Nose Color, and A puppy add

[Kian's Mom]

 

I was board and was doing some internet surfing and have a couple of questions on a couple of adds I came across.

 

What does the color of the nose mean and at what age does it change?

 

I saw an add for a 12 wk old pup that was r/w and it's nose was mostly pink with just a few brown spots. And I have seen some bl/wh with mostly pink noses.

 

Also this add for a different litter. Can someone explain this thinking to me please.

 

Raising Stock Dog (Working Class Border Collies) Our dogs are not papered as

their ancestry are ranch bred for working. They have an easier disposition and

are less hyper.(Using Texas German Sheep Country Bloodlines)

Not hyper like standard papered Borders.

 

Thanks

[Alchemist]

Color of nose = NO relationship to how well a dog works. So in my opinion it doesn't mean squat. Except, perhaps, a nose with a lot of white on it might need sunscreen.

 

Most puppies are born with a lot of white on their noses (to a greater or lesser degree), and then the black (or liver in the case of red dogs) slowly grows in - again to a greater or lesser extent. My younger pup's (Ross's) nose had two fairly large white spots on it when I brought him home at ~ 8 weeks (evident if you look back at People's Border Collie Gallery from this past May June). They were almost completely invisible by 14 weeks. Can't pick them out at all now by 5 months - but that wouldn't have made a whit of difference to me.

 

As far as the latter part - the "Not hyper like standard papered Borders" - someone needs to explain to my "papered" [ABCA, working bred] dogs that they're supposed to be "hyper". I don't think they've read that memo. "Ancestry" doesn't mean doodly-squat. And I've never heard of "Texas German Sheep Country Bloodlines". I sense hot air... love to harness it as a source of energy, but I fear it's based on fossil fuels.

[Sue R]

 

 

Raising Stock Dog (Working Class Border Collies) Our dogs are not papered as

their ancestry are ranch bred for working. They have an easier disposition and

are less hyper.(Using Texas German Sheep Country Bloodlines)

Not hyper like standard papered Borders.

 

Thanks

 

Papers don't "make" a dog any better or any worse - careful selection in breeding choices provide a pup with potential to be a good working dog. But this sounds like a load of bunk and justification to me, and pretty ignorant, too. My three "hyper papered" dogs are still in bed...

[mum24dog]

I'd think too much detail about things that don't matter if I saw that ad. It would put me off enquiring.

[Kian's Mom]

Was just wondering how papers could make a BC being hyper and what the bloodlines were. People will come up with all kinds of things to sell a pup. And thought a few on this board would get a laugh out of this.

But wasn't sure on the nose color if it really meant anything or not.

Jan

[GentleLake]

As Alchemist explained, pigmentation in puppy's noses (and sometimes other parts of the body, e.g. ticking) isn't fully developed at birth. Most solid color dogs noses will fill in by adulthood, and usually much earlier. One of my dogs still had a depigmented spot at the outer edge of one nostril when I adopted him at the age of 1 1/2 - 2 years old. It filled in within a year and now (he's about 8) the only depigmentation is inside his nostrils, which is visible form certain angles but not really all that noticeable. My 21 m.o. lurcher also has depigmented areas in her nostrils. It will be interesting to see if (and when) they ever fully pigment.

 

Merles occasionally will retain blotchy depigmented areas throughout their lives. This is called a butterfly nose.

 

I guess there might be an increased risk of skin cancer on those depigmented areas,which would be a genuine concern,especially for working dogs that are out in the sun for long hours, but other than that it's strictly a matter of aesthetics.

 

For conformation (but who of us cares? ), butterfly noses are a fault.

 

ETA: What I should have said was that any color of dog can retain a butterfly nose through adulthood but that it's more common in merles than in solid colored dogs.

[JuneM]

My blue Merle had a polka-dot nose at 8 weeks. At 1 year old it is mostly solid black with a few small,pink spots that I think he might retain. I did like the polka dots though.

[Gloria Atwater]

Also this add for a different litter. Can someone explain this thinking to me please.

 

Raising Stock Dog (Working Class Border Collies) Our dogs are not papered as

their ancestry are ranch bred for working. They have an easier disposition and

are less hyper.(Using Texas German Sheep Country Bloodlines)

Not hyper like standard papered Borders.

 

Thanks

 

 

What on earth are, "Texas German Sheep Country Bloodlines?" Last I checked, Texas and Germany weren't on the same continent, let alone sharing sheep range ...

 

I call bollocks.

 

~ Gloria

[maggiesmommy]

 

 

What on earth are, "Texas German Sheep Country Bloodlines?" Last I checked, Texas and Germany weren't on the same continent, let alone sharing sheep range ...

 

I call bollocks.

 

~ Gloria

 

 

Maybe the OP means "Texas and German"??

 

 

And maybe by "papered" he means AKC? Are barbie collies more likely to be "hyper?"

[toney]

Could it mean Texas Hill Country? There is a strong German influence there and used to have lots of meat goats and Angoras.

[gcv-border]

Could it mean Texas Hill Country? There is a strong German influence there and used to have lots of meat goats and Angoras.

That's what I was thinking.

 

Jovi