BSA Information Guide

[Venatici]

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baltic huskies thread • baltic reindeer thread • discord community

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Welcome to the Baltic Sled Association hub! In this particular building, you will find all of the Baltic Husky and Reindeer information, including Kennel Club breed standards. This is your base of all information concerning all things BSA!

[Venatici]

Currently, the Baltic Sled Association is undergoing a revamp: so many of these rules may change, or have additions and removal of current rules!

However, these current rules are what you must abide by when interacting with BSA. By posting on these threads, owning one or attempting to own one, you automatically agree to these. If you have any trouble, either understanding a rule or with someone breaking a rule listed here, please contact staff!

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General Community Rules
▪ Follow all of the CS site rules on all places related to Baltic Sled Association, including the discord chat
▪ General closed species rules apply here: no unofficial adopts, stealing characters, etc
▪ General common sense rules: respect others, no guilt tripping, staff impersonation, etc. Absolutely no discrimination is welcome here - there is a zero tolerance policy
▪ No mini-modding, even if the content being provided is correct
▪ Please allow for three weeks time before inquiring about contest judging/nursery batches/etc
▪ For any issues, please contact Baltic staff! If it is an issue where CS staff must be involved regarding a member, then please contact us after contacting staff so we can be aware.

General Ownership Rules
▪ You may own as many dogs/reindeer as you would like, but be mindful of other members!
▪ Any design changes must be discussed with staff and approved.
▪ Any character under new ownership requires a post on the original thread by the original owner, and confirmation from the new owner.
▪ You may not sell any husky or reindeer, regardless of value. However, all adopts may be readopted out, traded, or gifted!
▪ Huskies and reindeer traded can only be traded for baltic related items (other official baltic adopts, items, slots, etc) or custom made art (no premade characters). You can also trade slots, permitted the baltic already has the slot open!

Disclaimer: as of 5/7/2020, the Baltic Sled Association staff retain the right to revoke any adopt as seen fit. This includes but is not limited to due to any bannable offense, or breaking a rule. Any character that was owned before this date will not be under this rule: however, any ownership changes past this date will fall under this rule, as the owner would have not owned the character before this rule was put in place.

While all regular rules must be followed, these are rules regarding specific types of work that can be done by artists. Please check them out, and read them fully!

Remember, do not post or send forms to an artist unless open or currently accepting bribes!

As a preface to all of these, rules, please keep in mind: artists are not required to take a form, and are not required to provide a reason as to why it was declined. They may decline it due to markings, or due to wanting something different. If you have any concerns about a form repeatedly being declined, please reach out to Ven/Morgan or Oats/Dante so it can be reviewed!

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General Guidelines and Rules
▪ Any items must be added at the time of form submission, and not after
▪ Requests cannot be taken for anything except customs and transfers requiring design updates. This includes special breedings
▪ Only post when an artist has stated on the main thread they are open; if inquiring while an artist is closed, it is required to submit an offer for their services (C$, USD, etc). Check the artist hub for more information
▪ Artists have a month before it is requested to complete any owed work

Custom Guidelines and Rules
▪ All reindeer customs are free reign; however, be sensible - if this system is abused, limits will be implemented. Any customs that have mutations or very rare/legendary edits will need approval.
▪ For old customs requiring a revamp, the proper item must be utilized.
▪ Reindeer customs will be posted on the MYO thread, marked as marked as Baltic Reindeer#(slot number) - MYO/Custom. They will be given an official number after approval

▪ For users who are located on the BSA website, you will need to use your custom and make it into a custom slot. It should be readily visible through this masterlist. Reindeer slots are found for free at the shop link. For those off site, you will need to contact an administrator for your information.

