[ SHOWGSD-L ] GSD Colors
- From: "Robert George" <bruiser@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 18:53:22 -0700
I had the hierarchy of GSD colors explained to me a few years back by
someone who has been in the breed for a long time. I'll try to pass the
lesson on in an easy to understand way because genetics can be very
confusing :)
Dogs have two color genes in their DNA, a dominant gene and a recessive
gene. BTW, this is true with all DNA as you'll learn if you have any DNA
based testing done such as DM testing.
There are four coat colors and they have a hierarchy of dominance. Here
they are, listed as the most dominant to the less:
-Sable
-Black and Tan
-Bi-Color
-Black
You can easily tell a dog's dominant color gene is because it is the color
that they are. Their secondary color gene is either equal to, or less than,
their dominate gene.
If a dog is a sable, the recessive can be any of the four colors.
If the dog is a black and tan the recessive gene is either black and tan,
bi-color or black.
If the dog is a bi-color, then the recessive is bi-color or solid black.
Lastly if the dog is solid black, then the recessive is black also.
You cannot have a solid black dog that has a sable recessive. It's not
genetically possible. Sable is dominant to black so if a dog had that
pairing of genes, it would be black.
When you breed dogs, each parent will contribute one of it's color genes.
That gene can be either the dominant or recessive and it's not a 50/50
thing.
It can be difficult figuring out exactly what that recessive color is.
Sometimes knowing the colors of the parents can help. For example I have a
male here that is black and tan. Since I know his mother was black and tan
and his father was black, I know that his recessive is black. That is
because he got his dominant color (black and tan) from his mother and the
only color his dad could contribute was black, so that has to be his
recessive.
Now you might be saying what about a black sable or a black and tan blanket?
Well, those are "types" of the basic four colors. The black sable is a type
of sable and the black and tan blanket is just a type of black and tan. I
am convinced that there are other color genes that further define the basic
four colors, but I have no proof. That would also explain why some dogs are
washed out and some have rich pigment.
I hope this helps with the discussion,
-Bob George
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