Perhaps I have been misled, but according to Malcolm Willis' book "Genetics of the Dog," yorkies do not carry the Piebald gene as suggested. Their genetic make-up does include an s allele that can cause the white marking on the chest that is present at birth, but disappears as the puppy ages. Parti's and Biewers carry the Piebald gene, resulting in the white coloring. This would indicate that another breed, perhaps the maltese or shih-tzu were introduced, resulting in this fault. If that is really the case, then can Parti's and Biewers really be considered pure bred yorkies? Please don't persecute me for my post, just inputting my understanding of the situation based on my very limited understanding of genetics. |