Coat Color Inheritance

                                 (part 2)

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*(1) Homozygous - - having a double dose for that factor.

*(2) Points - - nose, lips, eye rims, and foot pads

*(3) Heterozygous - -a double gene - - one dominant factor, one recessive factor.

*(4) Isabella - - A dusty rose color coat with pale blue masking and shading...out of the blue gene

*(5)Yellow-Red - - includes Fawn, cream, red fawn, mahogany, etc.

*(6) Allele - - any of a group of possible mutational forms.

*(7) Epistasis - - a dominant type action of one series of genes on another series of genes.

Further Definitions:

Allele: One of a pair of genes.

Heterozygous: One member of a gene pair is chemically different that the other. Hence, the animal can pass a certain characteristic (determined by one gene) to one offspring through a sperm or egg cell and a different characteristic to another.

Homozygous: both members of a pair of genes which the animal passes on to its progeny are the same. It cannot transmit any other specific characteristic than what it has to give.

Piebald: Responsible for the "Flowered Shar-Pei"

References:

The Color of Inheritance in the Dog by Little, published by Howell's Book House

Genetics of the Dog by Burns and Fraser, published by Lippincott.

The German Shepherd Dog by Willis, Published by Arco.

Several book by Leon F. Whitney, usually published by Howells Book House.

Editors Note: This article was written in either the late 70's or very early 80's. Since then there has been time to establish further information regarding the appearances of color and mutations in Shar-Pei. If this article interests you there are several other articles specifically written on the color in Shar-Pei in The Barker Magazine and the Orient Express as well as many sources for color of dogs in general.. I hope this helps to enlighten you about the nuances of shading and color you have observed in today's Shar-Pei.

KNOWN COLORS OF SHAR-PEI IN AMERICA

Fawn Most common color: Includes Light Fawn, Dark Fawn, Red Fawn . Many fawns have a silver hue to their coat. This is not to be mistaken with a blue shading. Gray shading in a fawn coat of a newborn puppy usually indicates that the fawn will shade out to a red fawn.

Cream, includes Dark and Light Cream Usually with shadings of apricot on ears, hocks and dorsal stripe

Can have either Black, Charcoal or Brick Nose (mixture of pink and black or charcoal) It is unusal for a cream to not have a dorsal stripe or to not have apricot shading on ears.

Silver: This uusual color seems to be part of the cream gene pool. The dog casts a platinium silver shade, light like a cream but without the usual dorsal apricot stripe, some apricot shading to the ears but otherwise a light even silver with a dark mask of charcoal. Some placed these in the catagory of dark skins creams . This is not a recognized color and very little is known about it at this time.

Black: Most blacks in this breed are shaded blacks...with shading of either red, silver, brown or chocolate. True jet blacks are rarely seen in Shar-Pei..The coat is usually dull instead of shiny.

Dilute: Total lack of black pigment. Includes: Cream (with pink or liver points) Apricot or Five Point Red (a deep even red) , Light and Dark Chocolate ( light milk chocolate to dark hersey brown), Lilac ( a blue/chocolate giving the appearance of lavendar... .found.only in dilute) All of these have self- colored points- - nose, pads, nails, lavendar tongue color, lighter eye)

Sable: Even Black or Liver laced hairs over a solid foundation such as Red Sable, Fawn Sable or Sable Dilute (Apricot Dilute with Chocolate hairs laced through. A true sable does not have a lighter butterfly pattern on the chest nor Doberman points on the head. Legs are laced evenly. A Saddle pattern is also not a true sable.

Red Rare in this breed. Can be shades of Mahogany Red or Orange. Very dark and intense. Usually with very little variation of color through entire coat. Nails can be black or self colored. Black nose unless dilute. Eyes can be dark or amber.

Blue Recently discovered ..Blues can range from very dark blue which is usually seen in brushcoats and a light silvery blue usually seen in horsecoats. Puppies are all usually lighter in color at birth. Often with blue eyes at birth...going dark, amber or a yellow blue as adults Tongue color can range from lavendar to dark blue. Nails are self colored.

Isabella: A dusty rose color coat with blue masking on face and a blue dorsal stripe. Darker points, dark or lavendar tongue color . Important: some Isabella's are born completely blue at birth with the only noticable difference from their blue littermates is a fawn shading appearing on the top of the head. By 10 weeks or so, the change is dramatic from blue to isabella. Part of the blue gene group.

Lilac Presently the rarest of all colors. A chocolately blue dilute color giving the appearance of purple. The same color as an Weimaraner. Always found in dilute only. Darker Lilac is usually found on brushcoats and the lighter Lilac is identified in horsecoats. Part of the blue gene group.

Flowered: At Least a 3/4 colored head , often with an inverted "^" in the back of head over a white background. The same color can be found in patches and ticking throughout the body. Can be found in all colors including blue and sable. Not to be confused with the Irish Spotting Gene..white boots, chest blaze and tip of tail. Most Flowered have either very light or pink tongue color. Lavendar tongues are often found on dilutes. Occasionally can be found with a dark tongue.

The Chinese Shar-Pei is an evolving breed and there is always the possibility of more or varied colors.