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HealthGene Laboratory is proud to announce a new DNA test for canine coat and nose color determination. Using the latest
DNA testing procedures, our laboratory is able to determine the genetic basis of coat and nose color, as well as hidden
color (brown, black or red/yellow), for an array of breeds. What does this mean for breeders? Knowing the hidden color
of the sire and the dam is essential for choosing the best partners for your breeding stock, as well as determining the
future color of puppies (see figure 1). Also, this information can be crucial to satisfy breed standards when registering
your dog.
What determines your dogs coat color?
The control of coat color and pattern in mammals
is complex. Specialized pigment forming cells called melanocytes are responsible for providing the pigment of your dogs
coat. These melanocytes are coded by specific genes that determine their pigment and hence your dog’s coat. For instance,
a gene known as MC1r is responsible for the red or black colors seen in specific dog breeds. This gene comes in two forms
that are represented by E and e. E (dominant) is the normal form, and
e is the mutated form. When the E form of the gene is present in a
dog, it has some black or brown in its coat. Dogs that posses two mutated forms of the gene, represented as ee (recessive),
are red or yellow in color. The gene responsible for brown color in dogs is known as TYRP1. The normal (B
) form of this gene is dominant to the mutated (b) form. The TYRP1 gene is also affects
the nose leather and pads. For example, in dogs that are yellow or red (genotype ee), TYRP1 mutations (bb
) change the nose and pad coloration from black to brown.
Terminology for coat colors used by various dog breeders and associations varies considerably. Liver, chocolate and brown
are all names used to describe various shades of deep brown. Orange, red, yellow, gold and apricot are all used for shades
produced by the mutated MC1r gene. Liver is used by some owners instead of orange. The use of “red” for brown in the
Australian Shepherd is another confusing example. Understanding the inheritance of coat color in some breeds has undoubtedly
been complicated by the use of some terms which may not correlate with the different forms of the MC1r and TYRP1 genes.
HealthGene Laboratory is supplying free sample collection kits for canine color testing. For more information, please
visit our website www.healthgene.com or call toll free: 1-877-371-1551.
This test has been developed in the laboratory of Dr. Schmutz, University of Saskatchewan (Canada).
Figure 1. Example of color Possibilities in Labrador Retrievers
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