Coat Color Questions

Some color patterns are easy to understand. Some are not so easy. With the Red Brindle gene, why are some dogs more heavily brindled than others? Is their brindle pattern a separate unknown modifier gene or is it simply random how the dogs color out? The dogs below are genetically identical red brindle-yet one is obviously much darker than the other. In show terms the dog on the left is called a Red Brindle and the dog on the right is called a Black Brindle.


Left-DC Aragon Autumn Storm CDX TDX RA SC VCX (Apollo)
Right- BISS DC Aragon Night Frost VCD1 CDX TDX RE OJP SC VCX (Spirit)

The same is true with the Blue Brindle(Dilution gene added to the Red Brindle). The dog on the far right has very little blue brindling and for some reason is called a reverse Blue Brindle. The dog in the center is the more typical Blue Brindle. The dog on the far left is the Red Brindle.


Left-Ch Aragon Black Ice
Middle-Aragon Mystic Pearl
Right-Ch Aragon Aroi Silver Lining

Another question that has always puzzled me is the amount of color expressed in a Parti color dog. All three dogs below are called Parti colored but the amount of color is dramatically different. Why? The first dog is almost all white with a spot of red on his ear. He is registered as a red and white parti and will throw the parti gene and the red gene.


Ch Jets The Boy Next Door

The next dog shows a typical amount of coloring for a Parti dog


Ch Aragon Lunar Eclipse VCD1 MX MXJ RE JC

And the last shows an extreme amount of coloring



Ch Aragon Silver Oak

All three partis will throw their base color(the above three dogs Red Black and Brindle) +/- dilution gene and the Parti gene

Thats all for color genetics in the greyhound. Next posts will be back to the dogs.

Greyhounds Are Versatile Part 1

Poppy has been a long time friend and owns Pearl(Aragon Mystic Pearl). She has known me through my original greyhounds and all subsequent generations. When I first met Poppy she owned Weimaraners and Beagles. Owning a greyhound wasn't something she had considered. Through our friendship she learned about the breed. She has helped raise and socialize litters, helped through their illnesses and puppy placements. In fact when I think back through my years with the dogs, Poppy frequently comes to mind. Many years ago she moved across the country to be nearer to her family. When she lost her last greyhound Angel(Aragon Shimmering Mist) she was on the list for another puppy from Lyric. Below is her story of her involvement and thoughts on greyhounds.

Greyhounds are wonderful dogs. A lot of people think that greyhounds need a lot of space to run all of the time but that is not always the case. Some get to run in the great outdoors, up hill and down dale. Lyric(mom),Whisper(cousin)and Dede(friend).





Jesse(aunt) and Merlin(father)




Some have their own sand pit to play in at home - Lyric, Whisper and Apollo.



Beautiful and lucky greyhounds have families that work a lot with them and take them to dog shows and show them off and get their championships with them. - Lyric, Darby Crash, Echo, Tanner, and Becca.



Some are lucky enough to sleep on the furniture. - Tanner and Ember.



To Continue in Part 2