Hi there,

I'm looking into the inheritance of the long coated gene and was wondering if anyone could shed some insight into it :) I've searched on the internet and have come up with the fact that it is recessive, so both the dam and the sire must be carriers for a longcoat to appear in the litter. Does anyone else have any additional information they could share with me.

Thanks

What breed do you have in mind?

Mals - though I would be interested in the inheritance in all breeds

Think it may be different in Mals, not sure that it is known for sure as if it was they would not crop up every so often as any breeder with any sense would avoid it if they could. In their original homeland any Mal with a incorrect coat would be culled as soon as it was clear the coat was not right as the dog would not be able to live in the environment with an incorrect coat, so it may be difficult to know where the gene came from. It is a bit the same in my breed if you import a dog from the country of origin you are not sure if something that you would not wish for is in the background, as dogs that do not make the grade are shot and therefore the 'fault in the breeding line' is no longer evident.

Guess you are wanting to breed and wishing to avoid your pups having such a problem, may be the breed club can help they should know which lines are producing a faulty coat.

Hi Jackie,

No I'm not wanting to breed - its purely for academic interest. I am a member of both the breed club and the working club and have seen some lines which have produced long coated mals (though obviously there's a lot for me still to learn) - I was merely interested in the genetics behind it. I am also interested in the coat colour genetics and whether grey/black/red is dominant/recessive etc :)

Could you email me? [email Melodysk@Icebaymals.co.uk]Here[/email]

Cheers

Mel

Your like me then always looking for information, I am not sure about the gene for long coat in Mals and if the breed club don't perhaps it is not known. Do know or at least believe that some traits are the result of different types of genes in different species and I believe different breeds. For instance the gene for a white coat is different in different breeds and in some breeds also carries deafness and in others not because in some breeds the colour is not true white but more of a cream. Bet I have lost you, my mind is wandering now, let me know if you find out if the gene have been located and if the mode of inheritance is known, thanks. Do hope so because the breed as a whole may be able to eradicate it.