“only in the spirit of love, sacrifice and great cost will we bring our breed to a state of genetic excellence”

Philipp Grünig
“Judge, scientific breeder and profound student of the Dobermann”

Inherited Colour in the Dobermann

Key to Chart Colours

= Black (black with rust coloured markings).
= Brown (various shades of red-brown with rust markings).
= Blue (actually grey with rust coloured markings).
= Fawn (called "Isabella"; about the color range of 'camel's hair' with rust markings).

B is the factor for black, it is dominant over b the brown factor.

D is the nondilution factor, it is dominant over d the dilution factor.

The numbers ranging from 6.25 to 100 are percentages of each color type to be expected.

Colour Inheritance Chart

		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
		BBDD	BBDd	BbDD	BbDd	BBdd	Bbdd	bbDD	bbDd	bbdd
1	BBDD	BBDD 100	BBDD 50 BBDd 50	BBDD 50 BbDD 50	BBDD 25 BBDd 25 BbDD 25 BbDd 25	BBDd 100	BBDd 50 BbDd 50	BbDD 100	BbDD 50 BbDd 50	BbDd 100
2	BBDd	BBDD 50 BBDd 50	BBDD 25 BBDd 50 BBdd 25	BBDD 25 BBDd 25 BbDD 25 BbDd 25	BBDD 12.5 BBDd 25 BbDD 12.5 BbDd  25 BBdd 12.5 Bbdd 12.5	BBDd 50 BBdd 50	BBDd 25 BbDd 50 BBdd 25 Bbdd 25	BbDD 50 BbDd 50	BbDD 25 BbDd 50 Bbdd 25	BbDd 50 Bbdd 50
3	BbDD	BBDD 50 BbDD 50	BBDD 25 BBDd 25 BbDD 25 BbDd 25	BBDD 25 BbDD 50 bbDD 25	BBDD 12.5 BBDd 12.5 BbDD 25 BbDd 25 bbDD 12.5 bbDd 12.5	BBDd 50 BbDd 50	BBDd 25 BbDd 50 bbDd 25	BbDD 50 bbDD 50	BbDD 25 BbDd 25 bbDd 25 bbDD 25	BbDd 50 bbDd 50
4	BbDd	BBDD 25 BBDd 25 BbDD 25 BbDd  25	BBDD 12.5 BBDd 25 BbDD 12.5 BbDd 25 BBdd 12.5 Bbdd 12.5	BBDD 12.5 BBDd 12.5 BbDD 25 BbDd 25 bbDD 12.5 bbDd 12.5	BBDD 6.25 BBDd 12.5 BbDD 12.5 BbDd 25 BBdd 6.25 Bbdd 12.5 bDD 6.25 bbDd 12.5 bdd 6.25	BBDd 25 BbDd 25 BBdd 25 Bbdd 25	BBDd 12.5 BbDd 25 BBdd 12.5 Bbdd 25 bbDd 12.5 bbdd 12.5	BbDD 25 BbDd 25 bbDD 25 bbDd 25	BbDD 12.5 BbDd 25 BBdd 12.5 bbDD 12.5 bbDd 25 bbdd 12.5	BbDd 25 Bbdd 25 bbDd 25 bbdd 25
5	BBdd	BBDd 100	BBDd 50 BBdd 50	BBDd 50 BbDd 50	BBDd 25 BbDd 25 BBdd 25 Bbdd 25	BBdd 100	BBdd 50 Bbdd 50	BbDd 100	BbDd 50 Bbdd 50	Bbdd 100
6	Bbdd	BBDd 50 BbDd 50	BBDd 25 BbDd 25 BBdd 25 Bbdd 25	BBDd 25 BbDd 50 bbDd 25	BBDd 12.5 BbDd 25 BBdd 12.5 Bbdd 25 bbDd 12.5 bbdd 12.5	BBdd 50 Bbdd 50	BBdd 25 Bbdd 50 bbdd 25	BbDd 50 bbDd 50	BbDd 25 Bbdd 25 bbDd 25 bbdd 25	Bbdd 50 bbdd 50
7	bbDD	BbDD 100	BbDD 50 BbDd 50	BbDD 50 bbDD 50	BbDD 25 BbDd 25 bbDD 25 bbDd 25	BbDd 100	BbDd 50 bbDd 50	bbDD 100	bbDD 50 bbDd 50	bbDb 100
8	bbDd	BbDD 50 BbDd 50	BbDD 25 BbDd 50 Bbdd 25	BbDD25 BbDd 25 bbDD 25 bbDd 25	BbDD 12.5 BbDd  25 Bbdd  12.5 bbDD 12.5 bbDd 25 bbdd 12.5	BbDd 50 Bbdd 50	BbDd 25 Bbdd 25 bbDd 25 bbdd 25	bbDD 50 bbDd 50	bbDD 25 bbDd 50 bbdd 25	bbDb 50 bbdd 50
9	bbdd	BbDd 100	BbDd 50 Bbdd 50	BbDd 50 bbDd 50	BbDd 25 Bbdd 25 bbDd 25 bbdd 25	Bbdd 100	Bbdd 50 bbdd 50	bbDd 100	bbDd 50 bbdd 50	bbdd 100

Note: The proportions of the various colour combinations as listed above are theoretical, with the exceptions of those where 100% (or all) of the get are expected to be of one type. If it were possible to observe 1000 or more pups from a breeding which would theoretically produce pups of three or more genetic formulas, then the proportions noted would be very nearly those which are expected by theory.

In relatively small litters (from 6 to 12 pups for example) the probabilities of the predicted ratios actually being observed would be very remote indeed. This chart and its contained percentages are therefore meant to serve only as a guide to colour inheritance in the breeding of Dobermanns.

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This chart has been arranged by Mr. W. Donald Thompson, Middletown, Delaware, based on the studies of Iljin* and of Whitney**.

*N. A. Iljin, "Über die Vererbung der Färbung beim Dobermann-Pinscher", Der Züchter, 3,. 370-6 (1931)
**L. F. Whitney, I "Color Inheritance in the Doberman Pinscher", The Dog News, Aug. and Sept., 1934;
"How to Breed Dogs", Orange Judd Publishing Co., 1947

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