Two different types of pigment
An introduction to eumelanin and phaeomelanin

Black, recessive black and seal
The K and A series

Oddities
Somatic mutations, vitiligo and other weirdness

Basic genetics terms
Genes, locii etc

Liver
The B series

Nose colours
From black to pink and everything inbetween

Breeding
Punnet squares and a big Labrador case study

Dilution (blue and isabella)
The D series

Eye colours
Brown, amber and blue

Summary of series
List of alleles for reference

Agouti, sable, tan points and saddles
The A series

Coats
The longhaired gene and hairless dogs

Notes on Mutation etc
Some more advanced notes on mutation,
selective breeding and evolution

Brindle
The K series

Colour term list
Including body part diagram

Masks, recessive red and domino
The E series

Great Danes
In-depth breeding case study

Red intensity and albino
The I and C series

Health problems related to colour genes
Double merle problems and CDA

Progressive greying
The G series

Test your knowledge
A short genetics quiz!

Merle
The M series

Links
A few links to useful sites

Merle (continued)
The M series

**NEW**Advanced merle genetics
Cryptic, atypical, and harlequin merle

Merle modifiers (Great Dane harlequin)
The H series

About me
Including contact info

White spotting
The S series

Art
More about my artwork

Ticking and roaning
The T series


** 20/05/2020: website fully updated with lots of new research and corrections. Changes have been made on almost every page, and information added about new alleles such as cryptic/atypical/harlequin merle, Northern domino, French Bulldog cocoa, Intensity, and more. Far too much to list, so go and see for yourselves!

This resource has always been provided for free, and always will be! Want to support us? Make sure to check out our partners below, and my shops on Etsy and Redbubble!


Dog Breeder Pro is a web-based software solution for dog breeders, with a range of useful features to help you keep track of pedigrees, waiting lists, test results and more. It also features a new advanced colour and coat genetics calculator that I've helped to design, so you can get detailed predictions for litters before you breed. Click here for a 30-day free trial!

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Disclaimer: Before reading through this site, please note that I am not a geneticist or a professional scientist (please see the "About Me" pages). I am a layperson with an interest in genetics, and particularly in making colour genetics interesting and easy to understand for everyone. This site is intended as an introduction to colour genetics in dogs, and while I do my best to ensure its accuracy, please do make sure to do further, independent research if you want to find out more. All of the pages on this site provide links to sources that are a great place to start your research.
Please also note that I am not always able to keep fully up to date on new discoveries in dog genetics, so if you do spot anything that's out of date, please let me know. Make sure to include links to your sources (i.e. published scientific studies).

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