Adopts | MYOs | Breeding | Genetics
The B & D loci work together to determine the Eumelanin, or black pigment of the dog. By default, Eumelanin is black. A black colored dog must have at least one "B" (BB or Bb) and one "D" (DD or Dd) in its genes. All instances of Eumelanin in the dog will be black, and relatively the same shade. The nose will be black, and the eyes will be brown or dark brown. If you feel like your black dog feels "flat", try tinting towards purple or blue! It doesn't have to be super dark either, just dark enough it couldn't be mistaken for blue.
Next is Liver. Liver appears as a sort of chocolate or sometimes reddish brown. A liver dog must have two "b" genes (bb) and at least one "D" (DD or Dd) in its genes. All instances of Eumelanin in the dog will be liver, and relatively the same shade. The nose will be brown, and the eyes will be light brown, amber or gold. When choosing a liver shade, i would recommend a orange to red base. if you lean to close to yellow it tends to look kind of, ah, gross? Either way, it should stay looking brown, or it could give the appearance of a "red" dog.
Blue is the first "Dilute" color. Blue is diluted black, so that it appears grey. A blue dog must had at least one "B" gene (BB or Bb) and two "d" genes (dd). All instances of Eumelanin in the dog will be blue, and relatively the same shade. The nose will be blue close to the fur color, and the eyes will be amber, gold, or hazel. Blue dogs will never be literally blue, they're actually shades of grey. I find if you very slightly tint towards brown, it can make some fun shades and add some depth.
When you combine liver and dilute, you get Lilac, sometimes called Isabella. Lilac dogs are a soft, faded brown. A Lilac dog must have two "b" (bb) and two "d" (dd) genes. All instances of Eumelanin in the dog will be Lilac, and relatively the same shade. The nose will be a similar shade but can sometimes be a bit more pinkish, and the eyes will be amber, gold, or hazel. Lilac can be a really diverse color with some being more grey-ish and others more brown. I sometimes like to tint the eyes a bit greenish as the surrounding color makes it "pop".
