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Black and Red/Liver Genetics
Black is dominant and red/liver is the recessive color in Malamutes, if the puppy gets genes for red hair color from both parents it can be a mahogany color. If the pup gets both red and black genes from its parents, then they are some color of black guard hairs with red trimmings. This applies to the under coat as well,
so the guard hairs can black with a buff or red undercoat.
Don't overlook seals and sables as an excellent source of red genetics. These colors also contribute good pigment to the progeny.
You can not rely on puppy color to determine the final coat color of a Malamute, however with practice you can usually make a fairly close guess. This is because Malamutes tend to move towards the middle ground, ie: lighter colored pups will generally darken and darker colored pups will tend to lighten up.
Face Markings
Face markings also change dramatically, but if there is no mask, a pup will usually stay open faced. Masks follow much the same pattern as body color- however they will always lighten.
That being said, darker red Malamutes often have a fuller mask than lighter colored Mals. Sables will have a mask or bars in black (see pup on the right). Creams (light reds) often have a slight reddish tinge to the areas around the mask. All white Mals have no sign of a mask.
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