Would you ............

[Michele]

Do you know if the purchaser is hoping to show this pup Gail?

If so, I wish them luck as there is still quite a bit of bias against sables in the show ring and their great expectations could seriously be flattened - wrong I know, but true.

[Jeanette]

Wouldn't spend that much, I can appreciate that cockers are going up in price by reputable breeders but I've noticed that the prices are going down with puppies on the free sites.    You can get a cocker puppy for £250.00 which I guess is why people go down this route and they will always be able to sell the puppies when people are just looking at the cost.   

[GinnyB]

Michelle, why is there a bias against them? Just out of curiosity, I'm not planning of going down that road myself 

[bubbles]

I'm wondering what sable is I'm not fik I'm just learning

[GinnyB]

someone posted a pic on here a couple of weeks ago or I'd have not known either. It's a kind of browny, tanny mixture

[Jane S]

There's a photo of a sable here : http://www.londoncockersociety.co.uk/colours.htm (you'll find others if you do a Google search or even a site search on COL)

[GinnyB]

so Grace is a sable then!

[Michele]

Michelle, why is there a bias against them? Just out of curiosity, I'm not planning of going down that road myself 

Truthfully, I don't really know but it always seems some colours do better than others, blue roans & tans (which I love as Meg is one) are another colour that don't seem to fare very well.
I suppose sable is a relatively new colour to the show ring in this country and its going to take a while for people to get used to and warm to it.

At some shows I've been to you can see the judge is so colour biased that when their class winners come in to challenge for best of breed or the challenge certificate and they are all the same colour.

If a judge is assessing the dogs honestly, the only time colour should come into it is when a judge has to decide between two dogs which in their eyes are of equal merit, THEN it's fair enough to have a colour preference.

[Jane S]

It can be tricky showing any minority colour - you definitely have to take the rough with the smooth if you're showing an orange or a liver/chocolate or any other less common colour. But if the dog is good enough, then you can do well but you have to accept that some judges just won't look at certain colours. Like Michele says, sable is new to the UK - it's not a traditional Cocker colour so some people are suspicious about it and some just don't like the colour full stop. I don't think it will be all that rare a colour for too long (not in the general pet population anyway) as the commercial breeders will soon cotton on to the fact there is money to be made from it.

[tiamaria]

There was a beautiful one on puppies last month! Remember saying it looked like a rolo mc flurry - but it didnt look like the same colour as Grace, is there different colours of sable?

[Jan/Billy]

There's a photo of a sable here : http://www.londoncockersociety.co.uk/colours.htm (you'll find others if you do a Google search or even a site search on COL)

That's the first time I've seen a sable and have to say I think it's realy beautiful. I love Liver roans & black & white too  

[GinnyB]

thank you, Jean and Michelle. It's interesting to learn how the judges think and act.

[Cayley]

There's no way I'd pay more than £700 and for that I'd expect the parents to be health tested and various other things  .

[gashley]

Do you know if the purchaser is hoping to show this pup Gail?

If so, I wish them luck as there is still quite a bit of bias against sables in the show ring and their great expectations could seriously be flattened - wrong I know, but true.

I Think they are but not 100% certain. They have 2 the other one is an orange roan and I am sure they plan to show that one they have been going to ring craft.

Here is the Sable in question not a brilliant pic as taken on my mobile

 

[Cob-Web]

TBH, I'd walk away from any litter that was priced differently based on colour (or gender) - it would be an indication (to me) that the motives of the breeder are (even partly) financial, and I would begin to doubt and question other things; like what did they compromise in order to breed a particular (more profitable) colour  

It is self-perpetuating; if a particular colour is rare, and it is "in demand" by a particular *type* of owner, who are prepared to pay; then then other people want to have the *in* colour, so breeders can put the price up...etc, etc