# What breed is he?



## HazelBlessed02 (May 30, 2016)

What breed do you think my new pup Blessing is? We've been calling him a Shetland Sheepdog, which seems to fit the cards. 





































Cocoa (cat) actually likes him


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

I see Sheltie/ACD


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Something about his fur texture and the way he holds his tail makes me think Pomeranian or maybe another spitz breed. I knew a pom that was black with very similar markings. The ticking and general build looks like ACD to me. Pom/ACD? How big is he?

EDIT: I looked up "black and tan sheltie" and can see that a lot more. I guess I'm more used to seeing sables.


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## Sandakat (Mar 7, 2015)

I'm with kafkabeetle, definitely sheltie and... looks like Pomeranian to me.


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## Foxes&Hounds (Jun 7, 2014)

Is the 'ticking' not just merle? Some merles can be pretty much all black


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Foxes&Hounds said:


> Is the 'ticking' not just merle? Some merles can be pretty much all black


Hard to tell in the photos, but it looks more like roaning than merle to me. I know roaning (the ticking found on cattle dogs and hounds) comes from a different gene than merle. It looks like areas of a mixture of color, like Sid's neck, which is black and white. Merle is like solid colored fur that is marbled with another solid color of fur.

And to expand a bit, my understanding it that the roaning gene just turns like half the hairs in a certain area white. It's like it deletes half of the pre-existing pattern. So if you look at Sid's face, it would be symmetrical if not for the hairs on the left side of her face that were made white. The white area is mixed with the same color that's on the right, solidly tan side. Blessing's mottled areas still follow a normal black + tan coat pattern, just mixed with white in some areas, rather than a mismatch of color. This is why I think it's roaning rather than merle.


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## HazelBlessed02 (May 30, 2016)

It's certainly roaning not merle, and I was thinking ACD too. I don't see pom or spitz, except perhaps the tail... so maybe he's ACD/Sheltie/Pom or spitz 

Maybe I'll get him DNA tested...


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

HazelBlessed02 said:


> It's certainly roaning not merle, and I was thinking ACD too. I don't see pom or spitz, except perhaps the tail... so maybe he's ACD/Sheltie/Pom or spitz
> 
> Maybe I'll get him DNA tested...


Shelties are thought to have originated with a spitz-type similar to Icelandic sheepdogs. The high curled tail, wide triangular ears and face shape all shout "spitz" to me. The more I look at him, the structure of his front, the more I feel sheltie/ACD is a strong possibility.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

gingerkid said:


> Shelties are thought to have originated with a spitz-type similar to Icelandic sheepdogs. The high curled tail, wide triangular ears and face shape all shout "spitz" to me. The more I look at him, the structure of his front, the more I feel sheltie/ACD is a strong possibility.


Yeah, that explains it. I'm back in the sheltie/ACD camp. Purty dog.


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## HazelBlessed02 (May 30, 2016)

kafkabeetle said:


> Yeah, that explains it. I'm back in the sheltie/ACD camp. Purty dog.


Well, that's what we'll call him for the time being  Thanks!


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## beepbop (Jun 25, 2021)

Border Rottie? Sheltie Shephard?


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## LittleFr0g (Jun 11, 2007)

beepbop said:


> Border Rottie? Sheltie Shephard?


This thread is 5 years old, and the OP is no longer active here. I’m closing this thread, please feel free to start your own thread or join one of the active threads


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