09/02/2026
This is a long post, but with all of the discussion about “grey” or “silver” Redbone Coonhounds lately, let’s talk about what causes it, and why breeding decisions matter. ♥️
GREY REDBONES: LET’S TALK GENETICS 🧬
Redbones come in different shades of red. Grey or silver is not another shade of red. So how can two normally coloured parents produce a dilute puppy?
Both parents can carry a hidden genetic change that affects colour. When a puppy inherits a dilution copy from BOTH parents, it can express dilute colouring.
The parents do not have to look grey themselves.
𝙒𝙃𝘼𝙏 𝙄𝙎 𝘿𝙄𝙇𝙐𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉?
Pigment gives a dog its colouring. The form of dilution we’re discussing involves inherited changes in a gene called MLPH, which affects how pigment is distributed.
A gene is part of the body’s instruction system. A mutation is a change in those instructions, and it can be passed through generations without being visible in every dog carrying it.
This dilution changes black pigment to blue/grey and brown pigment to a paler shade often called lilac or Isabella. Dark pigment in a facial mask can also appear blue grey.
𝙃𝙊𝙒 𝘿𝙊 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙎 𝙋𝘼𝙎𝙎 𝙄𝙏 𝙊𝙉?
A puppy inherits one copy of this gene from its mother and one from its father. Different versions of a gene are called alleles.
For this explanation, we’ll use:
• D = non dilute.
• d = dilute.
The combination tells us what the dog inherited:
• D/D: does not show this form of dilution and has no dilution copy to pass on.
• D/d: does not show dilution, but can pass it on. This dog is a carrier.
• d/d: inherited dilution from both parents and expresses dilute colouring.
That is what recessive means here, it takes two for the effect to show. When two carriers are bred together, each puppy has:
• A 25% chance of being non dilute and not a carrier.
• A 50% chance of being a non dilute carrier.
• A 25% chance of being dilute.
Even if only ONE puppy is dilute, both parents still contributed a dilution copy.
𝙒𝙃𝙔 𝙏𝙀𝙎𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙈𝘼𝙏𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙎
Looking at the parents is not enough to know what they can produce.
Yes, we can colour test our Redbones. DNA testing can identify known dilution variants, including those hidden in normally coloured carriers. It cannot detect every unknown mutation, but it gives us information that appearance and pedigree alone cannot.
An unexpected dilute puppy can happen without a breeder deliberately planning for it. What matters next is what the breeder does with that knowledge.
𝘾𝘼𝙉 𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙀 𝘽𝙀 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙇𝙏𝙃 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝘽𝙇𝙀𝙈𝙎?
Some dilute dogs develop colour dilution alopecia, or CDA. This can cause thinning hair, bald patches, flaky skin, and sometimes itching or skin infections. Problems can develop after a puppy initially appears to have a normal coat.
Not every dilute dog develops CDA, and risk varies between breeds and genetic backgrounds. We should not assume every grey Redbone is unhealthy, but a healthy looking puppy does not rule out problems later.
𝙒𝙃𝙔 𝘿𝙊 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘽𝙍𝙀𝙀𝘿𝙀𝙍’𝙎 𝘿𝙀𝘾𝙄𝙎𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙎 𝙈𝘼𝙏𝙏𝙀𝙍?
Ethical preservation breeding means protecting health, temperament, hunting ability, and the characteristics that define the breed.
Both AKC and UKC describe red colouring and a black nose. UKC specifically disqualifies colours outside those described in its standard. Grey and silver are not recognized Redbone colour varieties.
An unexpected dilute puppy should lead to investigation, transparency with buyers, and informed future pairing decisions.
Deliberately producing an out of standard colour and marketing it as “rare,” or “exclusive” is not an ethical breeding goal for a preservation program. It selects away from the breed's defining colour, while contributing an associated skin/health concern to the gene pool. A colour being uncommon does not make it an improvement.
Every dog that is put into the world deserves love and proper care. The responsibility to produce healthy, standard dogs belongs to the people deciding which dogs to pair and what to produce next. ❤️
***bottom photo is only a reference photo for the “grey” dilution colouring, it is not a dog that belongs to us or one that was produced by our program.***
