Which breed of dog is known for its distinctive blue tongue?

Which breed of dog is known for its distinctive blue tongue is a question which most of the dog lovers and watchdog owners/ caretakers search, mostly just out of curiosity and their love to know more about dog breeds. The blue tongue dog is the topic under discussion here which has its significance in identifying a particular dog type and also depicting its typical behavior. It is not just one breed of dog having a blue tongue, but there are a few species with the same characteristic of the tongue. A couple of those are known to have complete blue tongues while there are quite a few with patches or spots of blue color on their tongues.


Bluetongue is a typical name used for all those breeds which even have a dark purple or a black tongue. The chow chows and the Shar-peis are the two breeds for having complete blue tongues. The scientific reason for that is the presence of extra dark color pigment on their skin. Patches of blue color on dog’s tongue are equated to a human’s birthmark. Different breeds of dogs do have the dark color pigment patches over their skin, which just couldn’t be seen due to their thick furry skin.


Concluding with the hope that the mystery of which breed of dog is known for its distinctive blue tongue should have been resolved with the identification of the known breeds having the characteristic.

Shar-Peis:

Shar pei

This breed of dog is known to be very typical and remarkable. They are distinguished from the other known breeds with its striking wrinkled skin, such as that of puppies. Just as they age with time, they tend to fold and loses on their creases. Some other significant characteristics of such digs are that they are very loyal and brave. They can also spend hours with their masters and other dogs within the family, depicting its playful nature. They do have a very prominent dark blue tongue and it is touted that their such tongue is a resultant of some chow chows family in the creation of this special known breed of dog. Let us continue this story by linking it with the chow chows breed in the next section.

Chow Chows:

Chow chow

This is perhaps the oldest known breed of dog known to man. They are distinguished by their very thick fur and have a very cuddly appearance, resembling that with a bear. This breed of dog originated from China and was known to be captivated in the imperial kennels of the Emperor. As per the mythology of the Chinese legends, the chow chows breed got its distinctive blue tongue at the time of its creation, just when it licked the droplets of the blue from the sky, as it was being smeared. Typically, they are very independent and a kind of aloof, but are known to be very loyal to its family and also its master. At the same time, they can be very protective and aggressive as well in the time of danger or when they were provoked.

Other breeds of dogs having partial blue tongue characteristic:

As mentioned above in the text that there are some typical breeds of dogs which have a partial blue tongue as in the form of patches and spots over the tongue. The chow chows and the Shar-Peis are the only dog’s breed with a complete blue tongue. The ones which have a partial blue tongue are given as follows:

  • Australian Shepherds
  • Akitas
  • Irish Setters
  • Dobermans
  • Newfoundlands
  • Pomeranians
  • Mastiffs
  • Golden Retrievers
  • Dalmatians
  • Airedales

All the above breed of dogs are different but still comparable in terms of their major characteristics, apart from having a partial blue tongue characteristic. Most of them are loyal, playful and very aggressive in nature. This blue tongue is a unique characteristic for such dogs to have but the thing is not entirely alien in nature. It is because, there are plenty of other animals as well which have a blue tongue, and some of those other animals include the likes of giraffe, jersey, polar bear and a lot of other types of animals, especially the breeds of cattle.

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