Collie colors

[RoughCollies]

I noticed in the white boxer thread, someone mentioned white collies. White collies are produced by two white factored dogs being bred together. They are just as healthy as any other collie.

Here are the possible color combinations that I could find.
We'll start with whites, since that is why I started this.

White Coats

White with a sable head
http://www.caespastores.com/images/racas_img/collie_a_piagge/white_moon.jpg

White with a tri head

http://homepage3.nifty.com/Collie-Sheltie-Land/colwhite.jpg

White with a blue head
[/URL]
http://www.jemdcollies-minidachshunds.com/pictures/collie/Roquefortgreatgrandfathercopy.jpg

Smooth white
http://www.sweetcollies.com/ArianaOffShowSide1.jpg[URL="http://home.usit.net/~collies/"] (http://mkammilla.bei.t-online.de/american001.htm)

[lassie]

Thank goodness here in the uk we only have the 3 colours. sable, tri coloured and blue merle.


Very experienced breeders do blue to blue matings , tho not as often as they used to do years ago.

[RoughCollies]

Sable Coats

Sable and white
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/48/Rough_Collie_600.jpg/250px-Rough_Collie_600.jpg

Sable Merle
http://www.glacialacres.com/images/Puppies_20051227/Marla%20left.jpg (http://www.glacialacres.com/puppies_03.html#)

Tri-factored sable and white
http://www.collierescue.org/dogs/2005-004/picture.jpg

White factored Sable and White
http://carterhillcollies.homestead.com/files/Jess5email.jpg

[RoughCollies]

Tricolor Coats

Tri

http://collie.pl/fluffy/pic/530_fluffy.jpg

White Factored Tri

http://www.snovali.com/photos/placed/spysit.jpg

Blue Merle Coats

Blue Merle
http://members.aol.com/ccawwwsite/cca/rbb.jpg

White Factored Blue Merle
http://snovali.com/photos/studs/pirate.jpg

There is also something called Cryptic Blue. It's a blue merle factored dog that doesn't show it's merle gene. You might see some grey on the shoulders, behind the ears, and on the flanks. That's about it. The only way you notice it sometimes, is through breeding. I can't find a picture, because no one knows if they have one or not! It can be dangerous because people so often breed blue to tri and think that their cryptic blue is a tri. That's how you get double merling in many cases.

[RoughCollies]

Then, we get into the dangerous color. This can cause blindness, deafness and other health related problems. There are "breeders" who not only purposely breed a litter of doubles, but will continue on to breed their pups as well.

Double Dilute - occurs when two whites or two merles
are bred together
http://www.calcollierescue.org/pictures/Nick%20Happy%20Tail.jpg

Two white and two merles should never be bred together. I can't find the pic, but I have seen a pic of a collie that had NO color on it's body. It was completely white. Weird and not healthy.

[RoughCollies]

Thank goodness here in the uk we only have the 3 colours. sable, tri coloured and blue merle.


Very experienced breeders do blue to blue matings , tho not as often as they used to do years ago.

Blue to blue is more common and a bit safer than white to white. Still not so good, though. The pups produced from those litters really should be spayed, though.

I don't breed, but I came from a family that did. Genetics and coloring is one of my favorite subjects. I can look at two colors and know what they would produce together. There is a book called the Magnificent Collie that explains colors really well.
http://www.doralpub.com/doral/collie2.gif

[lassie]

i think if you know you lines then blue to blue is fine. As i say its not done so ,much now as we have some nice tricolours about. BTW i've never seen a white collie with a coloured head. Am i right in the US they do sable x merle matings?

[mysterydog1]

that sable merle was very pretty. ;) er thats all i wanted to say, sry don't know much about collies. I know pharaoh hounds that have a lot of white aren't desired but i don't know if they get unhealthy or what causes that. ;/

[Doberman's]

Very interesting. I like the white with a blue head, very pretty. Some of them look weird. Like the double dilute.

Cool info thanks for posting it RC. :):)

[lassie]

Yes well done RC:) :)

[RoughCollies]

that sable merle was very pretty. ;) er thats all i wanted to say, sry don't know much about collies. I know pharaoh hounds that have a lot of white aren't desired but i don't know if they get unhealthy or what causes that. ;/

That picture was of one of the most well marked merles I have seen. I was so excited when I found it! They usually don't look that well marked and the marking disappear when they get older. They just look like really, really, light sables.

[Aurora]

I love that blue merle colouring, I think its fab. I don't know anything about collies eather but I do find the whole thing on colours & what colours can & can't be mixed with what & why.

Can anyone point me to any good websites regarding colour mixing, I find it thouroughly facinating.

[Borzoi mad]

Interesting thread this. In my breed the Borzoi any colour is permissable. In fact in their native Russia the White borzoi was prized greatly. Sorry If I have gone slighly off topic. In the UK now we are seeing more of the white ones. I personally prefer more colour in my borzoi but that is just my choice.

