Through long-term and careful selection, humans have bred the breeds we know today. Understanding genetics has become extremely important, especially for breeders, to determine the combinations needed to achieve desired traits and to minimize undesirable ones. The color of a dog's coat has always been an interesting area and one of the first visible characteristics of the animal. People have increasingly valued rare colors or even new patterns and shades for specific breeds. Coat color in dogs is a complex area involving many genes and their interactions. Melanin is the basic pigment and manifests in two forms: eumelanin and pheomelanin. Eumelanin represents darker tones, while pheomelanin is yellow-red in color. Three main genes control the exchange of eumelanin and pheomelanin: ASIP, MC1R, and CBD103, and their interaction determines the base color of the individual. Many other genes can also affect the base color, such as the gene for dilution or other genes that cause specific patterns. A causal relationship has been established between pigmentation and certain pathological conditions such as albinism, colour dilution alopecia, and deafness in animals with the merle pattern. Therefore, recent research emphasizes aimal welfare with the aim of creating a complete genetic sequence that would facilitate understanding in this field and reduce the occurrence of diseases in breeding practices.