Went to see puppies this evening... Dog colour genetics, anyone?

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Sid these days!
Apr 30, 2010
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... 4 week old Welsh Springers.

They were adorable and fubsy as such little puppies always are (pupslugs, anyone?) but their mum was very reserved and shy and I wasn't keen on a pup taking after her.

I really, really liked the other bitch there, a gorgeous blue roan Working Cocker who is due to have pups in 3 weeks. She was everything I like in a spaniel. I have enquired about taking a pup from her litter, and I wonder if anyone can cast any light on what sorts of colours the pups might be? Dad is an unusual colour, lemon roan.

From what I have read I think the babies are likely to be particoloured and roan, but could all be black or practically any other colour there is depending on what recessive colours mum is carrying. Does anyone have any practical experience of this?
 
If you go for a cocker choose either a particolour or a roan. The solid colours can be known for a congenital brain defect that makes them turn very nasty very quickly. So I am told by a retired vet who spent nearly thirty five years or more as a small animal practitioner anyway. She says it's been pretty much bred out now but not worth the risk.
 
Agree with chev regarding rage syndrome. I think some strains of Welsh springers can also have a problem with this due to their red colour but it is not seen as much in particoloureds. As for colour, my old spaniels mum was chocolate and the dad lemon and white so a bit different but in the litter there was a solid black, a chocolate, a blue roan particolour and my old boy who was black and white. Not sure if that helps or not.
 
Well, this is an old thread and I took an orange roan pup from the litter, our boy Corky. He is madder than a box of frogs but the sweetest natured little dog you would ever hope to meet. So it ended well!

For the colour geneticists, all the pups were lemon roan or orange roan.
 
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The bitch must have been hiding an orange gene then and Dad only had orange to pass on. I'm not big on dog genetics to be honest but there are some similarities between dogs and horses.

I have no idea how this thread came to the surface! He sounds like a lovely dog though.
 
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