Dismiss Notice
Hello Guest, Welcome to the new version of Sheltieforums.com. If you have any questions regarding the new software, please post in the following section: Forum Upgrade

Is she going to be a Shaded Sable?

Discussion in 'Sheltie Colors' started by labgirl, Jul 3, 2017.

  1. labgirl

    labgirl Forums Sage

    2,566
    37
    130
    Feb 22, 2009
    Suffolk, UK
    I have had people suggest Swift may be a shaded sable, because she has dark outer hairs and a very light undercoat. I am not really clear on what a shaded sable is, lol. Someone also said she might be a sable merle, is that the same or different as a shaded? How do I tell?

    I don't really care, but I get very confused when people ask me if she will be a shaded sable when she grows up and I don't know what to say!
     
    labgirl, Jul 3, 2017
    labgirl, Jul 3, 2017
    #1
  2. Caro

    Caro Moderator

    Seriously Likeable!
    15 Points
    8,492
    8,694
    585
    Jan 14, 2009
    My understanding is a true shaded sable (over here shaded sable = mahogany sable), has the tri or bi colour gene. I guess to really know do you know if in her lineage she has tri/bi? Tully's sire was tri and dam was a shaded sable.

    I found the 'shading' in a non-mahogany sable fades into early adulthood and then darkens again as they get older.

    Here's a picture of Tully as a pup. Her first adult coat lightened up a bit and nowadays is dark and reddish.

    Deska is a sable merle, he has lots of merle in his lineage but his parents were a sable and a merle so he carries the merle gene - which really only matters if he ever bred. As a youngster he had some 'dilute' (paler) patches but generally golden with some shading. Nowadays a lot more of the shading shows through.

     
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2017
    Caro, Jul 3, 2017
    Caro, Jul 3, 2017
    #2
  3. labgirl

    labgirl Forums Sage

    2,566
    37
    130
    Feb 22, 2009
    Suffolk, UK
    Thank you Caro. Swift's mum is a tri. I was told she is tri-factored by her breeder, which I took to mean she would produce tri pups if bred to a tri boy? She has the similar patterning to Tully on her head. Now I understand that a shaded sable is a mahogany that makes a lot of sense. I suppose time will tell, though her outer hair is very dark and it would surprise if she lighters as she grows.
     
    labgirl, Jul 3, 2017
    labgirl, Jul 3, 2017
    #3
  4. Calliesmom

    Calliesmom Moderator

    14,116
    13,742
    885
    Mar 29, 2008
    near Mobile, AL
    I would think that she will be shaded.
    you can see in Callie's pic to the left here how dark she is. The rescue had her listed as shaded and as she was my first sheltie, I had no idea what that meant so I googled it:winkgrin:
    Dixie is also a shaded/mahogany sable and Cranberry is a mahogany sable merle.
     
    Calliesmom, Jul 3, 2017
    Calliesmom, Jul 3, 2017
    #4
    labgirl likes this.
  5. labgirl

    labgirl Forums Sage

    2,566
    37
    130
    Feb 22, 2009
    Suffolk, UK
    Thank you :smile2: I like the darker sables. How dark she will get will be interesting to see, but she seems already to be darker along her back.
     
    labgirl, Jul 3, 2017
    labgirl, Jul 3, 2017
    #5
  6. Calliesmom

    Calliesmom Moderator

    14,116
    13,742
    885
    Mar 29, 2008
    near Mobile, AL
    me too- I thought Callie was the most beautiful girl ever:yes:
     
    Calliesmom, Jul 3, 2017
    Calliesmom, Jul 3, 2017
    #6
  7. Sharon7

    Sharon7 Moderator

    7,463
    22,484
    710
    Oct 31, 2009
    Our first girl Skye was mahogany sable and just stunning looking. I am very partial to this coloring and if Swift ends up darker I think you will like it too. She's so cute either way though.
     
    Sharon7, Jul 3, 2017
    Sharon7, Jul 3, 2017
    #7
  8. tesslynn

    tesslynn Forums Enthusiast

    1,279
    155
    115
    Mar 3, 2014
    idaho
    Both Kaleigh's parents looked like shaded sables, and Kaleigh came out tri. In the sea of sables, she looked like the misfit border collie on their farm. It was funny.

    I had what the breeder called a tri on her papers, but she was more like Kaleigh's parents. She looked grey as a puppy, she had the darker hairs like yours, but underneath where Swift is tan, mine was definite grey fur. As she aged she had a deep mahogany look in summer but in winter she was very dark colored. I often wonder if we had breed her what her pups would have looked like, because she had the prettiest ruffly/wavy fur. It looked like I was using a curling iron on her derriere. She had the sweetest, most gentle personality of all my dogs so far.

    Swift has such a nice blaze thing going on. Are you going reign in those ears or let them fly au natural?
     
    tesslynn, Jul 4, 2017
    tesslynn, Jul 4, 2017
    #8

Share This Page