Left, this incredible-looking Border Collie is Diane Aramian's Magic ("Timeless Up My Sleeve"). In the Valchiusella, for example, the Australian red (ee) gene seems to provide that buffer. Pitbull Colors: 23 Coat Color Variations Explained (With Pictures), American Bully XL: An Ultimate Guide to the Most Muscular Dog, White British Shorthair Facts, Genetics & Health (With Pictures), Chocolate Point Siamese Cat Facts, Traits, Pictures & FAQs, Tortie Point Siamese Cat Info, Facts, Traits, Pictures & FAQs. This is Reba, who belongs to Sarah LeBlanc of St. Louis, Missouri. This phenomenon has also been reported with ghost tan point and saddleback markings too. If you are interested in using ANY material on this website, you MUST first ask for permission. He's her first Border Collie and he will be a hard act to follow. The agouti genes are fairly complex and are also responsible for a number of other patterns in border collies and other dog breeds, such as saddle pattern, wolf pattern, chinchilla and seal. A classic example of this in the UK bloodlines is that of Wiston Cap, he and his sons were so widely used that he is behind almost all UK bloodlines around today, he carried the chocolate gene so is likely the source of most of the chocolate we see. (so unusual I dont have a picture! But closer observation shows that the "ticking" is in a grey ground. This handsome boy with ice-blue eyes and mismatched ears, is Matisse (Detania Shmily Matisse) who was shown at just over 6 months old. When two merles are mated together you will get a proportion of the litter (~25%) that are homozygous merles (MM). Just look at the example given above. A Guide for Parents. Because of these associated problems two merles should not be mated together and no responsible breeder would even contemplate a deliberate merle to merle mating. Border Collies can come in a combination of three shades. Matisse belongs to Paula Wright, of Haverhill, Suffolk, England. Blue is the colour produced when black is diluted. These two dogs, Buddy on the left and Lacy on the right, are both tan merle (or merle on a recessive yellow base). When a merle is mated to any other colour merles can always be produced. What she is looking for are merles, where the dilute patches are very pale (white or nearly white). Their markings can be white or ticked. Do Border Collie Puppies Change Color When They Grow? For instance, in the picture presented, the sable color does not completely cover the length of the dogs body, but instead, there are noticeable spaces where the white markings occur. There is a sound argument for taking care when breeding for recessive traits (such as colour) on the basis that other, currently unknown recessive traits in the lines can be more likely to appear. Border Collies with lilac coat coloration boasts of a combination of blue and chocolate. As is with other breeds, Border Collies also change color as they mature due to pigment progression. Problems can occur when you get a phantom merle, a dog that genetically is a merle but does not appear to be one; this dog could then inadvertently be mated with another merle. So lets say a normal animal is blackin a chocolate/brown animal the eumelanin pigment granules are a slightly different shape which makes the coat appear brown. Without going too deeply into the genetics of merle (which can be found at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merle_(dog_coat)), let me just paraphrase Wikipedia by saying that if two merle dogs are mated, on average one quarter of the pups will be double merles (MM), and a high percentage of these double merle pups could have eye defects and/or be deaf. Study the photo above, which shows exactly what I described. Both Mac and Rain are very interestingly marked blue merles, with large black patches which make them look almost like heavily ticked pattern whites. Left, Juli Mangham rescued Blake and says that she's been told many times that he is an Australian Shepherd mix, but she thinks is a Border Collie (he does have a tail, but he holds it curled over his back much of the time). Fog is amazing-looking, and I have to say, I've never seen a dog look more like a wolf before. He belongs to Dawn Sandberg from Rockford, Illinois. Foundation website that the merle patterning gene has been identified by the pictured belowSadghyl Pip me to Comebye CDX UDX. Sable Border Collies usually have a tan base coat with black tippings. Usually, their nose, legs, and tail will remain dark, but the other areas of their body will have a red cast. The dilution gene acts on the Eumelanin pigment so dilutes Black to Blue and Brown/Chocolate to lilac. Historically, the black and white coloration of this breed is associated with its job as a herder. You shouldnt mate blue to blue because you get weak and sickly puppies Again, a common myth that stems from the diagnosis of a condition referred to as Gray Collie Syndrome This is a condition, similar to TNS that affects Rough and Smooth Collies; the grey colour seen in the coats of affected animals is actually a product of the condition and is not in any way related to the dilute gene we have in border