▪ All husky customs will be free, because you have taken the time to earn them. You MUST have a custom slot in order to submit a custom form!
▪ For full customs, you have the ability to have free reign. However, be sensible - if this system is abused, limits will be implemented. Any customs that have mutations or very rare/legendary edits will need approval.
▪ For semi-customs, you have the ability to provide inspiration to the artist with some specifics. This means through photos/music/palettes/etc.
▪ Artists can redeem one husky custom for every four adopts they make, maximum one custom a month.
▪ Non-artist based staff can redeem one husky custom a month, discussed on a case-by-case basis with owners.
▪ Husky customs will be posted on the main thread, marked as Baltic Husky#(original number) - [Semi]Custom.

Transfer/Design Update Guidelines and Rules
▪ Transfers are not allowed to have design changes past those done for accuracy without the use of an item. This goes for both reindeer and huskies.
▪ Most husky transfers will be free, with artists doing transfers at a ratio of three free transfers per one paid transfer. These prices will be set by the artist, with all artists who take payment also taking bells.
▪ When transferring huskies to the new lines, you acknowledge they may require some changes if their design is not accurate. This will be discussed with the artist - generally the effort is put into changing the genotype as opposed to the phenotype.
▪ Transfers will be posted on the main thread, marked as Baltic Husky/Reindeer #(original number) - Transfer/Design Update.

Import Guidelines and Rules
▪ Imports are essentially founder adopts that have no input from the user. These are a guaranteed foundation adopt from your artist of choice.
▪ Reindeer imports can be offered by both the community and staff members for any cost. These prices will be set by the artist, with all artists who take payment also taking bells. The only deviation from this rule is that for those who do not own any Baltic, it is required that their first import is free.
▪ Most husky imports will be free, with artists doing transfers at a ratio of three free transfers per one paid transfer. These prices will be set by the artist, with all artists who take payment also taking bells. The only deviation from this rule is that for those who do not own any Baltic, it is required that their first import is free.
▪ Items can be utilized with imports, such as a fur changer.
▪ For your Baltic's profile to be fully up to date on the website, please read how to update your character profile.

Breeding Guidelines and Rules
▪ All husky breedings will be free; reindeer imports can be offered by both the community and staff members for any cost.
▪ Breedings can be done between any gender as long as the pair has slots available.
▪ In order to submit a breeding, your huskies and reindeer must be submitted on the site (as a result, they must also have updated genotypes). If you do not wish to have an account, please contact one of the owners so we can accommodate.
▪ All kennel/stable information must be completely up to date. If not, the form cannot be accepted. For inactive users, please reach out to one of the owners to confirm.
▪ For breeding rolls, please refer to the information guide.

Baltic Husky specific breeding rules
▪ When using title rewards, you can only redeem the current approved level - ie no unapproved rewards, even if prompt was submitted
▪ Currently there are no restrictions on what breedings can be submitted aside from inbreeding - however, breedings with the intent of producing puppies with bad health (double merle, albinism, melanism, etc) are highly discouraged.
▪ Any breeding that results in a double merle will automatically make all puppies in the litter sterile. The Husky with double merle will also be disqualified from entering into any title competitions.
▪ Items used by the parents (such as custom accessories) will not be passed onto puppies unless the change is genetic.

The below rules assume no items or title rewards are being utilized:
▪ All breedings have a two week cooldown, and all nursery kids will have to wait two weeks to breed for the first time.
▪ Baltic Reindeer may only breed three times, and generally only have one calf. Rarely, they may have twins (10% chance).
▪ Baltic Huskies may only breed five times, and generally have one or two puppies (70%/30%).
▪ For parents you do not own, it is required to have a screenshot of the permission. Quotes are not accepted.
▪ You may choose to keep, gift, or adopt out any breeding.

[Venatici]

BH Breed Description

Baltic Huskies have changed over the years. The breed went dormant over some years, and during that time the bloodlines became a bit changed. Now, the original Baltic Husky looks a little different than the current breed!

At the base of this breed, there are a fair amount of variations: due to the combination of breeds added to create this ideal super breed, their standards have a bit more wiggle room than other species might! It is not incredibly rare to find a Baltic Husky that is outside of these standards: the only interference that may have is if the owner is professionally showing the dog.

