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Issues With Grey Collies?


Cafferysmum

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I have heard that grey collies have issues and health problems..

 

Now we normally have tri or black and white but i also have a collie pup well shes a young lady now shes just over a year..

 

But we had some serious issues a couple of months ago, :rolleyes: which knocked us on our feet as she was going for the older bitches and not recalling and getting her mum to join in but she recalled off..

 

At first we put this down to the top dog passing away Caffery :mecry: and they were thick as thieves.. but it continued, so we sort advice and were told its because shes a grey collie...

 

Gladly now with different ways of doing things and more training she has blossomoned and now listens to us and it has been resoloved.

 

But is she considered a merle collie... imagine a black and white collie, traditional, remove the black and put the grey in place...

 

She is a stunner and a little monkey but in the last couple of months we have seen her blossom and quieten down ...

 

But are their health problems and behavioural problems associated with grey collies.. doesnt put me off, just want to be kept on me toes, as she is going to be a corker...

 

Flissy the FlowerPot lol.. :laugh: whos just knocked the flaming christmas tree over yet again and ran off eating one of the baubles just rescued :rolleyes:

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I thought that grey (as in blue/slate) was a diluted form of black, so I'm surprised there are any particular problems associated with this colour.

 

Really glad you've managed to get past your girl's problems, she sounds like quite a character! :wub:

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I have heard that Merles do have a reputation for being a bit loopy and I think they need to be kept on their toes and brains working. I suppose there could be something in the genes if your girl has a grey colouring. :flowers: I wonder if they might know more on the agility/flyball forums where they are mostly collies?

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thanks might nip over to BCworld and see what they say :biggrin: :biggrin: Apart from usual i can conquer the world etc, she lost her main trainer and whether this had something to do with it I dont know, but I can see her in the future wanting to be top dog as she gets bigger, shes got to go through training for that :laugh: :laugh: as all the other collies well other 4 are over 10 years and are so laid back.. good job she got her mum and maddoch on her toes to keep her busy lol :rolleyes:

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From the description she isn't a merle, she's a blue (or slate) collie - which is basically a standard black-and-white collie with dilute colour genes.

 

It's not a common colour, but as far as I know it crops up in some litters spontaneously, parents and siblings are likely to be standard black-and-whites.

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lol, i will take some pics of her, shes growing up now and started to come out of that i can conquer the world attitude and loves training.. she won a rosette at her first show and she was so proud lol

 

yeah her mum is a collie black and white, not traditional black and white collie markings tho, and had snowflake ears, grey ears, with white tips all way around and rest is black and white..

 

i have always called her a blue collie, shes lovelyyyyyyy :biggrin:

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I have heard that grey collies have issues and health problems..

 

The only problem I can find is that the blue dilution gene can cause bald patches.

Blues are genetically black and white, not merle.

However, if you don't know the colour of both the parents it is possible to be a phantom or hidden merle which only shows merling in a very tiny area. Have a close look. Unlikely though and I guess irrelevant since I assume you aren't intending to breed.

Merles with only one merle parent have no more health problems than any other colour.

If yours was a double merle it would be obvious. That's where the health problems arise.

If someone has referred to your dog as grey, it suggests to me that they may not know much about collies.

 

Pam

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hiya pam thanks for that, you have just answered a question for me...

 

Although she is a blue collie, i do refer to as grey esp to people who are not dog colour aware, and its easier to call her grey than blue :laugh:

 

But you answered something in the gene that has been bugging me.. baldness.. as her mum is a black but has grey ears with white ice edging but has a bald patch on top of her head that has been their since we had her, shes been with us over a year now..

 

But that gene has also shown through on flissy around the eyes, take a look at her shes got her pics on doggy chat.. although it might not be obvious..

 

This is the first blue collie i have had and some people said their was problems..all my other collies are tri or black and white..

 

No shes neutered, she has serious complication and was very ill when she was neutered and had to have more ops and was taken back to the vets.. as the internal stitches came undone at the end, the knot came undone, vet just said it was a fluke but then on second op, he used a different stitch and she was allergic to them :huh: but they have dissoloved now and shes a fit and healthy doglet.

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From the description she isn't a merle, she's a blue (or slate) collie - which is basically a standard black-and-white collie with dilute colour genes.

Wot she said.

 

Have a look here for more info on BC colours :flowers: It does mention that dilution alopecia can cause bald patches.

Edited by merledogs
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no shes defo not a merle, shes a blue collie.. something that i have never bothered about colours etc and genetics.. but last night spent four hours talking to people over genetics and it was really interesting if not some quite confusing..

 

We did look at that site yesterday lol.. told you four hours we did every site we could lol... but we think her mum who we also have is a cryptic merle.. however we have contacted a genetist in usa to see if she is etc, just out of curiosity.. as mum is like a black but has grey ears, tipped with white..

 

ooooooo this could be interesting lol, but whatever i dont mind if she got little bald patches, they are both lovely and cute and just wanted to know more about it.. we didnt find a pic of one like fliss on that site but we found one on another where they were identical, but that was a boy with blue eyes.. :biggrin:

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As parentage is a little unknown she could be a cross? I've not heard of any issues associated with the blue colour.

 

The colours are fascinating but given all the other factors involved in personality and character, I wouldn't be tieing too much to it :flowers: I now red owners for instance who say they are nuts and red owners who say they are the exact opposite! There are so many other influences and genes.

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Thanks Red, we know Fliss mum but thats it, we know she was from a working farm as a pup.. but hey ho, both the girls are lovely... they are bouncy lol but which collies arnt at that age.. remember Pudsey at that age he was boiiiiiiing all around lol and now hes an older gentleman of 12 hes more chilled, but loves boiiiiing around the field lol..

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