Coat Color
Mask
Alternative Names: Melanistic mask
The Mask variant causes dark facial hair, mainly over the dog's muzzle, which looks a bit like a mask. The Mask variant is also known as Em and is found in the MC1R gene (known as the E locus).
Breeds
Mask is common in:
Bloodhound
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Boxer
Belgian Malinois
German Shepherd Dog
Pug
American Bulldog
Boerboel
Bullmastiff
Norwegian Elkhound
Rhodesian Ridgeback
More Info
Did you know?
Some dogs with mask will display premature greying of their muzzle, but the cause of this is unknown.
How it works
One or two copies of the Mask mutation will result in the presence of a dark facial mask covering the muzzle. This mask can cover only the very front of the muzzle, or can extend down to the chest and front legs. Mask can be hidden by other trait variants.
Prevalence
5 in 10 dogs
have one or more copy of this genetic variant in our testing.
Technical Details
| Gene | MC1R |
|---|---|
| Also Called | Extension (E) Locus |
| Variant | A>G |
| Chromosome | 5 |
| Coordinate | 63,694,460 |
All coordinates reference CanFam3.1
References & Credit
Credit to our scientific colleagues:
Schmutz, S. M., & Berryere, T. G. (2007). Genes affecting coat colour and pattern in domestic dogs: A review. Animal Genetics, 38(6), 539–549. View the article
Schmutz, S. M., Berryere, T. G., & Goldfinch, A. D. (2002). TYRP1 and MC1R genotypes and their effects on coat color in dogs. Mammalian Genome, 13(7), 380–387. View the article