As with most dogs, their stature slightly varies based on their gender assigned at birth. Males are typically bigger, ranging from about 22-28 inches (to the shoulder) while females range from about 20-25 inches (to the shoulder). Weight can vary based off of the type of work the dog is doing, but a healthy weight is considered to be one that follows the Body Condition System.

These dogs still have strong, working group blood: they kept the Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute, and Akita build, but it seems that the Canadian Eskimo dog was brought in with heavy influence in the most recent lines. Baltic Huskies are incredibly heavily built, with strong muscles and wide chests and necks. They have become one of the more ideal sledding dogs for their strength and size: they stay the size of a Siberian Husky, but have a more bulky build that is better for pulling. This includes their typically well muscled legs and shoulders that help them with endurance and keep high speeds. They are a perfect working and sledding dog!

BH Attitudes and Personality

While Baltic Huskies are created to be the ideal working and sledding dog, this breed is highly adaptable. Originally, this breed was created with the Belgian Tervuren for intelligence, but with the Border Collie breed was mixed in with the more recent bloodlines. As a result, these dogs tend to be a lot more intelligent than their other working dog counterparts. They are able to not only solve puzzles given to them (provided they are not too difficult + have proper motivation), but also seem to be able to think on the go.

Baltic Huskies have Samoyed passive nature brought into them, but overall, these dogs can have a wild variation of personalities and temperaments! Most are stubborn and headstrong unless bribed, and they tend to have independent natures! However, do not get that confused as being some sort of lone wolf: Baltic Huskies can be incredibly protective of their family, including their sledding team and owner. Many of them are eager to please, but due to their high energy levels and high levels of intelligence, both physical and mental stimulation are necessary! If they are very bored or have pent up energy, they can get very destructive or very vocal! A Baltic Husky typically has no restraints on letting you know if they have a problem.

Since they are bred as sledding dogs primarily, most do not do well in solitary homes or isolated areas: despite being independent, these dogs definitely recognize the value in a good friend! That either means having another dog companion, or in a home that only has the Baltic Husky, means bonding tightly with the humans in the family (though any cats might want to watch out- this breed tends to have no qualm jumping on the backs of couches to spend time with their other furry friends)!

This all might sound daunting: really, caring for a Baltic Husky is typical of caring for any other animal! Learning to train and own one of these dogs is fairly easy: once you find your dog's motivation and what it likes, working with them can be a breeze! Due to their flexibility, Baltic Huskies do well in a variety of different tasks! They do well as service dogs, but it has been seen for Baltic Huskies to have capabilities for sports like agility or herding given their other descendants. When trained properly, they can make good family pets as well: as long as you take them on enough walks, or have a big enough yard to play in!

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BR Species Standard

Baltic Reindeer are world renowned for being quality deer that can do a multitude of jobs and be a fulfilling companion to anyone willing to show them a special bit of love! Whether it be running along side sled dogs, or pulling sleds themselves, we promise that every reindeer will have a personality to die for! Most are strong, sweet, and tend to be on the shyer side, like any deer you might see in the wild. However, these reindeer are known for their ties to Baltic Huskies and the Baltic Sled Association, giving them the Baltic name. In legends, it is said that these reindeer would glow in the dead of night, helping mushers stuck in harsh blizzards when all else seemed bleak. Starting out as a small glimpse of light in the distance, the glow would grow and grow until mushers saw the big, beautiful reindeer ready to lead the way and bring the team to safety!

Nowadays, our reindeer glow in their own special way - after hundreds of years of running alongside sled teams, most have been domesticated enough to where they will carry lanterns or durable string lights. Generally, they will either lead the team, or be the sledding team themselves! They act as protectors and leaders for everyone in the community.

Owning a Baltic Reindeer is easy and simple, as long as you have a good spirit and a bit of patience! Like any wild animal, they can be a bit hard to tame, but doing so can bring much satisfaction in knowing that you've gained their trust!

