The fur colors
in the German Großspitz
Black, white, brown, wolf tone & different color
The color genetics of the Großspitz was and is as diverse as that of the smaller varieties, with the difference that it was repeatedly limited by the determination of breed characteristics and thus fixed color specifications. So it's no wonder that today we mostly only see whiteandblackFind Great Peaks. In the literature about dog breeds, however, there are also different colored (new colored) tip with different designations like:
Brown, isabella, tan, dun, yellow, white-yellow, bun, pale tawny, fox red(h), russet, cream or piebald. [1,2,3.4]
More terms likecream,sable and sableonly came added in recent decades.
The color genetics of the Great Spitz
The coloring and its inheritance depends on the allele constellation
There are two pigments (melanins) found in fur: Theblack eumelanin and thered pheomelanin. All coat colors are caused by the different distribution of these two dyes in the coat. The respective color locus controls when and where these dyes should appear in the fur and skin. Below are the color Loki relevant to the Spitz:
E locus
The E locus decides whether the dog is white or can train "color".
K locus
The K locus determines whether the dog can develop dominant black or the dominant color on the A locus.
A locus
So far, the colors on the A locus have been determined as follows: ay (dominant yellow), aw (wild-colored), at (black and tan), and a (recessive black). Since May 2023, it has also been possible in Germany to use a new analysis to determine even more precisely what color the animal has on the A locus. The following drawing patterns can now be assigned:
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dominant yellow without black hair tips (dominant yellow, DY)
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dominant yellow with dark hair tips (shaded yellow, SY)
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wild colors (agouti, AG)
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Saddle tan (black saddle, BS)
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Black and tan (black back, BB)
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recessive black (A)
B locus
Whether the dog can develop brown color depends on the B locus.
S locus
The S locus influences whether the dog is a piebald, a piebald, or not a piebald.
I locus
The I locus determines the color intensity of the (yellow-red) pigment.
The production of color pigments is disturbed on the C locus, this leads to albinism.
At the D locus, a gene mutation produces a diluted or lightened base color.
The structure of color genetics (simplified)
Effects of color locus E, K and A on color in Spitz
publications
The coat color of the Spitz
dr Anna Laukner
© Swiss Dog Magazine 2011 & 2012
Source: Lovers of German Spitz e.V.
Explanation and examples of the color pairing of white and black Great Spitz
Text & Pictures: Janet Scheidig 09/2014
When color makes you sick:
When is it torture and when is it not?
dr Anna Laukner
© dr Anna Laukner, Echterdingen 2019