Gundog Training Forum

Why is this colour so common in so many different breeds?
Where did it come from?
I've often wondered this.

Dunno but I have an unreasonable hankering after a Gordon Setter

I used to, don't worry, you will outgrow it.

Judy wrote: ↑Sun Apr 16, 2017 9:52 pm I used to, don't worry, you will outgrow it.

I'm sure

Drawnrazor, I have several times wondered the same thing. Why is this rather distinctive colour seen breeds as disparate at dashounds, Rottweiler's, several terriers, coon hounds and Gordon setters. I recently read an article in a science publication that more in depth work on dog DNA indicates that they are not simply evolved from the current species of grey wolf we know today but that their background includes several other species of wolf now extinct. I wonder if one of these ancient ancestor species was black and tan and that is why it seems to be so deeply embedded in current dog DNA?

Having had a black, tan and white cocker spaniel male all I can say is that many people seem to like and want this colouring. My cocker had quite a few matings to folks bitches whose owners were far more interested in getting a black, tan and white pup or three in their litters than they were in how well my dog worked. I always tried to explain that for their bitches to produce the colour they wanted , the bitches would have to have that colour already present in their genetic code.

Some of those bitch owners still wanted the mating to take place but my dog only produced a few pups with the same colouration as him. Black and tan seems to exist as a recessive gene and it requires both the dog and the bitch to have that gene if black and tan pups are to be born.

Labs occasionally throw up black and tan pups and along with the colour gene certain physical characteristics are often present too. The labs with this colour I've seen (they often have a small white splash too ) look a bit like miniature rottweilers in my opinion and the lab of this colour I once trained as a guide dog was a very good natured male but he was a little bit stupid and slow to learn compared to the other labs I've trained.

I find it interesting how often physical or even mental traits seem to attach themselves to various genes that affect colour in dogs.
For example, for many years, most field trial folk would not take on a chocolate lab....they were felt to be a bit lacking in "drive" and maybe a bit stupid too.

Wullie

They can look very nice, though.






Steve.

stiffsteve wrote: ↑Sun Apr 30, 2017 4:15 pm They can look very nice, though.






Steve.

Beautiful

Didn't most German breeds breed for B&T they favoured this colour, sure I read this somewhere.

What a wonderful photograph.