Well, it seems Topaz has just gone into heat as of a couple days ago. We will begin monitoring her hormone levels to determine her ovulation date, and within the next week o two expect to report a successful breeding!
The male of choice is Donovan. (My website still says Roary, but I've changed my mind! Will update the website soon.) Donovan is Roary's full brother from the same litter, but where Roary is apricot-red, Donovan is a gorgeous black-and-tan phantom. This means that all the puppies will carry phantom, but there won't be any actual phantoms because (here's the lesson in genetics!), while Topaz carries the actual phantom colour genes, she also carries two "blocker" genes that prevent the phantom colouring from being expressed. The pups will get one blocket gene from her and one "unblocked" gene from Donovan. If one of these pups is then bred to a phantom, about half of the resulting pups would show the phantom colouring.
So what colours and patterns can we expect? There should be about 25% caramel with brown noses, 25% in shades of gold-apricot-red with black noses, 25% cafe-chocolate, and 25% black. About three quarters of them should be solid and about one quarter parti (white with coloured spots), as both mama and papa are parti carriers. Unless, (Of course, it could end up like Galena's fall litter where we had 3/4 parti and 1/4 solid when it ought to have been the other way around!)
Depending on the actual date of breeding, we are looking at puppies being born in early May, and ready to go to new homes right at the beginning of summer. What a great time to get a puppy - all you teachers out there!!
Stay tuned for news of a successful breeding!
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