Have you ever heard of a lilac Border Collie? Border Collies are some of the most intelligent dogs on the planet.
image: @blue_eyes_lilac_bordercollie
image: @mayathelilacbc
Dominant black hair genes Several factors will control what color a dog will come out, but at the most basic, a dog with BB (homozygous dominant) or Bb (heterozygous) genetics will have black hair.
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image: @torvibordercolliearg
A dog with bb genetics will have “red” hair, showing up as a shade of brown. The BB will always pass a dominant black gene along. This causes offspring to produce black color in their coat.
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To gain different shades, three genes are involved. A black dog or red dog will have DD genetics controlling the amount of eumelanin that is expressed, allowing full, rich color.
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image: @blue_eyes_lilac_bordercollie
White Border Collies with darker skin on their ears, nose, and lips are creams and are likely to be healthy, but dogs with very pale red or blue eyes, ears, and lips can have tyrosinase or albinism.
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image: @mayathelilacbc
A lilac coat is the result of the breeding of a chocolate (dd) and a blue (bb) dog. This mix creates a double recessive on two different alleles or genetic locations on the chromosome.
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image: @blue_eyes_lilac_bordercollie