Canine Coat and Nose Color Testing

The most common color for Puli is black. Puli can be black having a K^B allele. They also occur in white. Fako is a Hungarian term used to describe Puli of other pale colors. Puli that are fako do not have a K^B, but are k^y/k^y. They must also have at least one a^y allele. Some Puli are called apricot. Colors other than black and white are not allowed to be shown in all countries. Useful references on Puli color were provided by Sue Hopgood of Great Britain. She had saved an article entitled "Coat Colour and Pigmentation and It's Inheritance" from a breed club magazine. A book entitled "The History of the Puli" written by Arany Csaba in 1998 was particularly helpful. This book mentions pale pups born to two black parents and black pups born to two black parents, which implies that either Puli have two forms of black or two forms of fako. Some black Puli gray with age. Whether this is the progressive graying similar to Poodle silver or whether it is more that some white hairs gradually occur amongst the black ones, is not clear. Cream to white Puli are always e/e at the E locus. Many Puli have an E. None appear to have an E^M allele. Although some fako dogs appear to have a black mask as pups, this fades soon, and is not the melanistic mask caused by E^M.