Dogs with a black-based sable pattern have a predominantly tan coat with some amount of black-tipped hairs along their upper body. Their sabling can be sparse or heavy. Sable Colors Dogs need to be able to express their sable allele (we shortened the new allele names ASIPDY and ASIPSY to Ay). They have to be ky/ky combined with either a mask Em/- or a wild type allele E/-. … Read more
Sable merle can be very striking in young puppies, but merle can be difficult to spot or even “hidden” in adult dogs with a sable pattern. That is because most merle alleles can only affect eumelanin. And many adult sable dogs don’t have a lot of eumelanin in their pattern. The Sable Pattern To understand … Read more
Residual white describes any minor white pattern. Typical markings include a small white patch on the chest, white toes, or a tiny bit of white on the muzzle or forehead. The white pattern is caused by incomplete pigmentation of the coat at birth. Small white markings like these may shrink or disappear as pigment continues … Read more
Let’s talk about tan markings on puppies. There seems to be some confusion about which patterns come with tan points or how to recognize agouti, sable, or tan point patterns in puppies. The tan points in a black and tan pattern (at/-) are the defined clear phaeomelanin markings on the cheeks, chin, throat, forechest, lower … Read more
What is the difference between a sable and an agouti pattern in dogs? It’s not always easy to tell sable and agouti apart. Both patterns come with some amount of hair banding on their upper body and a lighter underside. However, the type of banding and the distribution of banded hairs throughout the coat vary … Read more
Watermarks are only found in sable and white dogs with an extended melanistic mask. It causes the dark sable shading to pool at the edges of the sable patches, creating a striking pattern. However, no one knows what causes watermarkings, also called etching or color pooling. What Is Watermarking? Imagine a dog with a sable … Read more
What exactly is a red dog? How is he different from a brown dog? In terms of color genetics, the difference is easy to explain. Brown always means chocolate-colored eumelanin. And red always means orange-red to red phaeomelanin. Sounds quite simple, doesn’t it? The confusion about red coat in dogs originates from breed terminology, which … Read more
Irish spotting is a type of white spotting pattern. Both piebald and whitehead can cause phenotypes that closely resemble Irish-type markings. What Is Irish Spotting? Irish spotting is a white spotting trait that causes a distinct pattern. Typical Irish markings include some white on the chest, some white on the underbody, four white paws, and … Read more
There are two mechanisms that can cause a solid white coat in dogs. So… what’s the difference? Some dogs have a pigmented coat but with a very pale pigment color. Meanwhile, others have white a coat because they don’t produce any pigment at all. Both, low pigment intensity and white spotting can produce a fully … Read more
This page is a quick reference to show you the possible alleles at each locus. Summary A list of variants and genes affecting coat colors and patterns in dogs: B locus The B locus determines if a dog has black or brown eumelanin. B: Black Eumelanin b*: Brown Eumelanin B > b* D locus The D locus determines if … Read more