Are you expecting puppies?
If so, learning about the color possibilities can help you prepare for when they arrive.
This article will guide you through the genetic basis of coat color and what to expect in terms of predicting your puppy’s coat color.
What determines a puppy’s coat color?
The color of your puppy’s coat is determined by genes.
Genes are chemical units in our cells that contain information about how to build various proteins, which are the building blocks of life.
Different versions of each gene exist and these gene variants can be passed to offspring.
Every living thing has two copies of most genes, one inherited from its mother (the maternal copy) and one from its father (the paternal copy).
The combination of these two copies determines what kind of traits an individual will have such as eye color or hair color.
In dogs, some genes determine whether a dog’s fur is black or brown (or sometimes other colors).
These same genes also influence the degree to which a dog’s fur lightens when exposed to the sun because they affect pigmentation levels in the skin cells called melanocytes—these determine how much melanin pigment is produced in response to sunlight exposure over time.
How can you predict the color of a puppy?
The color of a puppy is determined by the combination of genes from its parents.
By looking at the breed standards for your breed, you can get an idea about which colors are likely to be produced.
However, predicting puppy coat color is not an exact science and there will always be some variation.
For example, some puppies may have more white than others in the same litter and one of their siblings may have more tan points than them.
Each dog has two copies of each gene – one from each parent – so if both copies are the same (for example they both have brown or black as their dominant color), then that color will appear on both sides of their body (eumelanin or phaeomelanin).
If one copy is different (one parent has brown as their dominant color but the other parent has black) then only one side will appear in that area due to incomplete dominance.
For example A black dog x brown dog = some puppies with black fur on one side only + some puppies with brown fur everywhere else + some puppies with no eumelanin pigment anywhere.
Learn More:
What do newborn puppies look like?
You might be wondering what your newborn puppies will look like.
If you’re about to welcome a litter of new pups into your life, here’s what you can expect:
- Pups are born with white coats and are blind, deaf, and hairless. They also have an umbilical cord attached to them until they are old enough to eat solid food (between 5-8 weeks). Their eyes aren’t open yet either!
- Puppies’ heads also have a soft spot on top—this is called the fontanelle or “soft spot.” It allows room for their brains to grow as they develop into adult dogs.
Puppy coat colors are determined by genetics.
You may have heard that puppy coat colors are determined by genetics. This is true!
Genetics plays a role in coat color, but it’s not the only thing that determines what your dog will look like as an adult.
The environment you provide for your puppy will also affect their appearance.
For example, if you live somewhere that gets a lot of sun, it’s likely to be warmer than if you lived somewhere with less natural sunlight or heat from the sun.
This can change how fast they grow and where their hair grows on their bodies (called “growth rate”).
Conclusion
I hope this article has helped answer some of your questions about the genetic basis of coat color in puppies.
While it’s true that some breeds are more likely to produce certain colors, this is by no means a perfect science.
Every puppy is unique, and you might be surprised at what comes out when two dogs with different coat colors and patterns are bred together!
If you’re not sure what color to expect from your litter of puppies, ask the breeder for details about their parents’ coloring so that you can make better predictions based on their genes.
