Off Colors in Dobermans
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Let’s talk about MELANISTIC!
One of the newer fads in dobermans are solid color dogs lacking tan points, advertised as “melanistic”.
Melanistic does not mean one solid color. Melanism is simply an increase in black pigment. In an animal that typically has markings, it just means the markings are darker, not that they don’t have any markings at all. Truly melanistic dobermans are unusual, and their markings can still be seen in good lighting.
Solid colored dobermans that are truly solid are mixed, and that’s the big new fad now is creating new colors and coming up with new or creatively inaccurate names for them. Once the mixed breed is three or more generations back, DNA testing can no longer pick that up and that is what these bad breeders latch onto, “embark says pure doberman”. But I have personally seen dogs that I know for a fact are mixed, with an embark test that says purebred. Dogs lacking tan points are not purebred Dobermans. Dobermans are “fixed” on the at/at locus which is the genetic code for tan points. “Fixed” means that all purebred Dobermans have tan points. If you run across a Doberman that is DNA tested to be anything other than at/at, there has been another breed mixed in to achieve that!
Adding:
These are the color genes that all Dobermans are fixed for-
E locus: Dobermans can be EE, EmE (carrying one copy of the masking gene that causes a sooty or darker face) or EmEm (carrying two copies of the masking gene for a sooty face. They cannot be Ee (carrying clear red) or ee (expressing clear red).
A-locus: All purebred Dobermans are at/at (tan points).
K-locus: all purebred Dobermans are ky/ky (solid color with a-locus markings ‘tan points’ able to show through the base color).
If a Doberman is KB/KB or KB/ky, there was another breed mixed in to get that, since KB is dominant. KB is the “dominant black” gene. If a Doberman is KB/KB or KB/ky, it will be solid colored. In order to show tan points (from the a locus- in dobes that is at/at) the dog must be ky/ky.
One of the newer fads in dobermans are solid color dogs lacking tan points, advertised as “melanistic”.
Melanistic does not mean one solid color. Melanism is simply an increase in black pigment. In an animal that typically has markings, it just means the markings are darker, not that they don’t have any markings at all. Truly melanistic dobermans are unusual, and their markings can still be seen in good lighting.
Solid colored dobermans that are truly solid are mixed, and that’s the big new fad now is creating new colors and coming up with new or creatively inaccurate names for them. Once the mixed breed is three or more generations back, DNA testing can no longer pick that up and that is what these bad breeders latch onto, “embark says pure doberman”. But I have personally seen dogs that I know for a fact are mixed, with an embark test that says purebred. Dogs lacking tan points are not purebred Dobermans. Dobermans are “fixed” on the at/at locus which is the genetic code for tan points. “Fixed” means that all purebred Dobermans have tan points. If you run across a Doberman that is DNA tested to be anything other than at/at, there has been another breed mixed in to achieve that!
Adding:
These are the color genes that all Dobermans are fixed for-
E locus: Dobermans can be EE, EmE (carrying one copy of the masking gene that causes a sooty or darker face) or EmEm (carrying two copies of the masking gene for a sooty face. They cannot be Ee (carrying clear red) or ee (expressing clear red).
A-locus: All purebred Dobermans are at/at (tan points).
K-locus: all purebred Dobermans are ky/ky (solid color with a-locus markings ‘tan points’ able to show through the base color).
If a Doberman is KB/KB or KB/ky, there was another breed mixed in to get that, since KB is dominant. KB is the “dominant black” gene. If a Doberman is KB/KB or KB/ky, it will be solid colored. In order to show tan points (from the a locus- in dobes that is at/at) the dog must be ky/ky.
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Let’s talk about ALBINISM!
This can be a bit of a controversial subject among Doberman owners and breeders. Many unscrupulous breeders will intentionally breed albino dobermans, while claiming they aren’t albino at all- and they have a whole laundry list of deceptive nicknames:
Cream
White
Blonde
Platinum
Buttercream
Some will admit they are “partial albino” but deny any predisposition to health and behavior issues. They breed these animals intentionally and lie to the unsuspecting buyers about what they are getting. The truth, is that albino Dobermans, and most likely all albino dogs, are Oculocutaneous Albino- a variation of albinism that causes a partial deletion of the SLC45A2 gene. These dogs can be easily identified by the lack of pigmentation in their skin, pink nose, pink eye rims, pink lips, and most of the time, blue eyes. A white dog who is truly WHITE, and not albino, will have pigmentation in the lips, nose, and sometimes on the body such as speckles, spots or patches appearing on the skin under the white coat. The pigmented spots can be seen most easily when the dog is wet!
Dobermans are not the only breed of dog who can be albino. Many breeds carry the genetic mutation, and when two carriers are bred together, an albino puppy can pop up. In some breeds, it has become a fad to breed these dogs intentionally. Pugs are one of the most recent victims to this trend- “Pink Pugs”, as they are deceptively nicknamed, are becoming increasingly popular among unethical breeders and misinformed buyers.
A DNA test is available from many different labs that can detect the OCA4 gene for Albinism. If interested in obtaining a DNA test, we are happy to provide a list of reputable labs who provide them! It appears to be a simple recessive, which means a dog can be “clear”, “carrier”, or “affected”. A normally colored dog can be clear, meaning it carries no copies of the albino gene, or it can be a carrier, which means it carries one copy of the gene and will pass it on to 50% of its offspring. An “affected” dog is a visible albino- it carries two
Copies of the gene and will pass at least one copy to 100% of its offspring.
