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title: "7.4.4 Coat colors in dogs"
canonical: "https://wiki.groenkennisnet.nl/space/TAB/296681622/7.4.4%20Coat%20colors%20in%20dogs"
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In dogs there is another allele at the extension locus which is dominant over the E allele and that is the E(m)allele, causing a black mask at the head. Further, there is a recessive e allele, when homozygous, causing bright, yellow or red coats. *Brown* is the locus for the dilution of eumelanin and is a recessive trait. When homozygous bb, the eumelanin will dilute to a liver, brown or chocolate color. Nothing will happen when a B allele is present. The process of *dilution* is recessive epistatic depending on two alleles, D and d. Recessive epistatic means that when the locus is homozygous for the allele d, the dilution is epistatic, overpowering the base colour, causing black to become blue (slate grey). Dilution has only an effect on eumelanin, this differs from cattle and horses. DD and Dd have no effect. The *chinchilla* gene is able to dilute pheomelanin. CC or Cc are needed to form tyrosinase, which is an essential enzyme for the melanin production. When the recessive c is homozygous, the animal is unable to produce pigment and will be an albino. The c(ch), chinchilla allele fade the lighter brown parts of Agouti and Brindle even more to almost white, but does not affect the black eumelanin. It can also cause the extended white phenotype, causing black animals to have a white phenotype with black nose, feet, eyes and lips. 

More information: The genetics of the dog, 2012. Editors: E.A.Ostrander and A. Ruvinsky.