Franc x Odessa puppies - July 11th

Franc x Odessa puppies - July 11th
Franc x Odessa puppies - July 11th

Monday, August 2, 2010

Curious Minds Want to Know!

Apparently everyone else is just as curious as I am....What color is Peanut?

I've received many emails asking where his spots are and what color they are. Well, to be honest, I'd like the answer to those questions myself!

Remember, this is my first litter. I have no experience with pups this young, so I cannot say anything for sure, but I can tell you that from the time nose trim starting filling in on Peanut, I could not tell what color he was. His nose trim is not as jet black as the others, but it seems too dark to be liver (even the dark liver).

With an understanding of color genetics in dalmatians, I took my questions, and my suspicions to breeders I know and trust and I think I can guess that Peanut is.....

Lemon.

Yes. I think he is a color called lemon.

He does have spots. I promise. They are just very pale, and they just started appearing last week. (Remember, the others all had spots much earlier than last week.)

The lemon gene has lurked in the dalmatian population for a long time. How long? I don't think anyone can answer that, but it has been there a while. Lemon is a recessive color, so both parents must carry the gene for the puppy to be lemon. (Liver is a recessive color also, so the only way to get a liver puppy is for both parents to have the liver gene.) Just as with any recessive gene, it can be "hidden" in the pedigree for multiple generations before you know it is there because BOTH parents must have it for the puppy to show that particular trait.

The good news is that the lemon color is just cosmetic - it is only a color. Yes, it is undesirable by the Dalmatian Standard, but there is no proof that it has ANY impact on the health of the dog.

Here are some pictures of Peanut's spots. Look closely - there is color there.



Look at the eye trim - there is color there.
There is also a little color on the upper left part of his ear.
(Isn't this a pretty picture?)



A spot on the paw....


some color on the ear...




some color on the other ear....




and more ear color....



another spot on a paw...


I am told that Peanuts spots will always be a lighter, paler color because of the lemon gene. We will get to watch his spots develop and intensify (well, as much as they are going to) together over the next 4+ weeks.

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