So what’s the big deal? Why is it unethical to intentionally breed and produce these albino dogs? Well, for starters, albino dogs are more prone to health issues! Albino Dobermans in particular have been shown to have an increased risk for tumors and melanomas. Their exposure to sunlight should be limited and when outside, they should wear sunscreen on the areas of their body that have a thin coat, such as ears, nose, and around the eyes. They should also wear a shirt to help protect their skin from the suns harmful UV rays.
They are also photosensitive, which means they can’t see well in bright light. This causes most albinos to squint when outside in the sunlight. This impaired vision can cause fear-reactive behavior issues. Albino dogs should wear pet-safe sunscreen and eye protection when outside, such as Doggles!
Albino dogs deserve to be loved family companions just the same as any other color. But albino dogs should always be spayed or neutered and never bred.
Sources:
https://www.google.com/.../www.../news/amp/ncna109361
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0092127
https://dpca.org/albino/
https://www.gulfcoastdobermanrescue.org/the-albino...
This can be a bit of a controversial subject among Doberman owners and breeders. Many unscrupulous breeders will intentionally breed albino dobermans, while claiming they aren’t albino at all- and they have a whole laundry list of deceptive nicknames:
Cream
White
Blonde
Platinum
Buttercream
Some will admit they are “partial albino” but deny any predisposition to health and behavior issues. They breed these animals intentionally and lie to the unsuspecting buyers about what they are getting. The truth, is that albino Dobermans, and most likely all albino dogs, are Oculocutaneous Albino- a variation of albinism that causes a partial deletion of the SLC45A2 gene. These dogs can be easily identified by the lack of pigmentation in their skin, pink nose, pink eye rims, pink lips, and most of the time, blue eyes. A white dog who is truly WHITE, and not albino, will have pigmentation in the lips, nose, and sometimes on the body such as speckles, spots or patches appearing on the skin under the white coat. The pigmented spots can be seen most easily when the dog is wet!
Dobermans are not the only breed of dog who can be albino. Many breeds carry the genetic mutation, and when two carriers are bred together, an albino puppy can pop up. In some breeds, it has become a fad to breed these dogs intentionally. Pugs are one of the most recent victims to this trend- “Pink Pugs”, as they are deceptively nicknamed, are becoming increasingly popular among unethical breeders and misinformed buyers.
A DNA test is available from many different labs that can detect the OCA4 gene for Albinism. If interested in obtaining a DNA test, we are happy to provide a list of reputable labs who provide them! It appears to be a simple recessive, which means a dog can be “clear”, “carrier”, or “affected”. A normally colored dog can be clear, meaning it carries no copies of the albino gene, or it can be a carrier, which means it carries one copy of the gene and will pass it on to 50% of its offspring. An “affected” dog is a visible albino- it carries two
Copies of the gene and will pass at least one copy to 100% of its offspring.
So what’s the big deal? Why is it unethical to intentionally breed and produce these albino dogs? Well, for starters, albino dogs are more prone to health issues! Albino Dobermans in particular have been shown to have an increased risk for tumors and melanomas. Their exposure to sunlight should be limited and when outside, they should wear sunscreen on the areas of their body that have a thin coat, such as ears, nose, and around the eyes. They should also wear a shirt to help protect their skin from the suns harmful UV rays.
They are also photosensitive, which means they can’t see well in bright light. This causes most albinos to squint when outside in the sunlight. This impaired vision can cause fear-reactive behavior issues. Albino dogs should wear pet-safe sunscreen and eye protection when outside, such as Doggles!
Albino dogs deserve to be loved family companions just the same as any other color. But albino dogs should always be spayed or neutered and never bred.
Sources:
https://www.google.com/.../www.../news/amp/ncna109361
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0092127
https://dpca.org/albino/
https://www.gulfcoastdobermanrescue.org/the-albino...
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"Recessive red" or "clear red"
Another new fad is "recessive red", “clear red” or “melanistic red”, indicating a dog the color of a Vizsla with no tan points.
This is another color that Dobermans genetically CANNOT be. That red color is “ee” red, the same gene that is responsible for Golden Retrievers color, and all purebred Dobermans are fixed at “EE”. If you see a Doberman with a dna test showing “Ee” or “ee”, another breed had to have been introduced in order to add the possibility of “ee”, as it is not possible within the purebred Doberman gene pool. These "clear red" dogs are mixed, likely with vizsla or German Pinscher.
Other popular breeds to mix into Dobermans to get solid colors are Great Danes, Weimeraners, and Catahoula Leopard Dogs.
Another new fad is "recessive red", “clear red” or “melanistic red”, indicating a dog the color of a Vizsla with no tan points.
This is another color that Dobermans genetically CANNOT be. That red color is “ee” red, the same gene that is responsible for Golden Retrievers color, and all purebred Dobermans are fixed at “EE”. If you see a Doberman with a dna test showing “Ee” or “ee”, another breed had to have been introduced in order to add the possibility of “ee”, as it is not possible within the purebred Doberman gene pool. These "clear red" dogs are mixed, likely with vizsla or German Pinscher.
Other popular breeds to mix into Dobermans to get solid colors are Great Danes, Weimeraners, and Catahoula Leopard Dogs.