[Venatici]

Welcome to the next section of the association's building: the genetics office!

The staff who work at the association are always happy to help you with genetics for the Baltic Husky breeds: however, we have compiled a list of resources that may be helpful and learning/understanding how to recognize the genetics! Baltic Huskies are based very closely off of real dog genetics: so please note that these links below may not strictly be for this breed, but most of the material applies to the genetics (and how Baltic Husky genetics are set up)!


Genetics
General Master Genetics Guide; includes all information about dog genetics, reference pictures, and more information about genotypes!
-> Includes information about nose color, eye color, and the range of markings such as white! If you have no idea where to start, this is probably the best general comprehensive source! Read the basics before all else!

General Genetics Laydown; provides a good guide for how inheritance work, how genes show, and traits!
-> This probably will not be needed for individuals who understand information such as punnet squares, but if you never have taken a biology course or just did not have any interest prior, this is a good guide before understanding how dog genetics show!

Dog Colors - Color Layers Guide; describes the difference between the three 'layers' to coat colors; white, black, and red.
-> This is good if you have no idea how the pigment colors function, and is best as a color learning guide!

Dog Colors - Dilution, Merle, Brindle, and Masks
Dog Colors - Color Spread; visually shows the spread of white and the spread of black
-> Both of these guides are follow up to the Color Layers guide! This will help teach how these coat colors work.

Eye and Nose Color Guide; made by Leonca, it shows in a chart the color of nose and eyes matched with coat colors!
-> Useful after you understand the base genetics to find eye and nose colors: a visual chart!

Brindle Guide; made by Shock Therapy Stables, understanding how brindle shows!
Dilution Guide; made by Shock Therapy Stables, it gives information and pictures about liver, blue, and isabella dogs!
-> Some useful visual guides made by Shock Therapy Stables!

Comprehensive Master Guide; the basis of the general master genetics guide!
-> I would recommend reading this to understand further, after you read the general guide!


Please note genetics are typically not learned in a day: they can take time, especially to do "guessotypes" (guessing the phenotype/genotype) without any other resources! If you need help, please feel free to reach out!




Baltic Husky Genotype Configuration
K . B . D . A . E . I . Sl . S . G . M . T . F . N . U

[ Old Genetic Configuration is - > K . A . B . D . E . G . I . P . S . T ]


Baltic Husky genes have slightly changed since the original breed standard. As such, some things have been changed, added, or been removed! Similar to the old genetics layout, however, all genes here are listed in order of dominance: anything listed as "co-dominant" is dominant to anything below it, but it will also show in addition to the dominant gene above it (if the dog had both genes)!

[A note: if anything is referenced as black pigment below barring the B/D series, it refers to both black pigment and if there is modification such as chocolate, blue, or isabella!]

Symbols that indicate the co-dominant genes are:
▲ = co-dominant genes






#1 - K Series - Decides how the black (or black modifier) color shows.

K - Dominant black: a solid jet black coat.
▲ Kbr - Modifies black pigment to be a brindled coat.
k - Allows E series or red pigment to show in the coat.




#2 - B Series - Base black color modification. Effects nose colors and eye colors.

B - Black pigment, no change.
b - Black turns into chocolate (brown).




#3 - D Series - Base black color dilution. Effects nose colors and eye colors.

D - No dilution, leaves the coat black or chocolate.
d - Dilution; black into blue, chocolate into isabella.




#4 - A Series - Determines how much black shows, if black is present.




▲ Ay - Sable (Shaded, tipped, or clear).
▲ Aw - Wildtype/agouti.
▲ At - Tanpoints. (bicolor without white, tricolor with white). Only shows on black, liver, blue, or isabella dogs.
▲ As - Saddle.
a - Recessive solid black (fully black pigment dog).
al - Seal.




#5 - E Series - Codominant with the A series.

