Note:

In dogs, as in other species, there are many genes (loci) that influence the colour of the coat and the skin. The main effects on coat colour are caused by the E-locus (it determines the presence or absence of eumelanin in the coat) and the B-locus (it determines the colour of the eumelanin). It should be kept in mind that the same genes may produce different colour shades in different breeds because, apart from the genetic make-up, what we see is affected by the length and other aspects of the structure of the coat. With the availability of DNA-marker techniques coat colour genetics recently got a new impulse. Through this website we will keep you informed about the availability of DNA tests for other coat colour genes.