"Roan" is a coat pattern and it represents a mixture of white hairs interspersed with coloured hairs i.e. having the base colour (such as red, black or brown) muted and lightened by a mixture of white hairs.

For example, an orange roan cocker is a cocker that has red hairs mixed with white hairs.

All parti-coloured orange "roan" puppies are born silvery white, some will have the odd spot of colour (patch of colour on their body), many are a greyish/white all over. As the coat grows the individual white & red hairs mix to form the roan pattern. As a puppy matures, the orange colouring starts to come through.

Roan puppies have coloured pads, often fully pigmented, other times there is a 'halo' of brown/black colour around the outside of each pad. As the pup matures, the 'halo' of pigment creeps inwards & fills the pad. True orange & white pups have pink pads with the odd speckle of pigment dotted about, they also have pink muzzles.

Here are a series of photos that show the changes! The puppy is orange roan.

3 Days Old - Clearly white coats with a hint of the odd spot of colour.	20 Days Old - Still "white" but there is now a few more spots of colour on the coat.	28 Days Old - Still very pale in colour.
35 Days Old - Still pale but the colour of the spots on the body is deepening.	42 Days Old - Still quite pale!	10 Weeks Old - Ears, body spots etc. darkening.
16 Weeks Old - The coats is getting long/fluffy & the pup looks roan.	8 Months Old	10 Months Old - Silvery Roan.
12 Months Old.		2 Years Old - Lots of roan now & very silver/orange.