collies. A researcher at Clemson University in South Carolina, Leigh Ann Clark, is researching what modification causes harlequins instead of "ordinary" merles. blue merles! You can even share them with your other Border Collie loving friends which I would very much appreciate. This red tri-color Border Collie is primarily dark red, but it also showcases some white markings and tan points on its ears, face, back, feet, and tail. Dr. Phil Sponenberg, a veterinarian, a professor of pathology and genetics at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg, Virginia, and a color genetics expert is assisting her in locating harlequins in other breeds, and he contacted me. Hence, most Border Collies are of this shade combination in order to perform their day to day tasks. Both parents must carry the gene in order for it to be produced in a litter. They may appear to be all white, but they dont actually have any pigment because they are suffering from Albinism. If you have a picture you would like to send me please feel free!!). ), [Please read our policy on accepting photos of dogs]. with 1 red and white, 1 red tri, 2 red merles, 1 blue merle, and 1 black and white. male on the right is Falconmoor Merle Invasion, called Indy. While black Border Collies are often addressed as black and white because they have some markings on their body, the white and black pups are predominantly light-colored with a tinge of black on their coat. She is "Sprite", belonging to Jan Laidlaw from Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. This is on the assumption that the recessive gene is relatively rare (as most are) and will stem from a small number of animals so that those animals carrying or exhibiting the same recessive traits will share common ancestry and may therefore share other, less desirable recessive traits too. www.valchiusella.org/flora-e-fauna/il-cane-pastore-della-valchiusella. Two copies of the dilute gene and one copy of the merle gene are present. Obviously in Australia/NZ they just refer to this colour as red. If you want to save a few bucks, here are the most common colors of Border Collies: Meanwhile, if you are really after rare Border Collies, here are they: There are two pigments that determine the coat color of Border Collies, and they are called eumelanin and phaeomelanin. (2022 Price Guide). white and her father was a blue merle. Perhaps by show standards--but Matisse and the others only prove how diverse the Border Collie gene pool is when it comes to looks. You Paul Adams, the illustrator of Teal, above, is Bob Adams son. It is reasonable to expect that other recessive traits from these dogs will have trickled out down the generations too, some good and some not so good. to the point where nobody even knew that they carried the red genes. I have bred and met hundreds of blue and lilac border collies and have only ever seen one affected with this condition, while visiting a dog show out on the continent. As it only affects the hair follicles and not other pigmentation the dogs nose and eye rims will express its hidden colour. [Please click on the pictures to get to a page.]. Merle affects only the black, but speckling, which is often mistaken for merling, affects the white, and a dog can have both merling and speckling. If you mate two dilutes you will only produce dilutes. pictured belowJulie Kondor's Blue (Bryning Blue Jay), There is some confusion internationally over the correct name for this colour, the shades can vary greatly and it may be referred to as red, chocolate, brown, liver etc. Some are dark, while others are very light that they almost appear as creams. Molinario wonders if the M gene has something to do with herding acumen. I extracted the content of the breed standard published by the AKC, UKC, CKC, and FCI and presented them in a table below for your easy understanding. If you have one and you are worried that they wont also be accepted in agility and similar skill tests as well, rest your brows because they can still join and win. You may also turn it off by clicking on the two parallel lines. Sarah's mother, Lori LeBlanc sent in her photos. Meanwhile, the non-standard colors which are also acknowledged by the AKC are seal, slate, white and gold, white and sable, and white and seal. This is due to a recessive gene that controls the amount of white spotting on their fur. Pictured belowour very own Mac! This colour is very rare in the UK and there is therefore confusion over the correct name; we usually refer to this as golden/yellow or Australian red although again, the shades can vary greatly. So the red colour is produced from a recessive gene so the same principles apply, a dog must be homozygous to exhibit the colour and must get one gene from each parent. If this interests you, please click on the link above for the full According to Molinario, it was recently noticed that the MM or the double merle gene pair does not produce the same effect in all breeds. As you can see, every merle dog does not have "merle eyes", nor is the "merle eye" limited to merle dogs. See the pics below of Wren (Bryning Goldfinch) to see how the colour develops as the pup