Also, how then would I tell the difference between an orange roan and a red & white?
In show lines the traditional terms would be Orange Roan and Orange & White, 'red' wouldn't be used. The difference is that the colours form separate blocks on an Orange & White ( like my Stevie), whereas on an Orange Roan the colours would be more intermingled, a kind of marbling efect ( see the photos Katina posted above re B&W and Blue Roan). Regardless of the depth of orange they'd still be described as 'Oranges' rather than red, except in working lines where they use the word 'lemon' instead of 'orange'. ( Still with me ? Confusing isn't it ?
) The orange patches on Stevie's back are more red than orange (similar to the red seen in a solid red) - but she'd still be classed as an Orange & White.
Looking at your avatar I thought Jake was an orange roan at first but looking back at some earlier photos you posted I'd say he was a 'mismarked' gold or red. 'Mismark' may sound like an unkind description but it's one used for solid dogs ( red, gold, black, liver) when they have more than the usual white in their coat. This is normally from a mating between a solid colour and a particolour ( roans, the 'and whites' etc). Generally speaking solids and particolours are not bred together these days in show lines, however they are in working lines (working dogs tend to be bred for their working ability, so colour is not generally a priority when choosing a mate).
Re red or gold. That's one thing that always confuses me. As I understand it there are genetic reasons for the two different colours, rather than just depth of shade - but it's not always easy to know which is which. My Jimmy had a really dark red coat ( like Jake it was gold as a pup and it got darker as he got older) - although it's gone back to looking gold since he's been neutered. I tend to describe him as gold, as that's what he looks like these days - I'm unsure of which term he is genetically speaking though. Yep, it's all very complicated... I hope I've made some sense.
