Ticking and Roaning can be impossible to tell apart. There is debate if there are indeed separate genes that produce the ticking or the roaning. We will speak in the manner of ticking being the same as roan. In either case, it is expressed with great variation. A ticked dog can have one or two spots of the base color pushing up through the coat or be literally covered with it. Sometimes it is so profuse that the tick spots start to blend together with each other forming larger areas. At birth the pups do not show the ticking pattern and slowly develop it as they mature.
     Different breeds call ticking different names also. It has commonly been called Belton in some breeds and Roan in others. It can appear on a dog of any color provided there is some white color on the dog for the gene to work. Ticking only comes up through a white coat showing the base color of the dog. Below are a few examples in different colors to show that the effects can be very different.
     The Dalmatian is a breed where ticking has been locked in so tight that it actually has taken on an appearance of its own. By breeding like to like over many generations the gene becomes breed specific.

Ticking. It has the appearance of a salt and pepper type nature. Sometimes seen as more pepper than salt if you will. Scattered hairs of a different color appear in areas about the dog, but are not usually visible at birth. Roaning and ticking develop as the puppy gets older. It is usually seen predominately on the white areas of the dogs coat but is also seen within the tan areas of tan points, and sometimes it will show threw on a black coat. 

   This Series exhibits a great degree of variability in its expression. It is said to be responsible for the “silvering” effect seen in some dogs. The dog's coat can be virtually covered with small spots and hairs of color or very little with one or two spots developing.
 

Belton

These are both variations  of the ticking pattern but  called a different name from "Ticking"

Roaning

Ticking

Here we see ticking in two  different colors. The dogs  also carry the gene for "piebald"  or patches of color making the  coat even more interesting by  breaking the color up with white patches.

Ticking

Ticking

The Dalmatian genes have been locked in so tight that each dog that is  produced is generally uniform in color and has fairly regular spots as  opposed the irregular patches or individual hairs pushing up.