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Curious About Coat Patterns

5K views 22 replies 16 participants last post by  gagsd 
#1 · (Edited)
I think I get the general idea of saddle back and blanket back. But what is a bi color? Can a bi color be a blanket back or saddle back? Wolfie is a black and red. Does that make him a bi color? Does he have a blanket back? I'm a little confused.
 
#2 ·
for wolfie i would say he's a bi-color but he could very easily be a blanket back as well. It all depends on who you ask really. Some people will say a bi-color has less tan and more black on their legs while i'm sure others would disagree.
 
#3 ·
A bi-color is marked like a Rottweiler -- mostly black with just a little tan on the legs and face. The tan on the legs may also have bleck pendilling on the feet and toes and black on the hocks.

Your dog is a black and tan (red). As the amount of tan on him will probably increase, it is difficult to say if he will remain a blanket-back.
 
#4 ·
My pup Ace is a bi-color and he has no tan on his face. He is black all over except for spot under tail and lower legs. Tan on back side of lower front legs and front side of lower rear back legs. :)
 
#22 ·
I just reserved a pup from a litter. The sire is described as a bi-color, but he has some white. I attached a photo to show. He has white on the inner thigh, and on the bottom of the tail, and around the vent. I am trying to avoid the fading gene, is this dog rich enough pigment?
 
#10 ·
actually he is black and red. The red is getting redder as he gets older. You can really see the red when he lies on my red oak floor. He's the same color as the floor right now, but the breeder said he will be a lot redder as he matures. Thanks everyone for the insight. I am clearer on the bi color issue now.
 
#15 ·
i have a question about my pup and thought this thread would be closest to it...
he has a complete black back minus the red on his ears, but there is a thick strip of shiney black but the same color, about as thick as his neck running from his neck all the way back along w/ a few white stray hairs.... is this normal? his back end is also rougher then the rest of his body... any thoughts?
 
#16 ·
Wolfie is a Melanistic Black and Tan. A true bicolor should have tar heels, black penciling on the forelegs and the black should wrap all the way under the belly. To make things more confusing, many dogs that people think are black are actually bi-colors. They will have just a bit of tan under the tail "at the vent" and a few paler areas on the face. So while they look solid black, they actually are a genetic bi-color.
We have a solid black male that there was some dispute about whether he was a black or bi-color(a fun dispute) and we were told by someone who is a genetics nut that since he didn't have the lighter coloring at the vent, he is a genetic black, regardless of the fact that he has some lighter hairs between the toes.
 
#19 ·
Yup. We've had 2 dogs that are unquestionably genetically solid black develop the tan bleed through on the feet. Kali's advanced so far in later years that there was enough on her front and back legs some people did ask if she was a Bi. Nope, she's black.

Some Bis are so dark the only way to know they aren't black is to peek under the tail. And some blacks develop such bleed through on the feet and legs as they age, only way to know they are black and not Bi is to peek under the tail. Of course, knowing the genetics behind them as to whether Bi or black is even possible can answer that as well. But if that's unknown the vent check is sometimes the only way to know for sure.
 
#21 ·
I'm so glad you put the picture of wolfie's mom up, Frank looks really close to that he has just a spot of silver on each cheek(fingerprint size), where Wolfe's mom is black.
I've had people tell me he's bi-color and blanket backed both. confusing.
A friend of mine has dobermans and he has the same type coat pattern as her dobie,
we laughed when someone asked if Frank was part lab since he had so much black on him and we said no he was a long haired doberman. ( I know that was probably bad of us but who can mistake those ears)
 
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