{"id":14643,"date":"2023-03-28T09:13:29","date_gmt":"2023-03-28T14:13:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/?p=14643"},"modified":"2023-04-03T17:44:11","modified_gmt":"2023-04-03T22:44:11","slug":"dog-coat-patterns-accident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/blog\/performance\/skin-coat\/dog-coat-patterns-accident\/","title":{"rendered":"Peculiar Pet Facts: Dog Coat Patterns Are No Accident"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to our Peculiar Pet Facts series, where we investigate the oddities of our pets and explore the science behind them.<\/em><\/p>\n

Have you ever wondered why puppy siblings can look so different from each other? Or why some puppies look nothing like their parents? Well, it\u2019s in their DNA! Different genes and genetic combinations control the color of your dog\u2019s hair and their coat pattern.<\/p>\n

The vast number of colors and patterns of dogs\u2019 coats have made it hard for scientists to discover which genes are behind them, but a recent study has shed some light on the mysteries behind dog coat patterns.<\/p>\n

All Coat Colors Come From Two Pigments<\/h2>\n

If you go to a dog park, there will likely be a rainbow of colors running around. With the variety of colors that dogs\u2019 coats come in, you might think there are multiple pigments that cause these hair colors. But the colors are formed from just two pigments \u2014 eumelanin (black or brown) and phaeomelanin (red, yellow or tan).<\/p>\n

Dr. Krista Williams and Dr. Lynn Buzhardt explain in an article from VCA Animal Hospitals<\/a> that both of these pigments are forms of melanin, which is produced in the hair as it grows, with darker colors having more melanin. Sometimes the melanin is produced at different rates, which is why a single hair can look lighter or darker at different places along the shaft.<\/p>\n

Phaeomelanin is only produced in hair, but eumelanin can influence hair, eye and nose color (e.g., a pink nose vs. a black nose). If your dog has white hair, it\u2019s because neither of the pigments was produced in their hair. An albino dog is rare and occurs when eumelanin isn\u2019t produced anywhere.<\/p>\n

Genes Control Coat Color and Patterns<\/h2>\n

The amount of eumelanin or phaeomelanin produced in a dog\u2019s hair \u2014 and where those colors are produced (the coat pattern) \u2014 is controlled by a variety of genes. Below is a summary of the loci (location of genes) that control coat color and patterns in dogs as described in the VCA Animal Hospitals<\/a> article.<\/p>\n