What color can a Cairn puppy be at birth?

[Charla]

Hi,

My Cairn just delivered a litter of puppies (5) in all. They are suppose to be pure bred Cairn. We know the male quite well, but the puppies are a variety of colors: brindled, all white, all black and two that are white, black & brown. Have any of you seen this variety in pure bred Cairns or did a mishap happen?

[bradl]

Litters frequently come in a wide spectrum of colors. The American standard calls for Cairns to be any color except white. Solid black is not expected (although the somewhat redundant-sounding 'black brindle' is not uncommon - the distinction can be subtle). Also out are patterned colors (as in Doberman or Rottweiler 'black and tan' patterns; also saddles and colored patches). White patches are a fault. See this comparison of US and UK standards: http://www.cairnterrier.org/reboot/ukvsus.htm

With DNA the parentage can be reliably established: http://www.akc.org/registration/dna/