English Cream Color Golden Retriever Facts
I receive a lot of emails regarding English creams and I am never amazed at the misinformation people are given. So I thought I would explain what an “English Cream” is.
First and foremost, there is no such thing as an “English Cream” this is a selling phrase coined by individuals who do not understand basic genetics or breed type. The breed here in the States as a whole, was founded on dogs brought in from various European locations, including England. So in a sense, almost all American born dogs have “English” lineage.
The breed originated in Scotland and was developed through selective breeding done by Lord Tweedmouth from the progeny of a yellow flat coat in a litter of blacks. The appearance of an untypical trait is often the start of many breeds. When you have an unusual color animal in a population of “normal” colored animals, it is often coined a sport. This sport was not the produce of anything magical, but most likely the result of a spontaneous mutation or a meeting of two mutated color genes, ee. The restriction gene E has one allele, e. If a dog has one E gene it will show full color. E is dominant and there only needs to be one gene present in order for full pigment to be seen. The allele e is the recessive form of E. In order for the recessive gene to effect the coat pigment it must occur in homozygous form, ee. With two copies of the recessive e gene, there is no more room for E, and thus you have a “blond” dog no matter the other genes are present. This fact makes it basically impossible for any golden retriever bred to another pure bred golden to produce a non gold (cream to red) coated offspring. In other words, black, blue merle, brindle, etc. do not exist in the golden retriever breed.
Recent color genetic studies have shown evidence that all dogs are black and tan or sable. The other colors we see, black, red, grey, blue, etc, are the result of pleiotropy. This is when one gene effects (as in changes) the expression of other genes.
The reason I am mentioning this is depending what base color a golden is genetically, will decide how the coat colors out. Such as, how much shading it will have, what color the undercoat will be, etc.
In the past it has been said that a golden is a black dog with genes that make them “golden”. We know now, that this is very unlikely. The golden is more likely a black and tan dog or a sable dog with that may or may not carry the recessive k gene (the normal form is K), the gene that allows those colors to be seen or blocks them and makes a dog appear black.
So why is the golden, golden? Remember the E gene and its recessive ee?
The recessive ee allele blocks pigment formation in the hair shaft. This results is a dog that appears gold.
Why are some goldens lighter and some darker?
Remember how I mentioned pleiotropy?
There are many other genes that affect the intensity of pigment. That, combined with the “base color” (black, black and tan or sable) of the dog, will dictate what shade of pigment will be in the animal.
It is believed that the Albinism gene and its alleles are responsible for the washing out of color that changes a golden from any shade of red to cream. The breed as a whole has the potential to produce any shade of golden, from dark to very light gold (sometimes called white). This is not a characteristic indicative to English born animals.
And that is the first myth to be dispelled so I will repeat it; Cream coloring is not indicative to English born and bred animals. It is a normal occurrence in the breed as a whole no matter where they are born.
Okay, on to cream colored dogs.
The alleles of the Albinism gene are C (full pigment), c^ch (chinchilla), c^e (extreme dilution), c^h (Himalayan and not present in dogs), c^p (platinum and theorized by Bowling to be responsible for blue eyed blond Dobermans), and finally c.
It is the allele c^e (extreme dilution) that is most likely responsible for the resulting “white, cream,” golden color. There are possible secondary plus and minus modifiers (that in combination with the animal’s base color) that also affect how the coat pigment.
The recessive alleles of C which affect the pigment intensity do something very interesting. They cannot produce working Tyrosinase which means that the animal is prohibited to some degree (the extreme degree with the albino gene) in making melanin pigment.
It has been shown that melanin plays an important part in the development of the optic nerves of the eye, the nerves of the ear, protective nature of the skin, and even the development of pigment based nerves within areas of the BRAIN stem.
That’s right. The gene that makes “white” goldens is a gene that is actually blocking important and critical chemical compounds that are responsible for the health and functionality of the animal.
So this means cream is bad right?
No. But like any “genetic disease” it has its price and it will have its fall backs, which may take generations to reveal themselves but they are there.
I can here the peanut gallery now scream…you called cream a genetic disease!!!
No, I said “like” a genetic disease. Let me explain. The genes that make a flat faced dog a flat faced dog and a short legged dog, a short legged dog, are considered genetic diseases outside the breed in which the genes are desired. Those genes, while breeders carefully select for them, come with a price. Dwarf breeds cannot have normal joints. Breeders will select for the best and most desirable conformation traits but those breeds will always be abnormal when compared to the normal canine population. These breeds are often more prone to growth related issues and early arthritis and other problems associated with abnormal joints.
It is the same with flat faced breeds. The genes responsible for making a dog have a flat face will often affect other aspects of the animal. They often have elongated pallets, they over heat easier, they have shallow eye sockets that can result in the easier loss of an eye. Flat faced animals cannot have a normal shaped mouth and many breeds have severe teeth issues. This is why these breeds are usually the most artificial in nature and tend to be isolated to the toy group or nonworking where their function is not based on stamina or performance.
It is often very difficult for pet owners and breeders alike to accept the fact that dogs are a conglomeration of genes and alleles that are not conductive to the animal’s survival in nature. Those same genes that make a dog friendly and sweet might make it unable to compete with stronger more dominant canines in the wild. However, these are genes that we have chosen to select for because they make the animal a good companion. With those genes comes a price.
