The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Dog Color Genetics Calculator

Dog breeders and enthusiasts are often interested in predicting the color of their puppies before they’re born. One way to do this is by using a dog color genetics calculator. With this tool, you can calculate the probability of a particular dog coat color or pattern based on the genetics of its parents.

In this guide, we’ll explain how dog color genetics work, how to use a dog color genetics calculator, and some important considerations when breeding for coat color.

Understanding Dog Coat Genetics

Before we dive into using a dog color genetics calculator, let’s review how coat colors and patterns are inherited in dogs.

Basic Principles of Genetics

Dogs have 39 pairs of chromosomes (78 individual chromosomes). These chromosomes carry genes that determine physical traits like coat color and pattern.

Each parent contributes one chromosome from each pair to create a new offspring. This means that each puppy inherits one gene from each parent for every trait. Some genes are dominant, while others are recessive.

Dominant genes will always be expressed if present. Recessive genes will only be expressed if both copies are present (one from each parent).

Types of Coat Colors

There are many different colors and patterns seen in dogs’ coats. Some common examples include:

• Black
• White
• Buff
• Grey
• Red
• Brown
• Brindle (a combination of black and brown)
• Merle (patches of darker pigmentation on lighter areas)

These colors and patterns can occur in different areas of the dog’s body or throughout the entire body.

Genes That Control Coat Color

Several genes control coat color in dogs. Here are some key genes involved:

B-Locus Gene

The B-Locus gene controls whether a dog has black pigment or not. There are two possible versions of this gene: B (black) or b (brown). If a dog has two copies of the B gene, it will have black pigment. If it has two copies of the b gene, it will have brown pigment.

If a dog has one copy of each gene (Bb), it will appear black but can still carry the brown gene and produce brown offspring.

E-Locus Gene

The E-Locus gene controls whether or not a dog expresses its coat color. There are two possible versions of this gene: E (expressed) or e (not expressed).

If a dog has two copies of the E gene, its coat color will be expressed as normal. If it has two copies of the e gene, its coat color won’t be expressed and the dog will appear white or cream-colored.

If a dog has one copy of each gene (Ee), its coat color will be expressed but it can still carry the non-expressed allele and produce white or cream-colored offspring.

D-Locus Gene

The D-Locus gene controls whether or not a dog produces dilute pigment. There are two possible versions of this gene: D (not diluted) or d (diluted).

If a dog has two copies of the D gene, its coat color won’t be diluted. If it has two copies of the d gene, its coat color will be diluted to a lighter shade.

If a dog has one copy of each gene (Dd), its coat color won’t be diluted but it can still carry the dilute allele and produce diluted offspring.

S-Locus Gene

The S-Locus gene controls whether or not a dog produces white spotting. There are many different versions of this gene with varying effects on spotting patterns.

In general, if a dog inherits at least one copy of an S-allele that causes white spotting, it may display some level of spotting depending on other genes that affect pigmentation and patterning.

Inheriting Coat Colors

Now that we’ve covered the genes involved in coat color, let’s look at how they’re inherited.

Each parent contributes one copy of each gene to their offspring. This means that a puppy can inherit either the mother or father’s version of a particular gene.

When it comes to dominant and recessive genes, there are some basic rules to keep in mind:

• If both parents have two copies of a dominant gene (e.g., BB), all offspring will inherit at least one copy of that gene.
• If both parents have two copies of a recessive gene (e.g., bb), all offspring will inherit two copies of that gene.
• If one parent has two copies of a recessive gene and the other has at least one dominant gene, some offspring may still inherit the recessive trait but others won’t.

Let’s look at some examples to illustrate these principles.

Example 1: Black X Brown

Suppose you breed a black-coated dog with genotype BBEEddSS and a brown-coated dog with genotype bbeeDDss. Here’s what you can expect for coat color in their offspring:

Offspring	Genotype	Coat Color
BbEEDDSS	Black
BbEEDdSS	Black
BbEEddSS	Black
BbEEddsS	Black
BbeeDDSS	Brown
BbeeDDSs	Brown
BBeeDDSS	Black
BBeeDDSs	Black

In this example, we assume that both dogs are homozygous for their respective B and D genes. This means they only have one possible allele for each trait.

