Hair Length Dog

Hair Length

Hair length is a key morphological trait in most dog breeds, with breed standards typically specifying a specific length for registered breeds. The fibroblast growth factor 5 (FGF5) gene plays a crucial role in the development and growth of coat hairs in dogs and other mammals. Various recessive mutations in FGF5 can lead to the growth of a longer coat instead of the usual short one, such as the breed-typical coat of the Afghan Hound, or the Fluffy variant of the French Bulldog.

Inheritance

Dogs with two long-hair mutations (designated as L) will exhibit the long-haired phenotype, whether they have the same mutation or different ones. Conversely, dogs carrying at least one copy of the wild-type short-haired genotype (designated as S) will have short hair. It is worth noting that the exact length of the hair can vary among dogs with the long-haired phenotype, depending on their breed. The CombiBreed DNA test for Hair Length in dogs contains five different mutations able to cause long hair in dogs. Depending on the dog breed, certain mutations do or do not occur in the specific breed. These tests (test numbers H765, H885, H664, H665 and H666) can be found through through DNA test Hairlength Dog with test number H667.

Note that the specific length of a dog’s coat can also be influenced by other genes in the breed’s genetics.

Relevant tests

• H664
• H665
• H666
• H667
• H765
• H885