Apologies. :o I didn't realize my explanation of sable would get everyone confused. I guess maybe it was too general. People are confusing sable, a coat color, with the genetics of the offspring. An abridged detailed explanation below the quote.
@tanza:
Pretty normal for Tri factored B's… to see the black hairs. Black whiskers however are not really an indication of Tri Factors....
Who did you get your pup from?
Second statement first: My boyfriend was in charge of finding the dog and dealing with the breeders. All I know is we picked him up 2 hours outside of Ottawa, Ontario.
First Statement:
A Gene has certain indicators.
"Indicator A" produces black without any tan on the dog. White markings are due to a different gene, and there are other genes that can modify the black to liver (chocolate Lab) or blue dilute (blue Great Dane.) If Indicator A is present, in most cases the dog will be able to produce black only.
Which is why Besenjis are more commonly black and white.
"Indicator B" in the absense of Indicator A produces a dog which is predominantly tan sometimes with black tipped hairs or interspersed black hairs. The usual term for this color is "sable." In examining dogs from breeds with Indicator B, generally there is no other black on the coat, the whiskers (the course, stiff vibrissae, not the "beard" seen with some terrier coats) are black if they originate in a pigmented area. Examples of Indicator B breeds include Collies, fawn Boxers and Great Danes, and some reds (for instance, Basenji red is thought to be.) Indicator B is recessive to Indicator A, but incompletely dominant to Indicator C.
Since a pup receives indicators from both parents, nature takes over and chooses the indicators for that pup, giving his coat a certain color. That is, a dog with both B and C indicators, is on average darker (more black hairs) than a BB dog, but the difference is generally within the range of color for the BB indicators within the breed.
After the indicators are determined for a pup then that it can be determined whether that pup has the potential to pass on certain indicators. Meaning if your mom has blue eyes and you end up with brown, that your kids will have brown eyes. There is a possibility of blue.
"Indicator C", if present in double dose (CC), produces a dog which is predominantly black, with tan markings on the muzzle, over the eyes, on the chest, legs, and under the tail. A Dobermann or Rottweiler is a good example of the classic black and tan pattern. The Bernese Mountain Dog shows the effect of black and tan combined with white markings, often called tricolor.
In the end, Sabled Red Basenjis can be BB or BC, but they must be BC for their offspring to have the potential to be CC (tricolored).
Unabridged Version- http://bowlingsite.mcf.com/Genetics/colorGen.html
