solid or parti-colored shades of red (also referred to as apricot), black, white, or gray.

Most people choose to have their poodle’s hair shaved short for ease of grooming, in which case regular brushing is enough. If you prefer to keep your poodle’s hair long, more extensive brushing is required to avoid mats and tangles.

This breed does not shed, making them a great choice for people with allergies.

Australian Cattle Dog

The Australian Cattle Dog is also known for its stunning red or blue mottled coat, and is sometimes referred to as a 'red heeler' or 'blue heeler', depending on its coloring.

This breed is built for activities like herding and the double-layered coat is perfect for outdoor work. The short, coarse fur is low-maintenance, usually requiring just a weekly brushing.

These herding dogs have loads of energy and are very smart. Giving them plenty of exercise, both mentally and physically, is needed to keep them
happy and out of mischief.

Labrador Retriever

Most likely you know of these dogs as yellow, chocolate, or black,
but the family-favorite Labrador can also have a red coat. According to the AKC breed standard, the typical yellow hue of a lab may "range in color from fox-red to light cream."

While no official breed subtype exists for red Labrador Retrievers, they're sometimes known as Red Fox Labradors or Ruby Labradors. Although its coat is stunning, this color variation is seen as a disadvantage in show dogs.

But if you don’t plan on putting your pup into any shows rings, these dogs make stunningly beautiful, unique additions to your family with all the same lovable traits as their common black or yellow relatives.