grows. DNA tests to distinguish this allele "a" in Shelties, Tervuren/Groenendael, and a few other breeds are now offered by Healthgene based on recent findings. White and seal Border Collies exhibit a white coat with black tones that turn brown in sunlight. Left, this gorgeous red merle Border Collie is appropriately called Fire. Zack is a rescue dog. Aside from black and white, red Border Collies are also one of the most common colors recognized by kennel clubs. Magic's mother is black and white. It is commonly thought that the breeding of dilute to dilute will increase the incidence of dilution alopecia but there has been no evidence to support this and a blue puppy from two black parents is just as likely to suffer from this disease as one from two blue parents (in factI've never seen this from two blueparents). Therefore, we have chosen to present one page with all the possible merles for which we currently have examples. Notice how much more wide-spread the merle pattern was when he was young. Left, look at this handsome father and son. Im obviously not saying that breeding colour to colour (recessive to recessive) shouldnt be done, just that it should be done with a degree of care and consideration, as should apply to all breeding decisions in my opinion. This is Wren, Bryning Goldfinch (Rico's litter sister); here are some pics of her as she was growing up showing how the seal colour develops (Thanks to Joy and Becca for the slideshow). Saddleback sable Border Collies also have a little tan on their face and body; thats why they look tri-colored. This is responsible for melanin dilution and the production of a unique coat pattern. Its worth noting that dilution alopecia is very rare in all breeds and especially so in border collies. Their white base coat is almost 80% of their whole color pattern in most cases, and they also have blue or clear eyes. You shouldnt mate blue to blue because you get Dilution Alopecia (hairloss) in the puppies This is something else I hear a lot that has its origins in some truth but has been misinterpreted. These non-standard Border Collie colors are referred to as such because they cannot compete in conformation shows. However, in terms of health, many scientific pieces of research point out that merle and all-white dogs or albinos are more prone to a list of diseases and congenital disabilities. The lightness or darkness of their fur depends on the combination of these two colors, but often they do not appear very dark. This dog got its unique appearance from being twice diluted, first by the [bb] gene which changes black to brown, and second by the [dd] gene which dilutes the black color to blue or gray. Black is a dominant gene and the black and white colouration will always be produced unless other modifying genes are present. The blue merle Border Collie is a total looker. He belongs to Gina Cavacas of Wareham, Massachusetts. It can affect any base color, so you can have blue merle (on base black), red merle (on base red), sable merle (on whatever base the sable is affecting), slate merle (on base blue), etc. The term red covers the deep red shade to cream, gold, orange, and yellow. As evident from its name, white ticked Border Collies have some sort of black ticking on their white markings found on their face and legs. Pictured below is Lizz (Qualified to Comebye of Pinewood Country) owned and loved by Danielle Boushouwers of Nice of you to Comebye kennels in Holland. White and red Border Collies combine white and a deep or light tone of red on their coat. He looks just like a "regular" blue merle, except, where blue merles have black (particularly, the nose, and black patches), Slate has blue or dark grey. See the pics below for an example of sables with different base colours 1) 'Rico' aka Bryning Gold Blend - black shaded sable 2) 'Monkee' aka Bryning I'm A Believer - blue shaded sable 3) 'Falck' aka Steady Lines Falck - chocolate shaded sable 4) 'VJ' aka Fire n Ice van 't Hof Diabolo - lilac shaded sable, You can think of Seal as being a sort of 'ghost' sable. Refer to the photo above for their exact appearance. Both parents must carry the gene in order for it to be produced in a litter. Chihuahua Lifespan: How Long Do Chihuahuas Live? Border Collies can have a predominantly white coat, but there is always some part of them that will exhibit color just like the white and black variety. She's looking at [Great] Danes (where harlequin occurs frequently), but is also interested in other breeds in which harlequin may occur. They are all red merles. A choc tricolour merle dog has two copies of both the choc and tricolour genes and one copy of the merle gene. The same goes for chocolate, there is no right or wrong shade of colour, only different ones and these are controlled by various modifying genes, it makes no difference whether these genes come from two parents that are the same colour or two different coloured parents. He believes that it may make a dog more attentive to motion in the flock. Anyone have a guess? RECOMMENDED READING: Male vs. This makes them rather rare as it requires 3 lots of recessive genes! The white and red merle Border Collie