Is it shallow to pick a dog based on colour?

[elegy]

I think it's short-sighted to choose a dog based mainly on color, but I don't see anything wrong with seeking out an appropriate dog in the color you want. If that means turning down an otherwise good choice because you don't like the color, well, so be it as long as you're patient enough to wait until the absolutely perfect dog comes along.

Personally I don't know that I'd turn a dog down based on color, but I turned a dog down based on big saggy boobies when I was at the shelter picking out Luce. In retrospect, that was pretty shallow, but at the time, it mattered to me.

 

[Melissa_W]

I think it's okay to take it into consideration. We all have colors that we prefer. But I think it would be silly to pass up on a great dog because of color, or to pick a dog that isn't right for you based on color.

 

[ACooper]

I don't think it's shallow at all.

As long as you KNOW what breed/type of dog you want to fit into your family and then narrow down the selection by color, what is wrong with that? Just another aspect of finding the 'perfect' dog for you

After owning Phoebe, I have SWORN to NEVER NEVER NEVER have another dog with ANY white hair!! It doesn't matter how much I vacuum, sweep, and lint roll..........her white hairs ALWAYS find my long wool coat and stand out like a sore thumb! LOL

 

[Amstaffer]

IHMO...if all things are equal I think Color is fine for tie breakers. However if you pick a dog strictly on color I think that is kind of foolish.

 

[ihartgonzo]

I don't think it's shallow... at all. ESPECIALLY when you are buying a puppy from a breeder, and you have spent a lot of time researching/searching for a breeder/waiting/anticipating/etc.

Part of what attracted me to Cardigan Welsh Corgis is the fact that their coats can be blue merle. I think blue merle Cardis are just stunning. Of course, I like the other colors too, but I want a blue merle. When I was going to get a Cardi from a breeder, I had the blue merle girl reserved... until, at 7 weeks, the stud owner decided SHE wanted her. I had the option to buy a black and white male. I just wasn't attracted to how he looked, so I passed. I don't think that makes me a bad person. And I am SO glad I didn't buy that puppy... because I wouldn't have Fozzie! And I love his coloring (as well as his personality).

Is color more important than temperament? Of course not. But, if you are investing the next 15+ years and $1000+ in a pup, you should LIKE how they look at least.

I am not a huge fan of Gonzo's coloring... I like flashier Border Collies. But his markings have grown on me, and I think he's the cutest anyway. With Gonzo, there wasn't a choice, in a litter, or anything; being that he was a rescue.

 

[Danegirl2208]

I don't think it is shallow...I will most likely only own black and blue Danes from now on not for any other reason than I prefer those colors.
(with and exception to miss Freckles of course )

 

[Dekka]

Ok so its official I am wierd..

I just can't imagine turning down a dog that was perfect in every way but colour..Or trying to learn to love a less than ideally suited dog because it was pretty. But then I can love any dog if it 'clicks' with me temperament wise.

 

[milos_mommy]

i mean, people have their preferences. But i personally wouldn't pick a dog based on color. I mean, i like blue merle australian shepherds. But if i go to a rescue or see a litter and the dog i like most is tricolor, i'm surely not going to pick another dog because i like his/her color better.

i guess a dog being your favorite color is just a plus, IMO.

 

[ihartgonzo]

Color IS a part of the package though, isn't it? If Gonzo were, say, a red merle BC... he would look WAY different. His features would look different. His structure would look different. Etc, etc.

To be honest, the #1 reason that I didn't get the black & white Cardi boy was because he was b & w. The breeder also said he had a "dominant" personality, which is a bad thing for Gonzo, but I didn't want to drive 500 miles to find out. I was spending $1500 of my own money, and the breeder understood my qualms. I had asked for a blue merle girl. I understand that personality is most important... but part of going to a breeder of a specific breed and having some say in the choice of your puppy, is picking a color, to many people. If you would be happy with any color, that's great. But color is a part of the breed, just as much as ear-set, height, weight, coat type, and so on.

This might sound stupid... but I am kind of a picky person, and I would be constantly annoyed by having 2 dogs with the same exact markings. They just wouldn't look right together, to me.

 

[blue]

No it isnt.

 

[Pam111]

I always look at pictures and have specific colors I want, but it hasn't worked out that way when I actually pick a dog.
When I got Mason (my Min Pin who died in November), I wanted a black and tan one. He was the only red puppy in the litter, and I didn't even want to look at him, but he's the one who came right over and sat in my lap and wouldn't leave. He's the one I took home.

 

[Cheetah]

I chose Shippo based on the fact that he was a "fluffy." That's probably the same thing lol... I did choose him regardless of his color, which I originally didn't like but he changed color anyway, so go figure!

 

[LilyoftheValley]

To me, color does not matter... At all. I got Lily because she was the sweetest thing ever. I still would have gotten her if she was grey, brindle or tan but then again, Lil' was free. I don't think it's shallow. Some people just know what they want.

 

[SizzleDog]

This might sound stupid... but I am kind of a picky person, and I would be constantly annoyed by having 2 dogs with the same exact markings. They just wouldn't look right together, to me.

Interesting! I must say that I actually like my dogs to match - I wanted my next corgi to be RHT, but since we have Ada it'll have to be a red, or at the very least a sable.

