You may have noticed recently that we have mentioned of "Diluted Pomskies" on our Facebook page. But what is a Diluted Pomsky and why are these colours such a big deal?
Two colour are considered "Diluted". One is 'Blue' and the other one is called 'Lilac'.
Blue puppies present a very unique shade of grey, almost a steel tone (First picture - produced by clover Ridge Pomsky (USA) - owned by Claire Nicholson in UK), while Lilacs (or Lavanders) (Second picture - produced by Mountain Shadow Pomskies) have a very very distinguished chocolate colour.
What you probably don't realise is that these puppies are VERY HARD to produce and are the most genetically rare colours in Pomskies.
Why is this such a big deal? Well, for breeders it is like climbing Mt. Everest or finishing 26.2 miles in a marathon. You just don't get blues, nor lavenders, unless the parents have the genetic makeup to make them!
Let's brush up on genetics a little bit...
We all inherit one copy of each gene from each parent, the same is true in canines. The mutation causing color dilution is recessive, and two copies (dd) of the mutated gene on the D Locus are needed to produce the diluted coat color.
(D is dominant and d is recessive).
The MLPH mutation affects both eumelanin and phaeomelanin pigments. These pigments control the color of the dog to make a blue or a lilac dog.
Some dogs (like our Leyla and Aerith) have a Dd makeup, which means that they carry for the diluted gene, but they are not blue, nor lilac themselves. They do not show the diluted coat on their phenotype but they can produce diluted puppies.
What is the difference between Lilac and Blue if in both cases the dog needs to be dd?
For the Lavender puppies, two genes come into play, the D locus and the B locus. The B locus is what chocolate puppies are made from, if they are genetically bb. So, a puppy that is DD or Dd and bb is a chocolate puppy. Leyla is chocolate. She is Dd bb.
A lavender dog's genetics would be dd bb - the most recessive combination of those two genes that you can get!
Basically, blue and lavender puppies are the genetic equivalent of unicorns, due to the recessive genes not being present in many dogs. Breeders love unique - it excites us! It may seem nerdy to some, but it is just a cool phenomenon to be able to make something that is not seen every day.
Look at the diagram below! This is just a SMALL PART of what we consider when we pair 2 dogs to produce a litter. Obviously we take in consideration many other elements such as health, temperament, conformation, size, coat type but colour plays its role as well as other factors!
What does this mean if you are not a Pomsky breeder? Maybe nothing. Maybe it is no big deal and you just think they are a pretty grey, and they are.
But if you are in love with rare and unique and you like being different,
then a diluted pomsky is exactly what you need... !
Thanks to Pomskies of the Smoky Mountains - Smoky Mountain Pomskies (USA) for writing the first article about Blue and Lavander pomskies.
Please visit www.animalgenetics.us or Dog Coat Colour Genetics (doggenetics.co.uk) for more info about how to read a dog DNA, such as Embark.