[lassie]

What pure white BM? . As im always a differnt day to you at the Ch shows i never get to see any now. BTW I too prefer more coloring.
In our breed standard we have the 3 colours sable. tri or blue merle, and not the white.

[Aurora]

We have pure whites in my breed & it is perfectly acceptable, in fact most colours are acceptable in my breed as long as they are well blended or sabled.

"pure white or any shade of grey and sable through to pure black" although I've never seen a pure black one, don't think many exist. Patchy & long coats are a fault.

[lassie]

do you blacks in your breed standard Aurora ? just wondered what they would produce to say a white.

[Borzoi mad]

Hi Lassie There are a few going about at shows but not many,as I said they are not my choice but each to his own .
Know in America they seem to like the whites or very light coloured ones,
I feel that there could be problems with pigmentation iin the whites but that is only in my opinion. When the white ones were bred originally in Russia the pigmentation was there but it is in my view not so good today.

[lassie]

I know what you are saying , in our breed we do not have the whites either, so our merles are good in colour.

[Borzoi mad]

Hi Lassie Remember what we spoke about some time ago on another thread how the Borzois and Rough collies sometimes resemble one another . Well in this weeks D.W. Paper there is a picture of a White collie with a coloured head and I had to look twice I thought it was a borzoi ,. do you get D W? If so its on Page 7 The DoG House by Simon Parsons and seemingly May Young of the Ugony Rough Collies showed him in 1957 and won second in open at Paignton under Frank Warner the Dogs name was Ugonys Cotton King. May Young imported him from the USA Just a co-incidence that this was posted about whites and then I opened my DW today and there was this article on White collies.

[lassie]

NO BM i take Our Dogs. Will see if i can get it thanks. I remember her LOL but not the dog, Have a a look at the RC breed notes.;) ;)

[Borzoi mad]

Hi Lassie No RC Breed notes in this week's. If you have problemsw getting it pm me and I will cut it out and send you the article.

[lassie]

;) u sure BM. was told they were there . my dog that i bred had a mention;)


Lol DW from my home town and i dont take it :D

[Borzoi mad]

;) u sure BM. was told they were there . my dog that i bred had a mention;)


Lol DW from my home town and i dont take it :D


Lassie I am positive the breed notes jumpfrom Rotties to Russian Blacks I am talking about DW dated 22 Sept.

Perhaps it was last weeks if you check and I have not thrown it out I will look last week's for you . Let me know.

[Aurora]

do you blacks in your breed standard Aurora ? just wondered what they would produce to say a white.

Black is an acceptable colour in our breed standard as is white, a black to a white would generally produce a mix of blacks & greys but not white unless the black happened to carry the white gene.

Although black is accepted it is not overly desireable & black pups are often hard to sell which is perhaps why they are not often seen, blacks are generally not bred from.

[lassie]

BM i think they come under C in Dog World;) its a long time since i took that one.

[lassie]

i would imagine the blacks would be very eye catching Aurora

[Borzoi mad]

Found it Sandy under C right enough YD winner Mrs S Bradshaw's Magnets Simply Wicked at Yslann who triumphed over his breeder, Sandy Blackmore was there to see this good win. As I said already if you can't get a copy let me know and I'll cut out breed notes and article for you and post.

[lassie]

Thanks Eunice;)

[Aurora]

i would imagine the blacks would be very eye catching Aurora

I would have thought so too especially if they had the nice yellow/amber eyes but it would seem they are not really sought after whereas whites in our breed are fairly popular.

[Sabledog]

my mother in law just got a cllie pup a few months ago, they had to go through alot of testing to make sure the pup wasnt going to have problems, its a blue and from what she was saying its common for blue pups to die young if the sable around the eyes is not a certain way... her pup is healthy and happy though.. heres a quick pic... this pic was taken about 4 months ago so he is alot bigger now.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e206/Fishckabibble/100_0841.jpg

[tosha-my-pitt]

I found these colors and I really like them.What are they refered to as?

[lassie]

Look blue merle to me. although in Uk we are more used to the solid colour of the 3rd one.

Not sure what the first would be described as . white merle???

[tosha-my-pitt]

Not sure what the first would be described as . white merle???

I'm not sure either, but she is just gorgeous!! If I could get my hands on her:sneaky: :whistle: ..........:wubsmiley:

[lassie]

Now now. all that grooming LOL

[tosha-my-pitt]

Now now. all that grooming LOL
LOL .That wouldn't faze me a bit, she is just too pretty to not keep that way!!

[Doberman's]

Wow Tosha!!! They are gorgeous.:):) Very cool.

[lassie]

ok so if you like grooming you're hired:D

[tosha-my-pitt]

ok so if you like grooming you're hired:D

LOL! :specool: But I'm a little too far away!

[lassie]

well i can only hope LOL:) :)