COLOR GENETICS
When having a litter, you don’t never know what colors are going to pop out from the Chinese crested. There are many color variations, and genes that help play an important role, from both parents as to why you get the colors you do. The hairless characteristic of the Chinese Crested is a genetically dominant trait regarded as a semi lethal. At least one parent must carry the hairless gene for pups to be born without hair. Those pups which receive the hairless gene from both parents will usually die before birth, and are reabsorbed in the womb. Those that are not reabsorbed are either stillborn or deformed. Mating hairless dogs together increases the likelihood of producing a greater number of these malformed pups. Powderpuffs do not carry the hairless gene.Pups cannot inherit two hairless genes, though the litter will consist of both haired and hairless types. Crested litters range from one to four puppies with an average of three. In a litter of four, there are normally three hairless puppies and one powderpuff. I have been very lucky, and have had litters of 5 and 6.
The Hairless
The hairless is considered to be the dominate trait within a single breed. In genetics, the term dominant gene refers to the Allele- DNA Coding (which can be dominant or recessive.) This causes a phenotype- Its total physical Appearance (ie: eye color, size, etc) phenotype can also be determined by the genotype, which is the specific genetic make-up in the DNA. Many phenotypes are determined by multiple genes, and environmental factors can also be attributed to the genetic makeup. The powderpuffs can never be bred out, because all cresteds have that ability to produce Puffs. Even when a hairless is bred to another hairless, they still can produce the powderpuffs. The hairless genes also carries lack of some teeth, and lack of hair on the body. And their are several degree's of how much hair they will have. The powderpuffs however, do not carry the hairless genes and should have their full set of teeth. They will only produce powderpuffs, unless bred to a hairless. The hairless has a single coat and born with a hairless body, where the Powderpuff has a double thick coat. ALL hairless cresteds have a single coat of hair, no matter how much hair they have.
True Hairless(THL)- A True HL is a crested that has less that 25% of its body covered in hair. They have hair on top of the head, tail and some or none at all on the feet. A THL is what the original cresteds are bred for and what the AKC standards describes the breed to be. They will require the least amount of shaving, if any is needed at all. Many times the only thing done to a THL is the face getting shaved.
MHL-Over time the hairless has begun getting more hair on the bodies. This is the inbetween (Moderate) The hair grow down their backs or on their legs, and face. They have a crest or long mane, tail and socks (hair on the feet) Grooming in generally not difficult or time consuming.
Hairy Hairless (HHL) or extreme HHL. They have the full furnishings (Long manes) ALOT of body hair, some can be almost covered like a powderpuff but naked on the belly) If it was gown out you might mistake them for a puff. This kind of hair takes LOTS of grooming, and is often seen on the dog shows. Grooming is very time consuming and difficult. People are generally shocked by the amount of hair this hairless dog can actually have. They are a high maintance dog.
The Powderpuff
"Recessive" gene, but is necessary to the breed's existence, and bettering of the teeth problems and bringing nicer furnishings to the hairless. Since a mating of a hairless to a hairless can produce extreme genetic issues, the most recommended, breeding and genetically healthier mating is a hairless to a powderpuff, which will then produce both varieties in one litter. The Powderpuffs coats change dramatically from a puppy to adult, There coats can grow 20cm long and can take up to 3 years. The colors of the coat if born dark usually fade into a lighter color, or several colors. The Hairless can come in 3 Basic colors : Slate, Pink, and Palomino. And if in the sun there pigment should only get darker.
WHAT IS SLATE?
Shades or combination of the following colors: Gray, Purple, Red, Blue, Black, and Tricolor- Meaning combination of the colors showing up.
A Pink DOG?
Pink may have pigmented spots of blue or black. The pink cresteds are so very unique, unlike any dog you will ever meet. Its important to keep the pink cresteds out of the sun, because they do burn very easily and are more prone to break out and and get black heads. Always keep them dressed warm and covered in the winter. Pink Cresteds-Albinism is also associated with the Pinks or Pale skin types and is dominant in white. Albinos can have piebald eyes and can cause bilateral deafness. Inherited deafness can be caused by a gene defect that is autosomal dominant, recessive, sex Linked, or may have involved several genes. White pigmentation-the disorder associated with pigmentation patterns, where the presence of white in the hair coat increases the likelihood of deafness. Two pigmentation genes meaning breeding a pink to pink are often associated to deafness in dogs and there is a higher chance of getting deaf puppies. To test for deafness you would get them BAER tested. The BAER exam is performed once in a lifetime. It is performed by a veterinary neurologist. BAER stands for Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response. The test can be done as young as 8 weeks. If the BAER test is performed earlier than 8 weeks, the results may not be valid. Aurora Dior is a pink Crested female. Both of her parents were health tested, and were clear.. However, she was born with closed ear canals.
Palomino
Palomino is considered copper tones. Similar to Palomino Horses. Cresteds are either a solid color, or spotted, and can get darkened from the sun. Palomino is a coat color in Horses however in cresteds, they consider the Powderpuffs to be a cream, apricot, peach, or beige. Which shaved down would have the palomino skin. Genetically, the palomino color is created by a dilution gene working on a red (chestnut) base coat. While the breed standard states the ideal color is that of a "newly minted gold coin" (sometimes mistakenly claimed to be a penny) A palomino crossed with a palomino may result in a palomino, but could also produce a chestnut. Palominos can have apricot, gold, cream and white furnishings. Due to their unusual color, palominos stand out in a show ring, and look more like little ponies prancing around.
Sables
The "shaded sable" coloring comes in many varieties, from the bluest gray to the darkest red. Sable puppies are often born with very dark pigmentation, and as they age and their coat grows out, they become lighter and lighter. The shaft of the hair is banded in such a way that the tips of the hairs on the coat are normally much darker, black or brown, depending on whether the dog is a chocolate sable or a black sable. The root of the hair shaft remains lighter, a golden, red, brown or blue color. The contrast is gorgeous. Just because a dog is sable, does not mean that dog will have sable puppies. That dog must be bred to the right genes in order to reproduce the sable coloring.
|
