Determining the coat colors your dog carries in its genes can be an interesting endeavor for any dog owner. While some coat colors are easy to identify visually, other colors may be hidden or “carried” in your dog’s genetic code. With the rise in popularity of dog DNA tests, it’s now possible to get more definitive insight into your dog’s genetic profile and the coat colors they carry.
The Basics of Dog Coat Color Genetics
The genetics behind dog coat colors are complex, but here are some of the key points:
- Most genes involved in coat color have two variants, or alleles – one is dominant and will be expressed when present, while the other is recessive and only expressed if the dog inherits two copies.
- Colors like black and brown are caused by dark pigment production, while dilute colors like blue and tan result from less pigment.
- Some colors are sex-linked and only appear in dogs that inherit the gene from both parents.
- White spotting patterns are caused by separate genes that limit pigment production in some areas.
- Some genes can modify or mask the appearance of other coat color genes present.
So in order to determine what coat color genes a dog carries, you need to have information from both parents as well as analyzing the dog’s physical appearance and sometimes running genetic tests.
How Breed Impacts Color
A dog’s breed can provide some hints about what coat colors they may carry. Many breeds allow for a wide variety of colors, while some breeds are associated with very specific coat colors or patterns. For example:
- Labrador Retrievers are commonly black, yellow, or chocolate.
- German Shepherds are typically tan with black saddles and masking.
- Bernese Mountain Dogs have the classic black, white, and rust trio of colors.
- Dalmatians have white coats with black spots.
So if you have a purebred dog, you can immediately narrow down the list of possible colors based on what is allowable in that breed. Crossbred dogs open up more possibilities since they inherit a mix of genes from multiple breeds.
Looking at the Parents
One of the best ways to predict what colors your dog might carry is to look at the coat colors of their parents. Remember that each parent passes down one of their two gene variants to the offspring. Some things to look for:
- If both parents are the same color, the puppies are likely to be the same color but may still carry hidden colors. Two black dogs could produce yellow or chocolate puppies if each parent carries those recessive versions of the gene.
- If the parents are different colors, the puppies could be a blend of those colors. For example, a black dog bred with a brown dog could have some black and some brown puppies in the litter.
- Even when parents appear a solid color, they often carry variant genes. So there may be surprise colors in the puppies.
- Look back through pedigree lines for clues about what other colors grandparents or further ancestors carried.
What Their Color Tells You
By simply looking at your dog, you can pick up on some of the coat color genes they carry:
- Solid black – Dog likely has at least one copy of the dominant K locus gene.
- Chocolate brown – Dog has two copies of the b allele on the B locus. Not dominant so both parents had to pass on this recessive gene.
- Yellow, red or cream – Presence of e/e alleles on the E locus, so dog lacks the ability to make dark pigment.
- White spots – Dog likely has spotting pattern alleles like S (piebald spotting) or sp (white spotting).
- Merle or dapple pattern – Dog has the M/M or M/Mc allele on the merle locus.
These visual clues can help narrow down the possibilities of what other color variants your dog is carrying in their genetic profile.
DNA Tests Offer the Fullest Insight
While you can make good educated guesses based on breed and parental colors, dog DNA tests offer the fullest picture of your dog’s genetic makeup. Companies like Embark, Wisdom Panel, and many others provide breed analysis and coat color testing services.
These tests look for various genetic markers across your dog’s genome to identify all the coat color genes present. The final report will often specify exactly which alleles your dog has at the key color loci. This level of detail can reveal colors and patterns you might never otherwise have known your dog was carrying!
Sample Dog DNA Test Results
To illustrate the types of results you would get from a dog DNA test, here is an example report showing the coat color genes carried by a fictional dog named Pepper:
| Gene Locus | Results | Trait |
|---|---|---|
| E Locus | e/e | Allows for yellow/red pigment |
| K Locus | ky/ky | Recessive, allows yellow/red to show |
| A Locus | aw/at | Sable white spotting pattern |
| B Locus | B/b | Carries brown and black pigment |
| D Locus | d/d | Recessive for no dilute colors |
Looking at these results, we can see that Pepper carries genes for black, brown, yellow, white spotting, and sable patterns. But because she has two copies of the e and ky alleles, only the yellow pigment is expressed. Without testing, we might have assumed Pepper was simply a yellow dog, when in fact her genes encode a much more diverse palette of possible coat colors!
Other Traits Revealed by DNA Tests
In addition to coat color, DNA tests can also provide information about:
- Breed – Shows any pure or mixed breeds in your dog’s ancestry going back years.
- Traits – Identifies genes that influence body size, leg length, tail curl, ear floppiness, and more.
- Disease risks – Tests for genetic mutations linked to potential health conditions.
- Close relatives – Can connect you with close genetic matches from their database.
So these tests offer a comprehensive look at your dog’s biological makeup and family tree, providing insights that everyday observation along just can’t reveal.
How Young Can You Test?
DNA tests can be performed as early as 6-8 weeks old when puppies are weaned from their mother. At this age, swab DNA collection kits can easily obtain enough genetic material from inside the pup’s cheek to yield good test results.
Testing puppies early is ideal for determining their adult size, ideal diet, inherent health risks, and of course definitively confirming their coat colors well before their mature coats come in.
Will Colors Change Over Time?
Most dogs achieve their final adult coat colors by around 1-2 years old. However, their appearance can change substantially from puppyhood to adolescence. Some common shifts include:
- Puppies darken as they lose their fluffy coats, sometimes going from white or tan to black, gray or brown.
- Merle and other dapple patterns become more defined.
- Point coloration emerges in breeds like Shiba Inus and German Shepherds.
- Brindling fades, leaving a more solid color.
While genes don’t change over an adult dog’s lifetime, environmental factors like sun exposure can lighten or fade coats over time. Diet can also impact skin and hair pigmentation.
Can You Tell by Looking at Siblings?
Full siblings share the same set of parents and therefore have a similar genetic makeup. Looking at what colors and patterns your dog’s brothers and sisters have can provide clues about what genetics they might share. For example if you have a yellow Labrador puppy:
- Black and yellow siblings indicate parents carried genes for both colors.
- All yellow siblings suggest parents both had e/e genes on E locus.
- Multi-colored litter could mean parents had different E locus genes.
But since each puppy inherits a different combination of the parents’ genes, their specific colors can still vary. DNA testing each sibling will show just how similar or different their results are.
When Are Color Tests Not Necessary?
For some dogs, a DNA color test may not really be needed to know what colors they carry. Examples include:
- AKC registered purebreds where only certain colors are recognized within the breed.
- Rare colors like blue (dd dilution) that require inheritance from both parents.
- Pointed pattern dogs where body markings make colors obvious.
- Merle or brindle dogs where those patterns can’t hide.
But even purebred dogs with established color standards can sometimes surprise you with unexpected pigments or spotting patterns. So the only way to be absolutely certain is to have genetic testing done.
Conclusions
Determining your dog’s coat color genetics requires some detective work, but the clues you can piece together from their breed background, family tree, physical appearance and DNA tests can paint a detailed picture. While some dogs are a clear showcase of the colors in their genes, others carry hidden hues that you might never see expressed physically. But no matter what colors lie beneath your dog’s fur, they make up part of the unique genetic mosaic that gives every pup their own one-of-a-kind look and personality!