Smooth coat is dominant to wire in terriers If you have a smooth coated terrier How can determine if your carrier for or homozygous coat?

Here's how to figure out if your smooth-coated terrier is a carrier for the wire coat gene:

Understanding the Genetics

* Smooth coat (S): Dominant allele, meaning only one copy is needed for a smooth coat.

* Wire coat (s): Recessive allele, meaning two copies are needed for a wire coat.

Possible Genotypes:

* SS: Homozygous dominant (smooth coat)

* Ss: Heterozygous (smooth coat, carrier of wire coat)

* ss: Homozygous recessive (wire coat)

Determining Your Terrier's Genotype

1. Test Breeding: The most reliable way is to breed your smooth-coated terrier with a known wire-coated terrier (ss).

* If any offspring are wire-coated: Your terrier is heterozygous (Ss).

* If all offspring are smooth-coated: Your terrier is homozygous dominant (SS).

2. DNA Testing: A DNA test can directly determine your terrier's genotype for the coat gene. This is a faster and more definitive option than test breeding.

Important Note: Even if you can't determine your terrier's genotype with certainty, it's important to be aware of the potential for wire-coated offspring if you choose to breed.