is also considered unusual because it has more white on its coat and there are patches of red merle on its body. taking the sample and shipping it to her at Clemson. This is Concho who belongs to Tamara Minter of West Texas. A double merle will often appear excessively white coloured and may have abnormally small eyes; these are produced when two merles are mated so merle to merle matings are to be avoided. and maintained by webmeistress Carole Presberg with technical help from webwizard David Presberg This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the possible colours and coat patterns found in this breed, there are quite a number more including brindle, brindle point, saddleback tri etc but I have tried to cover those most commonly found and those of particular interest to me! READ NEXT: How Much Does a Border Collie Cost? These animals are usually fairly easy to spot, due to the double merle influence they are often excessively white with very little colouring on them and have unusually small eyes. He explains the color mechanism more thoroughly: The bottom line is, if you have a harlequin dog/pup, or have seen one in your As such most responsible breeders would NEVER mate a true red to a merle. Dogs cant exhibit such a degree of coat color alteration due to the way their genes are wired. Solid black Border Collies are very rare, but a few breeders claim that they do exist. But why, Molinario asks, if the M gene is so risky, has natural selection or the supposed wisdom of the shepherds failed to eliminate it? Both the dilute and choc genes are recessive so two copies of each of the genes must be present in a dogs genetic makeup in order for a choc base colour to be diluted. Brown is a recessive gene so both parents must have the gene to produce it in a litter, Black (B) is dominant and where present it will always be expressed. Ruby, left, a split-faced, red merle female with one blue eye, belongs to Phyllis Cardoza of Chatsworth, California. They carry a multitude of health problems that will probably get you bankrupt even before it turns one year old. Bob is a hill walker, and Teal is his walking companion. Another more recent dog is Bobby Dalziels Int Sup CH Wisp, a proven dilute (blue) carrier and largely responsible for the vast increase in the number of working bred blue dogs we see today. pictured belowPip aka Packhams Ever Ready Pipin owned and loved by Lissa Searle, Hampshire Harriers Flyball Team, Same as chocolate tricolour but with two copies of the dilution gene also present. That said, Im not sure why people think that darker = better?? Don't be fooled by those people that claim they can see merling on ee red puppiesthis is simply not chemically/physically possible. Incidentally there is a relatively rare genetic condition found in both blues and lilacs (in other breeds not just BC's) known as dilution alopecia which can cause bald patches over the body and particularly on the ears. Aside from having a black-tipped coat, sable merle Border Collies also showcase some patches of dark color on their skin which is typical for dogs who inherited the incomplete or merle gene. Two copies of both the dilute and choc genes and one copy of the merle gene are present. Up until this day, the genetics behind this coat color is not identified. Same as choc merle but the merle gene is acting on a 'diluted' choc/white base. If you look closely at the sample I included, youll notice that the dark patches are all on their ears, body, and tail. the animal only has one copy so does not express that colour but has the gene to pass on to its offspring. Of Siryn, Donna says: "Her mother was a black and Two copies of the choc gene and one copy of the merle gene are present. Poodle Lifespan: How Long Do Poodles Live? Ranger is a saddle-patterned blue merle with one blue eye and one "merle eye" (part blue, part brown). 1. These would be breeds where merle occurs. Both parents must carry the gene in order for it to be produced in a litter. Cant blame you on that because I, too, have my own preferred shade. My name is John Carter and I absolutely love pets, especially cats and dogs. If you mate two reds you will only produce reds. She belongs to Melissa Preston-Fleming of West Virginia. I believe she is a saddle merle, but she seems to have both black and slate spots. Like other working dogs, Border Collies are bred to be double-coated to protect them from cold climates and keep them cool during hotter seasons. All breeding involves risk taking, part of being a breeder is accepting that and working with it, not choosing rules and arguments to justify what you want to do. throughout this site we will be calling it chocolate! Jan adopted Sprite from Border Collie Rescue in Vancouver. If you are a tri-color dog fancier, this news will excite you. Some of the darkest red and white dogs Ive seen (my own Sunny included) are from red to red matings. Check out the examples below: This tri-color Border Collie is predominantly black, but it has tan points on its face, legs, and tail. Everything You Need to Know, Are Cane Corsos Good With Kids? Merle CANNOT therefore be carried (it is a common