Guess the Coat: 13 Breeds and the Gene Switches Behind Their Coats
School · November21
Guess the Coat: 13 Breeds and the Gene Switches Behind Their Coats
Look at the dog, name the clue, then name the gene. A simplified model, played as a game.
You can read a lot about a dog's coat from three clues: a beard and eyebrows (furnishings, RSPO2), long hair or feathering (length, FGF5) and waves or curls (KRT71). Look at the dog, name the clue, then name the gene that usually explains it. It is a simplified model, so use it as a game, not as a DNA result.
Most coat genetics posts stop at “three genes”. This one puts them to work. Below are thirteen breeds, what to look for, and the gene that usually explains it. Try covering the last two columns and guessing first.
The three switches
Think of the coat as three partly independent switches. RSPO2 affects furnishings: the beard, moustache and bushy eyebrows. FGF5 affects length, and long hair is typically recessive, so a dog usually needs two copies of a long-hair variant. KRT71 affects curl. For the two tested curl variants, no copy is expected to give a straight coat, one copy a wavy coat and two copies a curly coat.
Combinations of these three explain many familiar coats, but not every detail. Other genes, breed-specific variants, grooming and the environment all matter. We cover the model in every dog coat gene explained.
Thirteen breed cards
These are common breed tendencies, not guaranteed DNA results for every dog of that breed.
| Breed | What you see | Likely gene clue | Careful note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beagle | Short, smooth, no beard | None of the three switches on | The baseline. See what the other breeds add. |
| Irish Terrier | Beard-like muzzle, strong eyebrows, harsh coat | Furnishings (RSPO2) | Wiry is not the same as curly. |
| Scottish Terrier | Beard and brows, harsh coat | Furnishings (RSPO2) | Furnishings do not automatically mean curl. |
| Schnauzer | Moustache and bushy eyebrows | Furnishings (RSPO2) | Trimming can disguise or exaggerate the look. |
| Cocker Spaniel | Long ears, silky feathering | Length (FGF5) | Long hair is not the same as curly hair. |
| Pomeranian | Abundant, fluffy long coat, no beard | Length (FGF5) | Long does not mean furnished or curly. |
| Irish Water Spaniel | Long, conspicuous curls | Length (FGF5) + curl (KRT71) | The smooth tail and breed texture show the model has limits. |
| Poodle | Long, curly, furnished | All three: length, curl, furnishings | A clipped Poodle looks very different. Guess the coat, not the haircut. |
| Portuguese Water Dog | Curly or wavy, long, furnished | Length + curl + furnishings | Similar switches to a Poodle, but density and texture differ. |
| Curly-Coated Retriever | Tight curls | Curl (KRT71), a second variant (C2) | Similar curls can come from different variants of the same gene. |
| Havanese | Long, wavy or curly, often furnished | Length + furnishings; curl varies | A breed name cannot replace an individual result. |
| Airedale Terrier | Wiry, furnished | Furnishings; a curl variant is possible | Look at the individual coat. |
| French Bulldog | Usually short; a fluffy long-haired one exists | Length (FGF5 variants) | Breed averages are not individual genotypes. |
The plot twist: curls are not all the same
Research identified two tested curl variants in KRT71, called C1 and C2. UC Davis lists Curly-Coated Retrievers among the breeds where C2 is relevant, and Havanese and Airedales among the breeds appropriate for C1 testing. So two dogs with similar curls can have different explanations. Not all curly coats are explained by the tested variants either, and FGF5 also has more than one known long-hair variant.
Five quick rounds to play
- Spot the switch. Show a breed photo. Name the clue (beard, length or curl), then the gene.
- Build the coat. Pick furnishings or none, short or long, straight, wavy or curly. Invent a coat, then find a breed that matches.
- Mystery breed. Read clues one at a time: long coat, tight curls, beard and brows. Reveal Poodle or Portuguese Water Dog.
- Parent to puppy. If both parents carry one copy of a recessive long-hair variant, a litter is expected to have 25% two copies, 50% one and 25% none. These are odds across many puppies, not a promise for one litter.
- Grooming twist. A clipped Poodle or a trimmed Schnauzer: did grooming change the genes? No. It changed what you see, not what the dog carries.
What the coat clue means for your brush
The game also tells you where to look when you brush. Curl and furnishings are the combination that holds on to loose hair, so a long, curly, furnished coat needs the comb to reach the skin. A short, smooth coat does not. If you want to see the technique, read how to line-brush a tight-curl coat.
Quick answers
Does a beard mean a curly coat?
No. A beard and eyebrows point to furnishings (RSPO2). Irish and Scottish Terriers have a harsh, wiry coat with furnishings and no curl.
Does long hair mean a curly coat?
No. Cocker Spaniels and Pomeranians have long coats that are straight or softly textured. Length is FGF5, curl is KRT71.
Can two curly dogs have different curl genes?
Yes. Research found two tested KRT71 curl variants, C1 and C2, and not all curly coats are explained by either.
Does clipping change a dog's coat genes?
No. Clipping changes the visible coat, not the genes the dog carries.
Can I tell my dog's genes from this guide?
No. It is a learning model. Only a DNA test shows an individual dog's variants, and a coat quiz like ours only asks about the coat you can see.
Not sure which coat you have?
Take our free two-minute coat profile quiz. It asks about your dog's coat, not their DNA, and gives you a coat profile and a good starting point for a brushing routine. When you are ready, you can see our harness collection.