Katie M.
Posted : 10/10/2006 7:35:06 PM
ORIGINAL: Pwca
Colliewog, I have a question! 
Why are there no (or very, very few- none of my collie magazines (I have 1992-1996 of one of the breed mags that I got rom a friend and "The New Collie" and "The Collie" which are both about the dogs in the show ring, mostly in the 50s-80s) white collies in the show ring? Is it just that the color's unpopular for showing or what?
I *love* CHWs. My first collie (who was really a foster) was a CHW with blue merle markings nd he was a real love.
Cait
It is just unpopular. For one, it just doesn't look "collie" to some people. It's an acquired taste. Collies should be rough and sable, don'tcha know. [8|] Add to that many years ago there were a few kennels breeding unthrifty/poor tempered whites, which put a bad taste in the mouth of many breeders, connecting the color instead of the kennels with health/temperament problems. People have gotten away from those lines to find other healthy whites and they are becoming more popular. You don't accidentally get whites, so people have to intentionally breed two white factored dogs or a white factored to a white. I don't know the exact numbers, but I'd venture to guess that only 25% or less Collies are white or white factored, therefore the chances of producing white are not that high. (I can't vouch for my numbers - I'm not big on statistics). We've had white factored dogs for years, but it just never happened that we bred one white factored to another white factored - they were either all bitches or generations apart.
I just looked at CCA BOB from 1925-1981 in the New Collie and none of those dogs *appear* to be white factored, thus no whites. (And mostly sable too ...) Since these would then be the most popular sire/dam the following year, those were the genetics that would dominate. (**Usually a white factored dog has white up the stifle. That is of course null and void when you have modifiers that restrict white presentation). Also, remember that those are the most notable dogs, usually heavily campaigned and owned by very wealthy people. There have always been whites out there, just not in the limelight.
If you have the New Collie, p 207 has two rough white champions. Not the best examples of conformation in those pics, but they were both supposedly handsome dogs in person.
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