A good steel will be black all over with the very tips of the guard hairs ticked with silver or gray. There cannot be any ring colorations at all. The steel must also have a white belly and underside of tail. Quite often steels are a mixture of steel and light grays, showing off some agouti patterns. These steels are no good, and cannot be shown, and usually end up as butcher pen. Sometimes steels have a brownish coloration, which is also highly undesireable. This shows you that sandies shouldn't take part in the creation of steels. That isn't always the problem, but it certainly can cause it. Steels mix well with light grays, whites, and blacks. Often times your best breedings may come from a white (with black and/or steel backgrounds) bred to a light gray or steel buck. A good steel to a good steel won't necessarily breed good steel. It's a tricky color, and keeps you on your feet. But it is also just that much more rewarding.
GENETICS OF A STEEL:
aa B- C- D- Es- en en
Steels are dictated by the extension gene, the most dominant of the series "Es". It overpowers all other genes in that series including the normal extension "E". What this gene does is brings the undercolor, always lighter than the top color, up and OVER the top color so you see the light ticking. The reading I have right now says steels are selfs but due to the white bellies of a steel I suspect they may possibly be agouti steel. Common colors to cross with steel are light gray, black, white and sometimes blue. Be forewarned blue steels are certainly possible to create and are NOT showable when throwing blue in the mix.
