roans

Roan Pattern. The loci is R, roan. The nature of the coat pattern and the progressive development of dark hair in a light area is unclear and still in debate. Roan is defined as "having the base color (as red, black, or brown) muted and lightened by a mixture of white hairs." In American Cockers, it is colored hairs (black, brown, red) within a white base. Roan (R) appears to be dominant to (rr) non-roan, i.e. open marks. Roan can carry for open marks, but open marks cannot carry for roan. So in other words, A open marked parti that isn't a roan, cannot carry for roan. Therefore you have to have a roan to get a roan. Two non-roans (even if one or both have a roan parent) will not produce roan.

The roan gene in dogs acts as a simple dominant gene. The action of the gene results in a mingling of colored and white hairs. To be roan a dog must have white areas; a solid colored dog can not be roan. However, I have had mismarked solids which show the roan pattern in their white, so some solids may carry the roan gene, but not manifest it due to them not having white.
Black and white roans are referred to as "blue roans" (spaniels) or "blue belton" (English Setters). Red/buff and white roans are referred to as "red roans" "orange roans" or "lemon roans" or oran. Brown and white are referred to as "liver roans", "chocolate roans" or "brown roans".

Roan is dominant over open marks.

Roan can carry for open marks, but open marks cannot carry for roan

Notice I did not include ticking. Ticking is by some considered to be a form of roaning, by others to be a different gene. Those who feel it's a different gene consider it recessive to roan but dominant over open marks. Notice Vanna (right). Many people have come up to her and said she is a white roan. First of all , there is no such thing as a white roan. Unless Vanna was bred to a roan dog, she would never produce roan. She is ticked and will be dominate to throw ticking, but she will not throw a roan, unless bred to a roan.

Also, there are color gene modifiers that set theories askew.

Example: Dark roan is dominant over light roan therefore two light roans cannot produce dark. However, we all know lighter roans producing darker roans. What is in action here are modifiers that affect the extension of color. Similar to why some tan marked dogs have a lot of tan, others just have small spots, why some tan-marked dogs are "smokey" on their tan and others are perfectly clear, etc..

This is a blue roan and tan puppy. Notice how smudged his nose area is. When born (and still wet from birth) you can see the blueish tinge of blue roan babies. Their pads of their feet will be black and their nose area will start getting this smudgy look within days of birth.

This is the same puppy at 7 weeks. Notice how his white coat is starting to become intermingled by black hairs, taking on a blueish coloring. Then the last photo shows him at six months. The white open markings are now almost totally affected to some degree with black hair. The degree of how much the roan gene affects a dog varies. Blu is consider a light roan.

Blueberry shown below is considered a dark roan. Notice his baby photo. He was pretty open marked as a puppy - yet already showed from a young age how dark his roaning was going to be. And by the time he was an adult, he was almost black with just some white (bluish) coloring left on his sides and leg coat.

This is from the AKC Judges Newsletter to help clarify the roan color and in no way reflects any change to the approved 1992 standard as written above.

Roans are classified as Parti-Colors and can be any of the usual roaning pattern. They have colored hair intermixed with white hair, but the colored hair is not white tipped. They may be totally roaned with or without head markings, with or without body markings or any such dog with tan points. Primary color which is ninety percent (90%) or more shall disqualify.

This is Peachy, She is a red roan. When she was born, she was almost completly white, even her face. She had only one red ear and a spot on her hind quarters. You could not see her roaning until she was about 6 or more days of age.

Notice in this photo the already smudged muzzle (this time smudged in red) Also, Peachy was a white faced puppy, so therefore she has white eyelashes - but her muzzle is filled in with the roaning color - red. All roans - faces will be heavily roaned - so much so that once the roaning pattern is complete - they will have a solid colored face and head. Most will have a small white spot remaining unaffected on the top of their head. The last photo is of Peachy at six months.

I will have some brown roan photo's to share here later, but until then, enjoy some more of my roan cocker photo's here.

ROANS