@article{ref1,
title="Association between coat colour and the behaviour of Australian Labrador retrievers",
journal="Canine genetics and epidemiology",
year="2019",
author="van Rooy, Diane and Wade, Claire M.",
volume="6",
number="",
pages="e10-e10",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Making assumptions regarding temperament and intelligence based on the physical appearance of dogs can be a conscious or unconscious human act. Labrador retrievers with chocolate-coloured coats are anecdotally considered to be less trainable and more hyperactive and aggressive than their black or yellow peers. To test these assertions, we analysed the owner-reported behavioural traits of Labradors in relation to both their observable coat colour, and their <i>TYRP1</i> and <i>MC1R</i> genotypes. <br><br>RESULTS: We used the results of an owner-based questionnaire to determine scores for 21 behavioural traits and test whether these scores varied with coat colour (<i>n</i> = 225). <i>Familiar dog aggression</i> was the only trait that was found to vary significantly with coat colour (<i>P</i> = 0.013). Yellow Labradors had a higher score than chocolate Labradors, even when corrected for multiple testing (<i>P</i> = 0.021).We repeated the analyses for a subset of 63 Labradors with available genotyping data for the genes (MC1R and TYRP1) that are known to determine the primary coat colours in Labradors. <i>Familiar dog aggression</i> scores varied with both the observed coat colour and <i>MC1R</i> genotype. Dogs homozygous for <i>MC1R</i> recessive allele (with yellow coat colour) scored higher for <i>familiar dog aggression</i> than either black or chocolate Labradors. However, no association maintained significance when incorporating Bonferroni correction. Dog <i>trainability</i> scores decreased additively as the number of recessive brown alleles for <i>TYRP1</i> increased. This allelic association was independent of the observable coat colour. Dogs homozygous for the brown allele were considered less trainable than dogs with no brown alleles (<i>P</i> = 0.030). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Our results do not support that chocolate-coloured Labradors are more hyperactive or aggressive than either black or yellow Labradors. Trainability scores varied with <i>TYRP1</i> genotype but not the observable coat colour. Further validation is required.<br><br>© The Author(s). 2019.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2052-6687",
doi="10.1186/s40575-019-0078-z",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40575-019-0078-z"
}