Genes are linked and many genes will affect the expression of other genes in ways you could not imagine. So when we select for genes that make the dog desirable we are most likely selecting for genes and their companions that will inadvertently affect the health of the organism. While breeders select for health and they do their best to produce sound animals, there will always be a correlation of disease in the domesticated dog that is not found in the wild. Nature is far more brutal in her selection of the next generation. In nature, there are no pet homes and there are no exceptions to the game plan. Only a very narrow window of genes will be allowed. This is why all blue birds look so much alike. Any variation in color or size is so insignificant that detecting it is very difficult if not impossible. This is also why wild animal populations are so quickly affected by reduction in genetic variation. They are already so restricted that they can rarely risk loosing more variation.
It is this same logic that will dictate the inevitable effects of selecting pale colored coats in a breed. Breeders that limit themselves by coat color, will select for the diseases and or defects that are the direct result of color restrictive genes.
Those who are involved in white spotted breeds understand this best. The white spotting gene (different from the gene that makes a golden very pale) also blocks pigment formation. We see this gene in Dalmatians (that’s why they are white), white bull terriers, boxers, and other breeds. These same breeds deal with common issues such as deafness and even bizarre neurological disorders like white dog syndrome or shakers. The white spotting gene is linked to neurological impairment and the restriction of pigment is the most likely if not the direct cause of many pigment-restriction related diseases found in white dogs.
Another example of this is the merle gene. Merle is a dominant gene and only takes one to express. It is also an incomplete dominant so that means its effects are not complete. The “blue merle pattern” is an example of the incomplete dominant effects the merle gene has on a black and tan dog. If you put two copies of the M gene together, then you get an almost white dog that is often blind and deaf due to the underdevelopment of ears and eyes that rely on melanin to form.
So does that mean all cream dogs are unhealthy?
Absolutely not!
There are entire breeds that are “cream-whites”. However these breeds often have a great advantage over a “sport”. They have been specifically developed around the color, just as a breed is developed around a physical trait like a flat face or short legs. They have been selecting away from problems that may be associated with the extreme dilution gene for many generations. And I am sure that there are still many issues that remain in these breeds (just as with any extreme gene expression) that they deal with on a regular basis.
Breeders in any established breed that focus on any single trait as their basis for breeding an animal does not understand the disastrous effects that those genes can cause.
Golden retriever breeders in England do not focus on “cream” colored dogs. They breed the whole dog, just as any knowledgeable American breeder. There is color in English bred dogs that is no different than the color found here in the States. The term “English Cream” is a misnomer. Considering most of the “white” goldens originate from Poland, Russia, Australia, and a few from Scotland, that’s kind of like saying you have a “German Rottweiler” from Korea.
The breed type in England is different than the US. But it has nothing to with color or one having a more laid back temperament. The differences are in the overall dog and a conglomeration of small differences that change the look of the dog. To be honest, the average pet owner cannot identify these differences between the two types. They just pick the lighter dog without regard to the rest of the conformation.
Here in the states we have another style of golden referred to as, field type. The field type dog has been developed to be competitive in field based events often competing against the tougher more rugged labs. For field type dogs, speed, endurance, and performance are the number one priority. And while it is important that the dogs keep to the standard of the breed, for field dog breeders, ability, intelligence, and instinct take precedence over coat and bone (i.e. head).
Dogs that are bred for the conformation ring tend to have “more” of everything. This means that they tend to have more head, more coat, more bone. While some choose to keep instinct strong in their breeding program others do not feel this is as important, so they may sacrifice natural hunt drive for the overall picture of a physically outstanding dog. While there are a few conformation dogs that perform in the field, the highly competitive nature of both conformation and field events has successfully split the breed here in the United States making it virtually impossible for a breeder to have success in the ring along with success in the field.
Coat, bone, and substance will weigh a dog down. And while golden breeders would like to think that breeding conformation winners is sticking to the ideal working animal, the fact is, those dogs actually performing all day in the field are more physically designed to do the work. This is the result of unnatural selection over natural. Field type goldens are more influenced by the natural environment than the larger, bulkier, conformation dog that is desired for the ring. And while many conformation dogs are successful in hunt tests this is not the same as the highly competitive arena of field championship competition.
Back to English vs. American.
In England the hunt tests are not like those here in the states. And the breed has not seen the dramatic split of field vs conformation. In England breed type as a whole is more uniform. Although a side note here; I’ve yet to see an English type golden conformation champion, successfully compete in the US field trials and achieve a field championship. A testament to how grueling the competitive venue of US field trials really is. The breed type split here in the US sometimes makes me wonder if we are asking too much of the breed.
. My hat goes off to those breeders who achieve AFC’s and FC’s on their dogs! These people amaze me on a regular basis!
So what does all this mean?
English bred goldens are simply a different body style (and sometimes depending on the US kennel not that different) and the color of the dog is the result of common coat color genes in the breed no matter where the dog originates. (Although once you breed out your color, you can never get it back.) People marketing puppies as “English Creams” are often ignorant of what that really means (or doesn’t mean) and potential puppy buyers who are focused on “English Creams” are often setting themselves up for disappointment.
Any breeder, no matter their location, that has the interest of the breed at heart does not select a potential breeding animal based on color. They do not label it as “English Cream” because they know there is really no such thing. They do not present animals imported from Poland, Scotland, Russia, etc as “English Imports” because they are not from England. They understand that type is a preference of physical traits that supersede the boundaries of land.
