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BEIGE (bbdgdg)

Beige is very rare colour, formed by combining the Rust gene, (b), and the Dark Grey gene, (dg). Both of the constituent colours are themselves relatively rare, hence the scarcity of Beige animals.

As with all colours derived from Dark Grey, Beige animals are often smaller and less robust than others in the same litter. There is also the risk of producing animals with "kinky" tails, (please refer to the information on Dark Greys). For this reason it is unwise to breed closely related Beige animals to each other. Since this colour is very rare, the chances of finding an unrelated Beige mate are slim.

To propagate this colour from a single individual, he or she should be mated to at least two unrelated Golden animals of good type and size. The resultant young will be Golden, carrying the Rust and Dark Grey genes. Mating these youngsters to unrelated Beiges would produce litters in which equal numbers of Golden, Rust, Dark Grey and Beige pups would be expected.

If an unrelated Beige animal is unavailable, the Golden sons and daughters can be mated to their half sisters or half brothers. The expected ratio of colours in the resulting litters would be 9 Golden: 3 Dark Grey: 3 Rust: 1 Beige. Although this method produces a smaller percentage of Beiges, it will, to a large extent, minimize the loss of vigour and weight, and the risk of tail defects.

NHC Standard