So my good friend calls me up the other day and tells me that she is in her kitchen staring at her new male dog that she just bought. After just losing her favorite dog to old age, I knew that she was looking for another dog to live in the house with her. So she tells me that she just imported this dog from Germany. I was so excited and happy for her because I knew how much this dog meant to her. She tells me where I can see a picture of him which I found on her website. He is a very handsome black and red male with a beautiful plush coat. Black and red………..so typical for the German import dogs. It got me wondering why the German dogs are so well pigmented and the American dogs not so much. I mean I really, really like that black and red pigment. I’d even take a black and orange pigmented dog!
So I started to think about this year’s National from last week. I was very impressed with the overall quality of the dogs that were displayed there. I think the breeders have come a long way from even just a few years ago. I saw better fronts and side gait and better overall breed type. But even so, I didn’t see any black and red pigment. Naturally I was viewing the show from streaming video on my computer so I couldn’t see pigment up close and personal.
How can American breeders improve upon pigment in their litters? Where do we go to get it? There are a few dogs that I know that have gorgeous pigment like the double “Select Rouge,” the gorgeous “Select Annie” (although she is American/German cross) but I don’t know too many others. Do we need to out cross to a German dog to bring this gorgeous pigment into the genetic pool? Where and how do we get it? I remember some of the old dogs from the past that had beautiful rich pigment like “Joey Baby”, and Select Lothario.”
I am not a genetic specialist so I don’t claim to know everything there is to know about pigment. I just know that I love looking at a pretty dog. Red sables are just as beautiful as a black and red pigmented dog in this writer’s opinion. I don’t know how to get it, but I know I want some of it!
So today’s entry on my blog is short and sweet…………….just please tell me how do I get that gorgeous red pigment into my lines? And no, I can’t afford a German import.
My rating: rich, red or orange pigment: (4), American bred dogs pigment: (3)
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