Em - Gives dog a black pigment mask on face.
▲ Ex - Extends the mask down the chest and even to the stomach and feet.
Eg - Grizzle/domino, or "reverse mask". Lightens red marks, primarily tan points. Masks will make this gene recessive.
E - This series has no change.
e - A fully red coat (recessive red).




#6 - I Intensity Series - ("Chinchilla") Modifies the intensity of red/copper




I - Normal copper pigment (darkest red shade, copper).
ir - Copper intensity reduced to red/apricot.
il - Copper intensity reduced to light red/fawn.
ii - Copper intensity reduced to tan/cream.
ic - Copper intensity reduced to silver (lightest red shade, an absence of copper tone).




#7 - Sl Series - Pure white, regardless of other genes.




Sl - No silvering.
sl - Solid white.




#8 - S Series - Most dominant (absence of pigment): decides how much white is present.




S - No white present.
Sm - Minimal/residual white: typically only on face, chest, or lower part of legs.
Si - Irish white.
So - Pinto, derived from the horse term: typically describes a form of piebald, where the head has no asymmetrical white (or no white at all), and a third of the body has color.
Sp - Piebald.
Sx - Extreme white: can sometimes cause deafness, and more rarely, blindness.




#9 - G Series - Unrelated to natural age graying, grays out color in various stages, but may leave patches of fur unaffected.
Occasionally, may effect the entire dog. A homozygous dog with two graying genes (GG) will tend to have a greater change in color than if a dog only had one gene (Gg).

G - Varying degrees of greying is present on the coat, gets lighter with age.
Gs - Snowflakes.
g - No graying.




#10 - M Series - Controls merle.
Double merles (MM) often have serious health issues, such as blindness or deafness: when breeding a dog with merle, consider if the other dog has merle as well!

M - Black pigment areas become merle.
Mc - Cryptic merle.
Ma - Atypical merle.
Mh - Harlequin merle.
Mt - Tweed.
m - No merle present.




#11 - T series - White marking modifiers.
A dog that is homozygous for any of these traits (TrTr, T+T+, TT) will have a more prominent or "heavy" version of the gene. A heterozygous dog with only one dominant gene will be considered "light" due to not having as much effect.

Tr - Roaning.
▲ T+ - Spotting.
▲ T - Ticking.
▲ t - Absence of any white marking modifier.




#12 - F Series - Distinguishes Fur Type




F - Normal, thick BH fur.
fc - Curly fur (mustache not reliant on genetics).
fs - Silky fur (kind not reliant on genetics). Overrides ear type.




#13 - Ear/Tail Series - Distinguishes Ear/Tail Type
The main difference in this series is the ears. Both the curled and straight tail are available for any of these types. Any tail mutations will be listed in the mutations section below! Please note any non-genetic ear or tail, such as cropped ears, will not be included here.

N - Upright ears
nh - Half flop ears
n - Floppy ears





#14 - Lightening Series - Selectively Dilutes Red Marks.

U - No urajiro.
ur - Reverse urajiro.
u - Urajiro

[Venatici]

While the BSA strives to have dogs who fit the already loose breed standard, Baltic Huskies do have some alterations to genes and some mutations. Any of these mutations will prevent a dog from participating in any non-ability based competitions, namely competitive showing. Unless the mutation changes body form in some way, ability based competitions will not be effected.

While marking mutations have a genetic modifier, random mutations will not have a genetic marker present, and will only be denoted in the 'special notes' section of the dog's profile. Due to the inherent randomness of these mutations, each litter has a 1% chance of rolling for a random mutation. If a random mutation is found in a litter, then the artist will roll again out of all current mutations (with equal chance) to determine which mutation is given.

Below you can find information about these mutations!

Marking Mutations

Pencilling - Em+ or Ex+

Shows up on dogs that have masking or extreme masking. The main alteration is that the toes on the dog are not solid black, and have red hairs show through the feet.

Watermarking - Requires Em or Ex, no gene necessary for watermarks

Shows up on dogs that have masking or extreme masking. The main alteration is that for any white marks, there is a "watermarked" pattern of black/liver/blue/isabella marks around them.

