Those controversial brindles!

[SmugPugs]

Can you show me where this comes from? I have never heard of this in any of my research regarding genes.

I think what Sarina meant was that you can have a recessive in the genotype for 17 (or more) generations without its being expressed and then, suddenly, have it crop out. This is true in humans as well - as evidenced by brown-eyed couples with no memory of anyone with blue eyes in the family history, producing a blue-eyed child - and in horses, where Quarter Horses with 50 or 60 years of solid-color breeding suddenly produces a foal with Paint markings. That's just the nature of the recessive gene and why it's so incredibly hard to breed them out.

In the case of the brindle pattern, it's only recessive to the black so, in order for it to be in the genotype for more than a couple of generations without being expressed, you'd have to have a line that has only bred black to black, since at least 50% of the fawn offspring will show the brindle pattern if the black parent is also brindle.

[Anne]

Thanks SmugPugs. I need to get my head around this. I consider myself highly intelligent but the subjects of genetics gives me headaches!

[thetses]

I think a brindle pug loos adorable and, if one dropped out of the sky into my lap, I'd probably take him in...but I would never go buy a brindle pug. I see these dogs in the same way I view designer dogs - it's just another thing to rescue. There are puggles galore in rescue at the moment - Chugs too. It's not necessary for the world to have more puppies that don't improve the breed.

This is exactly how I feel too...well put!