I have a coat question. I have read some responses from reputable breeders that coats are genetic. Thus, how can littermates have different coats if they have the same genes? I was told to let my girl outside more, but how does that substantiate the gene inference? Thanks.

It is the same when you have kids. Brothers and/or sisters.....same parents...totally different! The only time two dogs will be the same is when they are identical twins.

I have blue eyes, my brothers have brown eyes.

Are the littermates in the same environment, same type food ?

To my knowledge, the same food. When I picked her up she gave me a bag of Solid Gold and I have continued using that. The only difference is the littermate is outside during the day in a kennel, and inside to sleep at night. Mine is at work with me during the day and inside to sleep. But, my question is, I read on another board, and I could be mistaken, but Sharon indicated that coat is genetic. And I guess I just don't understand yet. A friend of ours suggested canned salmon. Has anyone ever tried that?

Coat IS genetic BUT, even a nicely coated dog who is kept in the house won't have a nice coat.
Letting a dog outside sure does improve the coat. Our "house dogs" all have short, summer coats (it's winter and below freezing here). The "kennel dogs" are like wooley bears.
If I were to put the house dogs out there, they would also be heavy in coat.
They grow what they need.

JMO's point is well taken, but you also can have littermates fed the same, and housed similarly that have very different coats. I have two like that. The female has what I consider an ideal coat- harsh texture, slight wave in the guard hairs on the posterior back, which are maybe two inches long. The male has shorter hair, no wave at all.

Some of the hair variations seen in dogs are caused by a single gene- long haired German shepherds and "fluffy" Corgis come to mind. These are recessive genes, so a parent can be a carrier of the hair variant and will give the gene to half of the offspring. I'm sure that some of the coat differences we see in labs are caused by more than one gene, so all sorts of combinations would be possible. In the case of my litter, you would have to go back to the great grandfather to find a shortish coat similar to the one the male has.

Yes, Peggy you're correct about the corgi fluffies and the coated GSDs. There is now a corgi and GSD DNA test for long coats. Rottweilers are another smooth breed with a long coated gene that appears from time to time.

Regarding the statement:
"Coat IS genetic BUT, even a nicely coated dog who is kept in the house won't have a nice coat."

Although being outdoors can help a dog grow coat, I know of many predominately indoor dogs who have fabulous coats. A present top winning specialty BOB winner comes to mind immediately. I know he sleeps every night on a bed!! I know there are many breeders out there who will agree. Conversley, I know some outdoor dogs that have poor coats. Genetics is really the key. "Luck" of the genes so to speak.

Environment does play the major role for a good coat on a dog. That does iclude mentioned above and to add this . If you breed type to type you should include coat type as well as correct color of eye and correct head and tail etc. Since we are the head,tail and coat breed you always want to breed a coat that is more correct then type but slowly develop a coat that is correct in type The same for both parents and the puppies. I am always interested how a dog can win in a show ring and not have good coat as well as house coat living indoors.How does the judge compare to another in correct and good coat? There is a big difference in a kennel coat and house coat. I would think if would be hard to use that house dog coat for a stud for advertising correct coat for a service for stud since they live indoors all the time.I know from my pet owners they have the same look as the show dogs that are full time house dogs.