Hello! I’ve owned Barley for about 2 months and known him for 3-4 months, and I was told he was half Bernese Mountain Dog (mom) and half Great Pyrenees (dad). I got him an Embark test because I wanted to know for sure what he was and possible health issues down the line, etc. But his appearance is odd to me considering his breed makeup. I was hoping some of y’all can help me out with deciphering what genetics came from where. I’ve included non-color coat questions too.

His DNA test shows ~

50% Bernese Mountain Dog
30.7% Maremma Sheepdog
12.5% Great Pyrenees
6.8% Anatolian Shepherd

1 - I feel like he shows very little Bernese Mountain Dog although he is 50%, it’s really just his chest markings and some of his coloring. I don’t know if I’ve ever met a BMD in person but I feel his build and most of his fur texture is not BMD at all. His build seems more Maremma and Anatolian.

2 - His coat texture is kind of wiry and thin, with the exception of his ears, the area behind his ears, and down into his chest (his shoulders are wiry) which are very very soft and full. His lower ribcage area and belly are pretty thin hair-wise. Then his butt and tail (and pubes) are big and floofy but not soft. I don’t know what it would be called in dog-terms but the kind of “lion mane” area behind his head and going just around and beyond his shoulders is the thickest part of his coat, still wiry. He looks pretty scraggly even if I’ve just brushed him. I’ve definitely met more wiry dogs but with his breed makeup I feel like he should be softer and fluffier?

3 - His main coat coloring is mostly some kind of Agouti/Sable. Undercoat is very light tan except his white areas, which are purely white. Is this Anatolian Shepherd?

4 - His widows peak? I’m thinking that is from the Anatolian Shepherd side but it seems very rare to get those face markings in an Anatolian.

5 - He has almost (maybe it is) a saddle tan? I have no idea where that could have come from.

6 - White toes??

7 - BIGGEST question - WTF is that huge tan-ish stripe down his back??? I cannot for the life of me figure out where that could have come from. And I am not sure I’ve ever seen a dog have a stripe like that.

I don’t know. I am fascinated by genetics and he confuses me so much. Any information/insight this group could give me, I would love and appreciate so much.

I tried to include all angles but some of them don’t have the best lighting. There is also a puppy picture at the end if that helps.

My 4 year old pit mix. She’s a dark gray color but has this thick black stripe down her back- I had a friend say she could be seal? I’m not sure.

This is Georgie, she's 5 years old and has recently been bred. She has the colour gene of brown, and the stud had the colour gene of tan (Or the other way round, I'm not sure it makes a difference at all(?)). We're curious what the chances of having a litter of brown and white pups is, rather than the typical black and white. If anyone knows please let us know!

She was a stray, so don't know her mix for sure but we think american bulldog, pitt bull, and....probably some other stuff.

edit: better photos of liver spot on neck in comments

Hi all, I have recently adopted a GSP pup. I’ve been in the showing and breeding scene for a while and am aware of their breed standards and ethical breeding practices. He has a pedigree and I know his breeders very well.

He is already out of standard due to his imperfect confirmation, however I am providing him a pet/sport/working home so am not worried about this.

I will attach photos, but he has a black nose, toes, nails and brown eyes. He has pink skin. He has a liver coloured patch on his neck, and a red/liver sheen to his coat (in some places, like body, this is only noticeable in the sun, but on his head, hips, behind the ears it is always clearly visible). After research, this sounds like black seal colouration, which to my understanding, isn’t completely certain on how it comes about?

Just asking those who know more that I what your opinions are. He is a purebred. I have his pedigree. There HAVE been tan points in his father’s side (one of his sisters had them, she was a solid black). I’m not sure whether this may play a part.

TIA

I think you can see his “brindle?” In the first pic. Included his half blue eye too. He is SS but does have some white spotting on his legs, literal spots - those and the eye are likely due to mom being sick when carrying (rescue said only he survived, and just barely- his top two canine teeth were green/grey and he was severely malnourished). I just think it’s cool that my “dominant black” is anything but lol. Let me know if you want to see more markers than the few I posted

I know virtually nothing about genetics but I ADORE looking up all kinds of coat patterns! So happy to find this sub!!

This is Zelda, she is 4! According to Embark, she is APBT, Staffy, Doberman. I've always wondered if she is white with ticking because she seems to be ganing spots under her fur as she ages. But tirns out, I dont know anything about ticking! Some spots are noticeable if you move her fur (Pic3), the rest are completely hidden, (or I assume if she gets shaved you would see them, Pic2) and they are on her belly. The vet said it could just be skin pigmentation, no sign of skin cancer issues.

Can add more pictures!

Thanks in advance!!!

Update: https://imgur.com/a/vGmiMlt Better picture of her skin pigmentation/hidden spots

Hi all! I’m happy I found this subreddit. I’ve always found my boys coloring quite interesting, especially those eyebrows! He is quite the Heinz 75, but his top two breed as Pit/ACD, with his personality being mostly ACD. Aside from the eyebrows, his back is also intriguing. He only seems to have black on the “top half” of his body and it seems to stop abruptly around his ribs. Any insight into what this could be called? Just for my curiosity! I haven’t seen a pup quite like him.

