Curly coat
Summary
Hair curl is responsible for the beautiful curly coat you see in Poodles, and Bichon Frise and others. Some breeds, such as Maltese Terriers and Border Collies, only occasionally produce puppies with a curly or wavy coat.
The gene which controls curly coat is incompletely dominant. This means that dogs with only one copy of the curl gene will have a wavy coat.
Curly hair can become matted more easily than wavy or straight hair. This is most important for high-shedding dogs whose loose hair can get caught in the curls. This contributes to the formation of cords in Pulis and other corded dogs.
Gene or region and technical reference
Gene: KRT71 (causative). Reference: Cadieu et al. (2009)
Reported alleles
n. Test developed using manufactured DNA, animal controls.
C. Test developed using manufactured DNA, animal cases.
Panels: groups of tests that are often ordered together
This test is in the coat type panel.
