The inheritance of coat and nose colour in long-haired dachshunds

Summary

There is good reason to believe that coat colour in long-haired dachshunds segregates in a normal manner.

Three pairs of allelomorphs are described, Brindle and its absence, Red and its absence, Black and Tan-Chocolate and Tan. In addition, Red is epistatic over Black and Tan-Chocolate, and Brindle epistatic over both the other pairs of allelomorphs. There may be a fourth pair, Dapple-White (albino).

There is an association between coat colour and nose colour, the colour of the nose apparently being dependent on the Black and Tan-Chocolate allelomorphs.

Although the evidence is very incomplete on a number of points, sufficient has been accumulated to enable the forecasting of the results of colour crosses, both for coat and nose, with a considerable degree of accuracy.

The change of colour of both black and brown noses under certain conditions, and also the possibility of the association of poor physique with the brown nose, are points of interest in pigmentation in general, and will probably repay further investigation.

The absolute necessity of all data being personally collected and all matings being personally controlled in such investigations cannot be over-emphasized.