Yes the Breeder called him a pastel, He was lite when I bought him home He has changed so much. The lighting can make look so different.
If at all possible you want to look at a chin under the natural sun light outside and/or a light bulb that is labeled "natural sunlight".
Floresent lighting is the worst lighting in which to look at a chin.
... Question,
what we here call a dark tan, is that what some call a chocolate?
Yes, dark tan is often referred to as a chocolate.
While some seem foxier than others, would that be a lack of standard.
Not quite sure what you are asking here ... by "foxier" are you saying thicker fur or more red cast to the fur? Or all round quality and size of the chin?
Some pics show dark tans as real dull brown, but very dark. While others seem dark rusty brown.
What is the preferred/standrad tone for the browns?
The rusty brown is one that has a reddish cast to it ... you do not want to breed these, strive for the blue/gray hue rather than the red/rusty hue/cast when you breed and when you show. Sometimes it is very obvious, other times you have to put the two side by side under natural lighting to see the difference. Even the smallest hit of red under he trained eyes of a judge will set your chin down at the far end of the table and out of the running.
I have both in my herd, because I did not know at the time I got them. I let those having a red cast be adopted as "pet quality" ... nothing wrong with it, just it is
not good for breeding if you are going to show. It is still just as lovable as one with a gray/blue hue to it's fur. I will not continue breeding these, but will find good homes for them.
The blue/gray hue on a light to medium show beige will make it look almost like a violet. Sometimes I have to double check the cards to make sure, or take them into a different lighting.
Never go by pictures when buying a chin ... allot can be done with the lighting and/or a photo program to make them look much different than they really are. Different computer settings can make them appear different. The breeder is not trying to fool you (hopefully not) because the beige and the ebony are very hard to get the real color to show in a picture. I have seen pictures that made a beautiful violet look like a TOV/brown velvet. In another picture on a site, there was a dark ebony/violet carrier that looked like a dark rusty-colored tan ... strictly due to the lighting.
Jo Ann