brookcove
Posted : 5/30/2006 11:06:05 PM
Border collies have several "brown" colors - just like the breed, the names are divided into working and conformation camps:
bb liver like a red aussie or chocolate lab): working - red (red tri if with tan points); conf - chocolate. This color can be merle which is just merle to anyone, or dilute, which is called lilac in the conf world and just weird or maybe grey in the working world (it is seldom seen there).
ee yellow like a golden retriever or an Irish setter (black pigment): this is what the conf people call red - the terminology is borrowed from Australian use, where the conformation Border collie was developed seperately from the working breed for 75 years. This color is very seldom seen, again, in working lines. It's dominant but the lines that it ran in have all but disappeared into the mists of time. The blonde color that results from the lightest version of this "brown" color, was part of the inspiration for calling these imported show dogs "Barbie Collies". But it can be a sandy brown, too, or even the Irish setter color. This color can also appear in merle (champagne) and in theory dilute though it would be impossible to tell.
Sable - some working lines throw true saddleback sable with minimal black markings. Most of the time these dogs are called simply "tris" (ie, black tris) but when the sabling is extensive, working dog terminology falls to pieces. Sometimes they are called brindles, incorrectly, or sometimes black-and-tans. Conf people use the collie/sheltie terminology but this color isn't seen much - possibly they feel unconfortable at closing the gap between collies and Border collies.
Brindle: several working lines throw brindle and heavily extended tri. There's no set name for these colors - you'll hear all sorts of descriptions - "That ticked up brown dog of yours" "His old tan-faced female" :"That dog with the brown up his sides". Two traditional working BC names used to indicate a dog with lots of tan or brindling, Mirk and Hemp (which means brown like the rope they use in fishing nets). Brindle, extended tri, and sable all tend to run in the sort of lines that are not "pretty" overall, so I don't think they've been seen here in the US where they are allowed in the breed ring. I do not believe they are allowed in the breed ring overseas.