BLUE AND TAN VARIATIONS IN WORKING KELPIES

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BLUE AND TAN VARIATIONS

THESE VARIATIONS OCCUR IN THE BLACK & TAN, BLUE & TAN, RED &TAN AND FAWN & TAN KELPIE

Written by Erin Caterson © October 1986

Spinifex Working Kelpie Stud

61 Sproule Road

ILLAWONG NSW 2234

THE VARIATIONS ARE :-

[a] Saddle markings

[b] Predominantly tan head or completely tan head

[c] Cap and mask

[d] Tan underline

BLUE AND TAN

Australian Kelpies with any of the above variations of coat colour are born with blue and tan markings. The tan spots above the inner corners of the eyes are larger in size than usual.

These larger than usual tan spots above the eyes indicate that the overall blue body colour could change. If the change occurs, it happens when the pups start to lose their milk teeth.

This colour change is very gradual and may go unnoticed at first. This colour change is slow and sometimes can take as long as up to the age of about 15 months or maybe a little longer. The result being that the young pup is completely different to look at compared to its litter sisters or brothers.

[a] SADDLE MARKINGS ARE BLUE

Saddle markings are colour markings on and over the back region, similar to the shape of a saddle on a horse.

The saddle pattern marking can vary in size, being reduced by the amount of tan hair on the underline of the body.

The hair markings of the saddle are blue. They usually start at the top of the withers and extend down behind the shoulders to the sides of the chest, then continue backwards to the loins.

Sometimes the saddle extends past the hip to the upper part of the tail..

Usually the area on the thigh, where the saddle pattern blends into the loins, has only a small amount of blue hair mixed with tan hair. This also applies to the shoulder blades and up towards the withers.

The blue hair disappears from the bottom of the rib cage, and is replaced by tan hair which spreads from the bottom of chest (sternum) through the front legs, and along the underline of the body, and up into the saddle marking and extending up into the thighs.

The blue hair usually disappears from the front and back legs.

NOTE. Saddle markings are associated with predominantly tan heads and completely tan heads.

b] PREDOMINANTLY TAN HEAD OR COMPLETELY TAN HEAD.

The blue hair on the head gradually disappears as the tan hair spreads from the muzzle and cheeks and moves in an upwards direction until the tan hair almost completely covers the blue hair on top of the head.

The tan hair can completely cover all of the blue hair on the head.

The tan hair spreads down between the ears behind the back of the neck where it blends into the blue body colour.

The hair inside of the ears is light tan, and the narrow line framed around the inside edge of the ears is dark tan hair, not blue hair. On the back of the ears the colour is mixture of blue and tan hair.

Generally most of the blue hair on the legs disappears, leaving the legs tan.

[c] CAP AND MASK.

Cap - Darkly shaded pattern colour on the skull extending downward to the eyes.

Mask - Dark shading of various degrees about the head, forming a mask like pattern.

The mask is positioned over the top part of the head and around the eyes.

The top of the head is blue hair. Sometimes the blue hair on top of the head spreads down the side of the forehead behind the outside corner of the eyes and below the front of the ears blending into the neck.

In other cases the blue hair on top of the head is mixed with tan hair giving a sable appearance.

The tan spots above the inner corners of the eyes are large to very large. Tan hair begins to appear directly above the eyes spreading to the outer corners.

Most of the blue hair below the eyes disappears, and is replaced by tan hair.

Some of the blue hair disappears from the legs showing more tan.

[d] TAN UNDERLINE.

BODY.

Instead of having a blue underline, the underline has a strip of tan hair running along the full length of it.

LEGS. Some of the blue hair disappears from the legs showing more tan.