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White/ Almost All White Border Collie


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What are your views on White/ Almost all White Border Collies?

I'm not sure what you're asking? There is a strong prejudice against them amongst the working stockdog folk, but as far as the color goes, I see nothing particularly wrong with it. I would check hearing on any dog with a lot of white on the head though.

 

The color pattern you describe is fairly common, though my mostly white working dog has a traditional black face (that is, from head on he looks like any typical B&W border collie), but not the black rump patch. Instead he has right much ticking.

 

julpip.jpg

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I'm not sure what you're asking either. Are you asking if we just like the color or if we think they are "different" than other border collies? Color is just a personal preference IMO and the nice thing about border collies is they come in array of colors to suit all sorts of tastes. Other than the possibility of being deaf, whites are no different than red, blue or black IMO.

 

I have two white one ones for their personality. I had the choice of Grady or his sister, a classic B/W. She was the devil reincarnated and Grady was a thinking, serious puppy with a happy personality. Color wasn't a factor in that choice ;)

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This is Jaax, my oldest dog. He's got black markings on his head and some ticking over the rest of his body.

OldmanJaax.jpg

 

You can see the ticking here a little better.

JaaxSnoozinginKitchen.jpg

 

Jaax never had any problems moving our sheep or cattle. At trials he could have a bit of a problem at the beginning but the sheep and cattle quickly realized that he is a Border Collie.

 

Color is a personal preference thing. I actually like mostly black dogs myself, I have 4 now. I can't say why, but my first dog was a Scottie and my first Border Collie was almost all black but she's greyed quite a bit in her old age. (She's a full sister to Jaax.) eta: She's the dog in my avatar.

Laura

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One thing I like (and others like, when I set sheep) is that my white border collie is generally very easy to see at a great distance. The only time I've had trouble seeing him out on the field was when fog came in, and then he sort of blended in, but his black eye mask and ears saved the day!

 

I've lost count of the number of people who have asked me if dogs at trials mistake him for a sheep, or blame their dogs' behavior at the top on their dog thinking he's a sheep (I'm quite sure he doesn't *smell* like a sheep, nor does he really look like a sheep, nor act like a sheep), but mostly what I've noticed is that some dogs tend to give him an odd glance and a wide berth, and I generally assume that these dogs are used to white livestock guardian dogs and wonder if Pip is one of those....

 

J.

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Yes, the blind/deaf problems usually only result from a merlexmerle mating that produces a double merle, as Maja put it. :) Many of the mainly white BCs you see however are usually simply just extreme piebalds.

 

He is gorgeous! I'm personally not a fan of white faces, but really it doesn't the matter. My favourite BC colour would have to be Chocolate & White Piebals with tan points. But as others have said, it's not the colour that makes a dog a dog. :)

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Interesting that the link (which is to another page on this site) calles the standard B&W markings "Dutch." I've always heard it referred to as Irish spotting. Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things....

 

What the authors says about white pups in working bred litters is true though. Most of the people on my puppy list didn't care what pup they ended up with as long as it wasn't the white one, which is the dog I posted earlier in this thread.

 

J.

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My Cap is a white dog. He came from rescue at 6 months.

He is pretty upright and loose but he worked hard

(Sadly Cap has some health issues. Seizuires, hearing loss. He had been very sick as a pup, high fever etc. But we love him.)

Our ewes with little lambs like him, I used him alot at lambing, although I have had sheep give him a double take.

But he worked often with the big flock with Gunny, no one ever wants a double take of Gunny.

Something I am proud of about Cap, he never got to trial, but he mastered the woods and trails and a big outrun. To me that was a great thing.

He has also helped me with the young dogs.

 

post-8684-069180600 1291040163_thumb.jpg

 

Can you tell in the snow picture he is looking at sheep on the road? He is holding his end while they forage loose, Gunny holding the other end.

post-8684-074610100 1291040521_thumb.jpg

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This is Jaax, my oldest dog. He's got black markings on his head and some ticking over the rest of his body.

 

Jaax never had any problems moving our sheep or cattle. At trials he could have a bit of a problem at the beginning but the sheep and cattle quickly realized that he is a Border Collie.

 

Color is a personal preference thing. I actually like mostly black dogs myself, I have 4 now. I can't say why, but my first dog was a Scottie and my first Border Collie was almost all black but she's greyed quite a bit in her old age. (She's a full sister to Jaax.) eta: She's the dog in my avatar.

Laura

 

 

Jaax is one of my all time favourite Border Collies. The first time I was ever at Laura's, Jaax was let out one morning and trotted off across the field, up the hill on the jeep road, through the woods and into the big field on the far side of the hill (725 yards from end to end and completely out of sight from the house). I was making breakfast at my trailer. About ten or fifteen minutes later, down the jeep road come about 200 sheep with Jaax trailing behind, up the trail, into the yard. Not a single whistle. This was before I had any Border Collies of my own and I thought it was just the coolest thing ever.

 

I've also watched this dog work in pens where all he had to do was open an eye or raise his head to move his sheep.

 

And, a nice guy on top of it all.

 

Pearse

 

 

 

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  • 5 weeks later...

I'm not sure what you're asking either. Are you asking if we just like the color or if we think they are "different" than other border collies? Color is just a personal preference IMO and the nice thing about border collies is they come in array of colors to suit all sorts of tastes. Other than the possibility of being deaf, whites are no different than red, blue or black IMO.

 

I have two white one ones for their personality. I had the choice of Grady or his sister, a classic B/W. She was the devil reincarnated and Grady was a thinking, serious puppy with a happy personality. Color wasn't a factor in that choice ;)

 

My Border Collie's are the same way, my all-white, Bear, is down to earth, so calm, she's such a pleaser. Then, my youngest one, Domino, is a devil child. She's constantly tearing up everything she can get her teeth on, she will run around the house like a crazy dog, or what I refer to as "Mad Dog" or "Cujo." lol But as soon as the lights go off, she's afraid of the dark and has to be cuddled just to fall asleep snoring in my face.

untitled.bmp

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  • 2 weeks later...

Welcome, Mariah!

 

I grew up with a dog who was somewhat similar in markings to yours, but she had brown where yours has black. She was the best dog a child ever had. Yours looks happy and active, which is the way they should be.

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