Bi-blue color

[Jess041]

Today I took Missy to the vet to get her second round of shots. The vet assistant kept saying to Missy, "are you sure you're not a border collie??" . She said she used to breed shelties and ended up with a bi-black puppy once. I told her Missy's dad was a bi-black like her, and her mom was a bi-blue. She looked at me like I was crazy! So I tried to explain, like a blue merle, without brown. Then she was like, "Oh blue merle, ok." My question is this: are bi-blues and bi-blacks somewhat new coat colors? New as in... last couple decades maybe? I mean, I didn't know about bi-blacks or bi-blues until I started looking into getting a puppy, but I'm not a breeder or anything. This lady claimed to have used to breed shelties! I don't think she was a BYB because she said she showed too. I just find that absolutely mind boggling that someone who claims to have bred shelties had never heard of a bi-blue.

[danisgoat]

Originally Posted by Jess041

I just find that absolutely mind boggling that someone who claims to have bred shelties had never heard of a bi-blue.

I am sure that any Sheltie breeder/shower/owner that is into the breed will find this mind boggling as well Although, my 1976 version of Sheltie Talk only talks about the colors bi-black, blue merle and sable and white.

[Jess041]

Oh good, I'm glad I'm not the only one!

[danisgoat]

The more I think about it....the bi-blue is pretty much a bi-black with the merling gene. So, in a way she is correctly. But then a blue merle would be a tri-color with the merling gene.

Still, you would think a breeder would be aware of this coloring of shelties.

[Jess041]

Originally Posted by danisgoat

Although, my 1976 version of Sheltie Talk only talks about the colors bi-black, blue merle and sable and white.

Right, that's why I'm asking if it's a newer color. When we got my first sheltie, I thought the only colors were sable and tri-color (I was 8, give me a break! lol). Then when we went to the big dog show in Houston, I saw blue merles. So I thought those were the only three up until recently lol.

[tofu pup]

I get the feeling that there aren't a lot of bicolors and bi-blues, statistically-speaking - bicolor is recessive to tri, so that would make sense. But they were certainly in existence, and with some prominence as producers and show dogs, in the '70's and '80s, and probably earlier than that.

[rose]

my first sheltie, Shelia, was a bi black, and that was over 30 years ago,

[Justicemom]

Come to Minnesota, we are the bi-blue capitol of the US I swear. At our sheltie club meeting(it was our awards night at a private home so alot of people brought dogs) there were 5 bi blues, 1 bi black, 1 blue merle, 2 tri and 1 sable in attenance. The person who brought the sable called it their token sable as it is the only they own I think . If you to go by that sampling bi blues are the most common

[tofu pup]

Originally Posted by Justicemom

Come to Minnesota, we are the bi-blue capitol of the US I swear. At our sheltie club meeting(it was our awards night at a private home so alot of people brought dogs) there were 5 bi blues, 1 bi black, 1 blue merle, 2 tri and 1 sable in attenance. The person who brought the sable called it their token sable as it is the only they own I think . If you to go by that sampling bi blues are the most common

It is interesting how there are "pools" of color by region and over time, depending on who the dominant sire in the region is and who the dominant breeders are. Years ago, we would go out to Buffalo for the Western NY specialties. They always had big juniors entries (for a specialty!) and the Open Senior ring would be a dozen kids with AOACS, and then me at the back of the line with my little red dog. Too cute.

[Jess041]

I stumbled upon this today while looking up what a Stud Book Registry was... lol. It's a pretty cool chart, shows early sheltie colors (1913-1941). It only shows 3 colors, Sable, Black, and Blue. Black include bi-black and tri, blue is with ot without tan markings. I'm sure some of you have already seen this.. but I guess it kinda answers my initial question!

http://bowlingsite.mcf.com/genetics/earlycolors.html