Natural Bobbed Tail - Requires recessive + on N series

The natural bobbed tail is a genetic condition causing a bobbed tail, similar to cropping. However, dogs with this mutation are naturally born like this! This effects the 13th locus, the ear/tail series.

Any dog with a natural bobbed tail will add an + to the specific gene that is being modified. In respect to the other tails, the bobbed tail is recessive, so it requires either N+N+, nh+nh+, or n+n+ to work properly.

Random Mutations

Albinism/Leucism

This form of mutation results in a total absence of pigment, turning the husky completely white. Huskies with this condition are known to have very sensitive skin and are unable to compete in any form of competition, including ability based competitions. The main difference between albinism and leucism is that in albinism all pigment is effected. With leucism, the eyes are normal, and often there may be some small patches of normal color evident.

For dogs that are albino or leucistic, they will have a 25% chance of passing on the mutation (50% if both parents have the mutation). If passed on, the puppy will receive the same type as the parent; if one parent is albino while the other is leucistic, is rolled 50/50 for which one the puppy will have.

Siamese

This form of mutation is an odd spin off similar to Siamese cats. The simplest understanding of siamese would be heat-related albinism, where color is only retained on legs, tail, ears, and the front of the face (generally along the bridge of the nose).

Since siamese is an unknown mutation, currently it is not shown to be present in huskies and the chance of passing is unknown. However, there have been some rumors of this mutation popping up...

Chimera

This form of mutation occurs as a genetic split where one dog has multiple (primarily two) genotypes. This can present itself through sporadic patches resulting in even coverage or through a split almost down the center.

For dogs that are chimeric, they have a 25% chance of passing on the mutation (75% if both parents are chimeric). If a puppy is not chimeric, the chimeric parent is rolled 50/50 for which genotype to use.

Somatic/Mosaicism

This form of mutation occurs most commonly as black patches on a red base, but can occur as any patch of unexpected color. Generally these mutations are smaller and in a few areas, or one slightly larger spot on the coat. An extreme form of somatic mutations could be mosaicism, resulting in large patches across a dog's coat - this is much rarer.

For dogs with somatic, they will have a 25% chance of passing on the mutation (50% if both parents are somatic). If a puppy rolls for somatic, they will also have a 10% chance of becoming mosaic unless the parent(s) are also mosaic.

Dwarfism - Requires at least one F

This form of mutation occurs only on dogs with standard fur, and results in a much smaller stature than the general Baltic Husky would be.

For dogs with dwarfism, they have a 50% chance of passing on the mutation as long as the puppy has at least one F / normal fur gene (100% if both parents have dwarfism). Any dogs with dwarfism will only have two slots maximum.

Wolfism

Nothing listed here yet... maybe as more dogs get released, mutations will pop up.

Caridean

Nothing listed here yet... maybe as more dogs get released, mutations will pop up.

[Venatici]

While Baltic Reindeer do not follow the same strict genetic standards that Baltic Huskies do, they do have some common traits!

This is an example of what a standard reindeer would look like: click here!

For breeding purposes once these edits are rolled for, if any pass it is up to the artist how to express these. It could be choosing one parents edit, or a mixture of the two, or something slightly different! The only requirement is that obviously the breeding must roll for it, and that it remain visually similar to the parents (ie you should be able to tell the edit came from the pairing).

Common - Inherited automatically

No horns
Expression edits
Standard string lights
Shaped pupils

Uncommon - 80% chance of passing (4/5 roll)

Standard lanterns
Accessories
Feathering
Body fluff
Whisker edits

Rare - 60% chance of passing (3/5 roll)

Custom extra fur
Longer tail
Heterochromia
Ear edits
Smaller horn edits
Roman nose


Very Rare - 40% chance of passing (2/5 roll)

Albinism
Melanism
Bauble mutation
Larger horn edits

Legendary - 20% chance of passing (1/5 roll)

Unknown