misconception that animals with one merle parent will carry the merle genethey cannot unless they themselves are merles!!) has two copies the same) it will always pass this copy on to ALL its offspring. and the photo was taken the previous January. At first, he might look like just a blue or slate dog, but his face reveals the merle markings. They were born with a black coat, but it lightens to gray/blue as they mature. There are quite a large number of health issues caused by this genetic combinationdeafness, poor eyesight, malformation of the eyes, infertility etc. Looking at their genetics, they have acquired a gold coloration because of a certain dilution in their coats pheomelanin which is red in default. Buddy belongs to Donna Mar and Lacy belongs to Allyson Keyser. Just one look at a white and blue merle Border Collie and you can surely tell that they are rare. Left, Zack is a blue merle with a preponderance of white, and I associate his look with double merle breeding and possible deafness. Here's one I need your help on. Same as black tricolour but with the merle gene also present. If you mate two tricolours you will only produce tricolours pictured belowour own little Faith, Bryning True Believer, Merle is a modifying gene that causes patchy pigmentation over the body, this can also extend over the nose and eyes producing pink noses and blue or odd coloured eyes. There is also an added danger herethe merle gene cannot be expressed on a true red dog (remember merle acts on eumelanin to) so it is possible that when red puppies are born from a merle parent they may well be merles but you simply cannot tell. What Are the Non-Standard Border Collie Colors? months. MERLE BORDER COLLIES, This page has music available that you may turn on. article. Look at your dog closely when they are basking in the sun. Please be aware that these pictures must not be copied or distributed in any way. Australian Mountain Doodle Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Pit Boxer Lab Mix: Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Red Nose & Blue Nose Pitbull Mix: Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Labrabull or Bullador (Pitbull Lab Mix) Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Beagle Pit (Beagle & Pitbull Mix) Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Saint Dane (Great Dane & Saint Bernard Mix) Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Saint Bernewfie (Saint Bernard & Newfoundland Mix) Info, Pictures, FAQs & More, Saint Berhusky (Saint Bernard & Husky Mix) Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Australian Labradoodle Dog Breed Info, Pictures, Facts & FAQs, Border Beagle (Beagle & Border Collie Mix) Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Bloodhound Pitbull Mix: Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Corgi Pom (Corgi & Pomeranian Mix) Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Sharp Eagle (Shar-Pei & Beagle Mix) Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Schnauzer Pit (Pitbull & Schnauzer Mix) Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Spitzpoo (Spitz & Poodle Mix) Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Yorkie Pom or Porkie (Yorkie & Pomeranian Mix) Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Pit Rat Terrier (Rat Terrier & Pitbull Mix) Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, French Boodle (French Bulldog & Poodle Mix) Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Bull Terrier Pitbull Mix: Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Belgian Malinois Pitbull Mix: Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Saint Bernard Pitbull Mix: Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Poo Shi (Poodle & Shiba Inu Mix) Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Great Danebull (Great Dane & Pitbull Mix) Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Chipit (Pitbull & Chihuahua Mix) Info, Pictures, Facts, FAQs & More, Umbrella Cockatoo (White Cockatoo): Facts, Pictures, Care & FAQs, How Much Does a Bengal Cat Cost? Each hair is more than one colour/shade, usually black at the root and a light sandy brown at the tip. The dilution gene D is again recessive and acts by slightly altering the shape of the pigment containing cells in the hair follicle and therefore affecting the pigment granules. Sh CH Clan Abby Blue Aberdoone is also behind most of the blue dogs we see in the showring today, this NZ import was used extensively at stud and his genes have spread all over the UK and Europe as a result, he is the source of much of the dilute genetics we see in show lines. How to easily identify them, you ask? I've added this bit because so many people ask me about this and I thought it would be easier if I had somewhere to refer them rather than keep repeating myself. pictured belowBond, Locheil Time Moves On, Same as black tricolour but with two copies of the dilution gene also present. These colors created are called dilutes and can also affect the dogs eyes and nose colors.
Best Interactive Dog Toys For Poodles, French Bulldog Monthly Cost, Docker Swarm Network Issues, What Do Rottweilers Love,
slate merle border collie puppy