Midwoof Diaries: What are the most rare colors in Pomskies? Blue and Lavender

What are these colors and why are they such a big deal?

You may have noticed recently that we have a few puppies in a unique shade of grey, almost a steel tone and a few puppies that are not quite chocolate, but also not grey, more of a taupe color. What you probably don't realize is that these puppies are the most genetically rare colors of Pomskies that there are, they are blue and lavender Pomskies.  

Why is this such a big deal? Well, for breeders it is like climbing Mt. Everest or finishing 26.2 miles in a marathon. You just don't get blues or lavenders unless the parents have the genetic makeup to make them. Let's brush up on genetics a little bit...We all inherit one copy of each gene from each parent, the same is true in canines. The diluted gene that makes blues is the D locus - dominant genes are DD. Blues are dd. This is extremely recessive and not carried by just any dog. Some dogs (like our Sarge and Winnie, who made these blue and lavender puppies) have a Dd makeup, which means that they carry for the diluted gene. It is still a genetic Russian Roulette as to whether or not some of the puppies get both recessive (d) genes from each parent. For the lavender puppies, Two genes come into play, the D locus and the B locus. The B locus is what chocolate puppies are made from, if they are genetically bb. So, a puppy that is DD or Dd and bb is a chocolate puppy. Sarge is chocolate. He is Dd bb. A lavender dog's genetics would be dd bb - the most recessive combination of those two genes that you can get. 

Basically, blue and lavender puppies are the genetic equivalent of unicorns, due to the recessive genes not being present in many dogs. Breeders love unique - it excites us! It may seem nerdy to some, but it is just a cool phenomenon to be able to make something that is not seen every day. What does this mean if you are not a Pomsky breeder? Maybe nothing. Maybe it is no big deal and you just think they are a pretty grey, and they are. But if you are in love with unique and being different, it may be a very big deal...