Blaze or No Blaze

[MissSuzie]

Like others had said marking don't mean anything when choosing a show or preformance dog. However if faced with two equal quality dogs, I do have prefences.

I don't care for huge white blazes, Justice's is the biggest I prefer. If they have a blaze, I prefer a pencil blaze. I really like the plain faces especially on tri's and blues and white around the noses on the sables with no blaze. Something so cute about a little black nose in an island of white.

I really like a big white collar(can't tell by my dogs I know). Although my friends bi blue doesn't have but a spot of white on the back of his neck and he is beautiful. In merles I like a moderately merled body with palm sized spots, I don't care for merles with tons of black.

Overall though I don't think there is a bad color in a sheltie.

What a beautiful group of shelties!!!

 

[SheepOfBlue]

I greatly prefer a blaze on all but blue merles

 

[granite]

Well, I find that the most memorable trait to me is personality. I like a lot of coloring combinations, probably my least favorite in general are merles but having said that I've seen some absolutely beautiful merles.

Of my six, Indy and Angus do not have blazes; the other four do. It wasn't a plan, just worked out that way. I didn't even notice that Newton had a blaze when I met him...I was so concerned about everything else going on with him.

 

[Strider]

I'll do the politically correct thing and say it doesn't matter.. but then I wouldn't be honest.. One of the attractions of the breed is their beauty. Now mind you, it's not that I prefer a blaze or not, it's that some dogs have a face suited for a blaze and others are defined by the lack and a blaze would detract..

Deja's blaze devides her right down the center of her nose. I think it looks amazing and could not imagine what she would look like without it..

 

[MissSuzie]

I'll do the politically correct thing and say it doesn't matter.. but then I wouldn't be honest.. One of the attractions of the breed is their beauty. Now mind you, it's not that I prefer a blaze or not, it's that some dogs have a face suited for a blaze and others are defined by the lack and a blaze would detract..

Deja's blaze devides her right down the center of her nose. I think it looks amazing and could not imagine what she would look like without it..

Deja is stunning! What a beautiful face.

 

[Lynne]

Color and makings themselves don't (or at least, shouldn't) factor into breeding decisions (beyond merle-to-merle and sable-merle breedings)... however! Expression is a big part of breed type, and it's possible for facial markings to detract from expression. This is a very subjective matter, but it is something that can be hard to get around when evaluating individual dogs.

quick question i know about merle-to-merle breedings, but what is the problem with sable-merle breedings? Jake is listed as a sable merle and white.

Jake has a good sized blaze, and i guess when i think about it i like blazes on everything but blue merle.

Lynne

 

[Justicemom]

I'll do the politically correct thing and say it doesn't matter.. but then I wouldn't be honest.. One of the attractions of the breed is their beauty. Now mind you, it's not that I prefer a blaze or not, it's that some dogs have a face suited for a blaze and others are defined by the lack and a blaze would detract..

Deja's blaze devides her right down the center of her nose. I think it looks amazing and could not imagine what she would look like without it..

I know what you mean. This is Image, my friend's dear departed Blue Merle. Her blaze split her face in half. The right was merle and the left Tri. Her name was ** Split Image. She would not have been as neat looking without the blaze.

 

[ruckusluvr]

i just prefer a pup without the blaze.
and a full white collar.

 

[Lovely]

Like others had said marking don't mean anything when choosing a show or preformance dog. However if faced with two equal quality dogs, I do have prefences.

I don't care for huge white blazes, Justice's is the biggest I prefer. If they have a blaze, I prefer a pencil blaze. I really like the plain faces especially on tri's and blues and white around the noses on the sables with no blaze. Something so cute about a little black nose in an island of white.

I really like a big white collar(can't tell by my dogs I know). Although my friends bi blue doesn't have but a spot of white on the back of his neck and he is beautiful. In merles I like a moderately merled body with palm sized spots, I don't care for merles with tons of black.

Overall though I don't think there is a bad color in a sheltie.

I agree with everything you said! (I prefer really light blues to ones with lots of black - but hey, they probably means I'll end up with an black-mottled blue!) Duncan's dam has a really big, wide blaze that I don't find attractive. However, you factor in his sire's thinner one, you get Duncan's medium sized one.

I like the look of them, but wouldn't completely judge a dog who either had none or had a really wide one. Then again, I have a pet home (with an interest in agility, but a pup too young at the moment). Color isn't really something necessary to my love of the breed.

White collars are comforting to me, but again - not necessary.

 

[HopeShelties]

The only problem with sable merles is there's a bit of a prejudice against them in the show ring. Now, a top quality sable merle can finish (Laureate Santana is a fantastic example), but they're generally going to be harder to finish.
Oh, and a sable merle with a blue eye can't be shown in AKC conformation, though it can still show UKC...
My preference, all things equal, is a big white blaze, and full white collar. I love a lot of flash. That said, mine are split pretty equally... I have some with no white at all on their faces, some with a little, and some with huge splashy blazes.