Based on this assumption, we can see from the Punnett square that there are four possible combinations of alleles that each parent can pass on to its offspring. The uppercase letters represent dominant alleles and the lowercase letters represent recessive alleles.

For coat color, we use uppercase B to represent black and lowercase b to represent brown. Since the black parent has two copies of the B gene and the brown parent has two copies of the b gene, all offspring will inherit one copy of each gene and will appear black.

However, since both parents are heterozygous for the E gene (one copy of each allele), some offspring may inherit the non-expressed allele e and appear white or cream-colored.

Finally, both parents are heterozygous for the S gene as well, so some puppies may display some level of white spotting depending on which variations they inherit from their parents.

Example 2: Black X Merle

Now let’s look at a breeding between a black-coated dog with genotype BBEEddss and a merle-coated dog with genotype BBeeDDSS. Here’s what you can expect for coat color in their offspring:

Offspring	Genotype	Coat Color
BbEEDDSS	Black
BbEEDdSS	Black
BbEEddSS	Black
BBeeDDSS	Normal Merle
BBeeDDSs	Normal Merle
BBEEDDSS	Black
BBEEDDSS	Black
BbeeDDSS	Blue Merle

In this example, both dogs are assumed to be homozygous for their respective B and D genes as well. This means they only have one possible allele for each trait.

Again, there are four possible combinations of alleles that each parent can pass on to its offspring. However, since one parent is merle (has patches of darker pigment on lighter areas), we need to account for that as well.

The M-Locus gene controls whether or not a dog produces merle pigment. Dogs with at least one copy of the M-allele will produce some level of merling, while those that are homozygous for the non-merle allele (mm) won’t have any merle pigment.

In this example, we assume that the black parent is homozygous for the m allele and doesn’t produce any merle pigment. The merle parent has two copies of the M allele and will pass on at least one copy to each offspring.

Based on this assumption, we can see that some puppies will inherit both copies of the non-merle allele (BB), which means they’ll be black. Some puppies will inherit one copy of each allele (Bb), which means they’ll also be black but can still carry the merle gene.

Finally, some puppies will inherit a copy of the e gene from each parent (ee) and won’t express their coat color. These puppies may appear white or cream-colored depending on other genes involved in pigmentation.

Using a Dog Color Genetics Calculator

Now that you have a basic understanding of how dog coat genetics work, you’re ready to use a dog color genetics calculator.

Several websites offer free online tools that can help you predict coat colors and patterns based on your dogs’ genotypes.

Here’s how to use one popular dog color genetics calculator:

1. Go to https://www.animalgenetics.us/Canine/Canine-color.htm in your web browser.
2. Look for the "Dog Coat Color Genetics Calculator" section near the bottom of the page.
3. Enter your dogs’ genotypes in the appropriate fields provided. You can choose from several different genes including B-Locus, E-Locus, D-Locus, S-Locus, and M-Locus.
4. Click "Calculate" to see what coat colors and patterns are possible based on your inputs.

The results page will show you a list of possible coat colors and patterns ranked by their likelihood. You can use this information to plan your breeding strategy and make informed decisions about which dogs to breed.

Important Considerations for Breeding for Coat Color

While predicting coat color with a dog color genetics calculator can be a helpful tool, there are some important considerations to keep in mind when breeding for coat color:

• Coat color should never be the only factor considered when breeding dogs. Health, temperament, and structure are also important factors to consider.
• Dog coat genetics can be complex and unpredictable. Even with careful planning, unexpected outcomes are possible.
• Some coat colors or patterns may be associated with health problems. For example, merle-coated dogs may have increased risk of deafness or blindness.
• Breeding for rare or unusual colors or patterns can create demand for these puppies but may also perpetuate unethical breeding practices such as inbreeding or over-breeding of certain breeds.
• Breed standards may dictate what coat colors are acceptable for certain breeds. Breeding outside of those standards could result in offspring that aren’t considered purebred.

In conclusion, using a dog color genetics calculator can be an interesting and informative way to predict the coat colors and patterns of your puppies. However, it’s important to remember that coat color should never be the sole factor considered when breeding dogs. Health, temperament, and structure should always take priority over aesthetics. By keeping these considerations in mind, you can work towards producing happy and healthy puppies with beautiful coats.