IMO the only downside to me having two dobes of the same color is that few people can tell them apart!

I got Ilsa sorely based on color, but with the understanding that her breeder would not have placed her with me if she hadn't been a right fit in the first place. I wanted a red bitch and there was only one in the litter - so the breeder set her aside as mine from the get-go. If she had been show quality, she would have talked to me about it, and I could have wither co-owned her and shown her or waited for the next litter... or settled for one of her four black sisters.

 

[Tess32]

I don't see why it's shallow. I specifically wanted a blue merle this time around as I already have a sable and tricolour. It's only stupid if you deliberately choose a pup that's wrong for you just because it's that colour - this is a very different thing than setting out from the beginning just for that colour. I waited a long time for my boy and he has an amazing temperament and is stunning to boot.

 

[ihartgonzo]

Interesting! I must say that I actually like my dogs to match - I wanted my next corgi to be RHT, but since we have Ada it'll have to be a red, or at the very least a sable.

Well... I totally understand when it's the same coloring on 2 of the same breed, especially with Dobies. Especially being a color that you prefer.

But, I know that with a Cardi who "matches" Gonzo, I would get annoying, "Is that one the daddy?" comments. And, quite honestly, I am not the attracted to classic irish black & white markings, with minimal white. I love Gonzo, but his markings are not my favorite. And when I am actually paying to BUY the puppy of my dreams... I don't want to just take the left-over puppy on a whim, a week before I was supposed to pick him up.

I probably would have taken a R&W girl, or a tri girl, maybe even a brindle girl. I was already in love with the blue girl (see this picture to understand why I was so in love), but I might have settled on another pup, if I fell in love. But the b&w boy (who only had a few white markings, less than Gonzo) just didn't have that spark, for me. I considered how much I love Corgi faces, and how with a dog whose face was mostly black, he just wasn't the ideal for me. When I saw Fozzie, he DID have that spark. Which is why I decided on him, a Corgi mix... even though I could have waited a few months for a blue girl from a breeder.

 

[Ilyena]

I don't think it's shallow as long as it's not the only requirement you have on a dog. Personally I find color important but I value temperament a lot more. If the pup happens to be the color I want, it's just a bonus. When I wanted my cavalier, I really wanted a tricolor. As things turned out, there were only two tris born out of 8 puppies and they were both female, so I got a blenheim boy. But even if there had been a tri male for me, I would have gotten this particular blenheim instead as I felt right from the moment I saw him on the first photo the breeder sent that he was the right one for me and seeing him the first time confirmed what I already knew.

When I get my next cavalier, I am still going to research breeders based on colors as I want a b&t next. But if the same thing would happen and I see a pup that is just the one for me, then that is the one I'll choose regardless of color. If no pup is a perfect match though, even if it was a b&t, then I would choose to wait until later.

 

[Saintgirl]

When we decided to add a Beagle to our family my husband had his heart set on a lemon beagle. However our breeder had a tri color male that he thought would be a better match for us based on what we were looking for in a dog. So we now have a tri colored male, and we couldn't love him more!

However, our next Saint will be my show dog. She will be what I have been dreaming about from the day that Saints stole my heart and changed my life forever. I want a mantle coated, full masked female. If I have to wait extra years for the right girl to come along, so be it. But I am willing to wait for my ideal dream dog that will take me to the next level of the dog world (showing). The only thing that I do not have a preference on is whether or not she will be a smooth coat or a rough coat. I love them both. A full mask is desired in the show ring, and I love the look of a full mantle. If that makes me shallow, oh well. Even if my breeder had a spectacular half masked splash coat in type that would easily allow me to finish her, perfectly matched in temperment for what I am searching for, I will continue to wait. My dream dog will come along.

 

[Dekka]

Hmm I must say I am surprised at how many people value colour of their dog's right up there with health and temperament.

I can kinda understand it for people who want to show conformation. But really if its an allowable colour I don't understand why one colour or coat pattern should win over another. (this is why conformation showing doesn't make sense to 'me' even though I have to show Bounce in a month and a bit lol) I have enough friends who have been told to dye their dogs, bleach, use nose blackening chemicals, sharpie the nails etc etc.. so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that colour is a critical feature in a dog to some people.

I guess for me, I own my dream dog (dekka) even though she is my least favorite JRT colour I wouldn't change her for anything in the world. I love her for who she is, that includes her boring tan and white colouring And even though I love the cream coloured whippets I am glad I didn't pass Bounce up...but I guess if I did I wouldn't know what I am missing.

I am not trying to say anyone is wrong.. really. Just to me it is as foreign as saying I only chose friends who have blond hair, and they can't have green eyes... I will wait till I meet someone who has the same interests, is whitty, a good person, fun...and is coloured the way I like. But if we all liked the same things, valued the same things, think how boring this world would be!

 

[Dizzy]

We might not judge our friends by the colour of their skin, but it is certainly the 1st thing you see.... what you do with that visual information is different for different people.

I was attracted to Bodhi when she was a puppy, because she was a merle.

BUT on choosing, I chose her for her temperament.

I think in the ring, colour is extremely over rated.