Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, evil, and mystery. Black is the color of authority. People view black as dignified, elegant, intimidating, powerful, aloof.

It’s rather difficult to establish rapport in black, yet it denotes strength and authority; it is considered to be the color of prestige. Black gives the feeling of perspective and depth, but a black background diminishes readability and perception. Black contrasts well with bright colors. Combined with red or orange – other very powerful colors – black gives a very aggressive color scheme.

We recommend using black sparingly. When part of your show attire is black, consider using teal, gold, silver, magenta or emerald green to balance it.

People view white as innocent, pure, optimistic, indecisive. White is associated with light and goodness. It is considered to be the color of perfection. In advertising, white is associated with coolness and cleanliness because it's the color of snow.

You can use white to suggest simplicity and safety and help the judge make his decision.

Gray/silver is viewed as steady, stable, negotiable, disciplined. Gray inspires creativity and symbolizes success. Similar to black, gray makes other colors stand out.

Gray is a wonderful color to use with male judges.

Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, sincerity, responsibility, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.

Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect. Blue is strongly associated with tranquility and calmness. As opposed to emotionally charged colors like red, orange, and yellow; blue is linked to consciousness and intellect. Use blue to suggest precision.

Blue is a masculine color; according to studies, it is highly accepted among males. When used together with warm colors like yellow or red, blue can create high-impact presentation that borders on overwhelming, but will get noticed.

Navy blue is associated with conservatism, depth, respect, expertise, and stability.

Light blue is associated with health, healing, tranquility, understanding, and softness.

Green can be viewed as wealthy, jealous, moderate, balanced, traditional. Green refreshes the spirit and encourages us to feel compassion. Green is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety. Darker green is also commonly associated with money. Green has great healing power. It is the most restful color for the human eye; it can improve vision.

Green suggests stability and endurance. Sometimes green denotes lack of experience, especially lighter shades, so these should be reserved for older handlers. In heraldry, green indicates growth and hope.

Dark green is associated with ambition, greed, and jealousy. Dark green is masculine, conservative, and implies wealth.

Aqua shades of green are associated with emotional healing and protection.

Olive green is the traditional color of peace.

Violet combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. It is associated with royalty. It symbolizes sophistication, power, nobility, luxury, and ambition. It conveys wealth and extravagance.

Additional associations for this color include wisdom, dignity, independence, creativity, mystery, and magic.

Purple Violet is a rare color in nature. It also carries an exotic feeling.

Light violets evokes romantic and nostalgic feelings.

The most emotionally intense, red is viewed as vital, passionate, courageous, aggressive, impulsive. This color is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as desire and love. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. It has very high visibility, which is why stop signs, stoplights, and fire equipment are usually painted red. In heraldry, red is used to indicate courage. It is a color found in many national flags. Red brings objects to the foreground.

Red demands attention, but if you show to an older judge, keep in mind that the studies have shown that people over 40 years old become agitated and stressed when overwhelmed by red.

Designers use red as an accent color to stimulate people to make quick decisions. Since it is an extreme color, red clothing might not help people in negotiations or confrontations. We believe that the best use of red is in accents, such as the lead and the bow, but not necessarily in clothing. If you show in a country where most handlers wear red, wearing something completely different will make you stand out of the crowd and get noticed.

Burgundy red is associated with vigor, willpower, rage, leadership, courage, longing, malice, and wrath. It is a royal, high-class color, especially when paired with gold. Burgundy red is one of the best colors to use in the ring and is good for most dogs. It is perfectly balanced with gold, as well as white, gray and amber yellow.

Pink is a gentle, approachable, emotional color that reduces stress. It’s hard to bully others or be bullied around pink. Pink encourages agreement. The most romantic color, pink, is more tranquilizing. Sports teams sometimes paint the locker rooms used by opposing teams bright pink so their opponents will lose energy.

Best shades of pink to use in the ring would be those of ruby pink, magenta and hot pink (try pairing them with gray and gold).

Lighter shades of pink work wonders when you want to play the cute card in the ring – especially suitable when showing puppies to senior lady judges!

Yellow is a cheerful, warm, innovative color. Cheerful sunny yellow is an attention getter and optimistic. Yellow is the color of sunshine. It's associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy. Yellow produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle energy.

Bright, pure yellow is an attention getter, which is the reason taxicabs are painted this color. When overused, yellow may have a disturbing effect; it is known that babies cry more in yellow rooms. Yellow is seen before other colors when placed against black; this combination is often used to issue a warning. In heraldry, yellow indicates honor and loyalty.

Use yellow to evoke pleasant, cheerful feelings. Men usually perceive yellow as a very lighthearted, 'childish' color, so it is not recommended to use yellow when selling prestigious, expensive products to men – nobody will buy a yellow business suit or a yellow Mercedes. Yellow is an unstable and spontaneous color, so avoid using yellow if you want to suggest stability and safety. Light yellow tends to disappear into white, so it usually needs a dark color to highlight it. Use yellow in small amounts. Yellow is very effective for attracting attention, so use it to highlight the most important elements of your presentation.

Light citrusy yellow is associated with intellect, freshness, and joy.

Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation. To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it gives the sensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is not as aggressive as red. Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an invigorating effect, and stimulates mental activity. It is highly accepted among young people.

Darker orange is the color of fall and harvest. In heraldry, orange is symbolic of strength and endurance. Orange has very high visibility, so you can use it to catch attention and highlight the most important elements. Red-orange corresponds to desire, sexual passion, pleasure, domination, aggression, and thirst for action.

Gold evokes the feeling of prestige. The meaning of gold is illumination, wisdom, and wealth.

Gold often symbolizes high quality.

Solid, reliable brown is the color of earth and is abundant in nature. Light brown implies genuineness while dark brown is honest and conservative.

Men are more apt to say brown is one of their favorite colors.

Brown is earthy, casual, safe, reliable, stable color. A good color for encouraging dialogue; it promotes honesty in others. Wear it when you need to look like “one of the team.” and yet keep in mind that since brown is rarely used by Shih Tzu handlers, your dog will convey originality and class when adorned with a beautiful brown bow.