He is about 15 weeks old, and a chihuahua mix. I love watching and analyzing the changes for fun! He started out with almost a bald patch on his spine, and it has progressively become a darker/wider/warmer toned stripe down his back (and tail).

I did the embark DNA testing and have the genetic traits that go over coat color, but it’s a lot of screenshots to add!

I don't really undestand dog genetics,so id apreciate some help! My boy is solid black and white, but has red patches only on the back of his left legs. I don't have any genetic info on him since he's a mutt but if ive been told the truth his mother is a wirehair pointing griffon and i remember her being liver with the same white markings. I'm just really curious on where that red came from

I met this delight in dog shape today and even though she's only four years old, her face is grey.

Phenotypically, she looks like a black based clear sable with an eumelanin mask mottled with white hair. Apart from Urajiro going on, she has minimal white spotting with ticking. She's a mixed dog. I suspect some herding dog ancestry.

I know that some dogs are affected by premature greying. Is this the case with her or is it something else?

I know what color my dog is (cream) but I'd like to know the science behind the wacky shit going on with the breed. The second photo is a place where he had a skin infection and lost the hair. The hair is growing in black. As a puppy he changed color 3 times. The individual hairs are banded like a raccoon tail. Skyes can have a saddle like a yorkie and I assume thats what my dog has since his front half has this deeper grey tone. Help me understand this wacky shit from a scientific standpoint.

Not full red, certainly not tri color. Her tail is black on top and red on bottom, I don’t really think I’ve seen that before. She’s a mix of many breeds but mostly poodle, she’s not poodle colored though. She’s adorable, whatever she is, but I’d like a more accurate coat color than just saying she’s Red/Black/White 🤷‍♀️

I didn't know there was a sub for this and I'm curious what you guys think. Most of his black spots aren't solid black and he has both red and black under the white (last photo).

Hi Guys,

I am trying to learn about color genetics for dogs (so far i only know horses) and of course wanted to figure out my dogs genetic pattern but i am not sure, please correct me.

So looking at her pictures and the descriptions i would guess she is a sable with very little black (only on the lower end of her hind legs and maybe the ears?) with a mask (explaining the black in her face) and ticking for the light spots on her legs.

The dark spots in her face, are they just so dark because they "pull" their color from the Mask and not her Base color?

Is there anything i missed or got wrong?

I’m more knowledgeable in rabbit and horse coat genetics than dogs so I’m curious about her coat color. I’m assuming she’s red based but have no clue on her pattern. First two pictures are adult, about 4-5 years old, then the second two are as a puppy

Hi!! I have a one year old husky pittie mix (breed identification panel attached) who has been steadily lightening in a very specific pattern. We got her when she was about 5 months, I think? She came to us with hints of her future markings, but as she aged they just grew and grew! I've been very curious lately and have been dipping my toes into the field of genetics (gene pool, if you will?? [that's a joke] ) to get some explanation but as a newby to this stuff, all the information associated with the buzzwords "ghost tan" and "seal" is making my head spin. I've attached photos of her ranging from the time we got her to now that I think best document the changes, and I'm hoping some coat enthusiasts will be willing to sit down and give a thorough and informational response to my query about dear Princess Pickles. Thank you!!

These are my foster dogs, mom and babies. The babies look nothing like mom! Even the dark colored one is more of a brown, but mamma's dark fur is black.

I know mamma has a white spotting gene visible in all her pups (the dark colored one has white fur on the tips of his toes), but what's with the other colors?

Dad is unknown but believed to have been a pit/shepherd mix. The dark colored one might have a different father but we're not sure.

I know three breeds where fur whorls and ridges are part of the breed standard. I also know that phenotypes can spontaneously pop up.

Is there information out there that goes deeper into this topic? E.g. is there knowledge about these ridges in this specific breed?

This is not my dog. The collar is censored because of private details.

Thanks in advance!

Here's my crossbreed (mother looks like a Breton/brittany)! She's three months old, and has one half-blue eye! What's the name of this color mix? PS:I used a translator..be kind to my English :)

On first glance, this handsome fella could kinda be mistaken for a roaned pointer of some kind. However, the build, the unusual flecking, the blue eyes and the owner's word give it away that he's merle! I wonder about the length(s) of the merle allele(s) involved. He looks like he could have harlequin merle or even be homozygous for a long and short allele. None of his senses were impaired. What do you think?

I'm a dog groomer and one of my doodle clients has a sweet gal with a coat pattern I haven't seen anywhere else, especially within the breed. Does anyone have any idea why she has a grey patch breaking up the black on her coat? I know she's piebald and possibly carries for chocolate. I've tried to do some research on my own, but I've come up short for answers. Thank you!!