Easter Cats

[Tad Carlucci]

Put it this way:

A more recessive trait can push out (expose in the offspring) a hidden more dominant one.

A more dominant trait can pick up, but hides, a more recessive one. Back-breeding or crossing similar (often siblings unless you have more than one line going) are what you need for the second generation, which CAN expose the hidden.

Often, the choice is making the best of a bad situation. If you don't have a more recessive to pull out a hidden trait, you'll have no choice but to use a more dominant trait. It's possible, but it takes at least a second generation, and the odds of success are lower as a result. If dominant could not do it, it would be neigh on impossible to expose out a newly-released, now-most-recessive trait.