'chocolate' Colouring

[HeavyPaws]

At the local fish and chippery there's a sign selling 'English Staffies', they say the dad is registered with papers and both parents are purebred and 'bought from breeders', dad is brindle by the look of him and the mother is either really dark brindle or black {blurry pics, hard to tell}.

The puppies are advertised as 'rare chocolate colour, 3 male {one solid chocolate, one has a white chest}, 2 female {all solid}'

Now, I'm no expert on dogs but I thought SBTs didn't come in chocolate, and that although the colour liver can happen, it is a highly undesirable colour. They were a rich dark chocolate, reminiscent of chocolate labs.

I know they're BYB, mostly because you pay $100 extra for an undesexed puppy and the fact they call them 'english staffies' and advertise 'perfect for kids will never bite!'

Question: Is it possible to have purebred SBTs in that chocolate colour?

[Remarkabull]

I know some people that breed blue staffies (don't hold that against me) and sometimes the blue can look like a chocolate or muddy brown colour. Also noticed that the 'blue fawn' is becoming the 'in' thing. It looks like a light tan, no blue at all? Not sure how the ones you're talking about could be though if both parents are brindle. Probably not purebred pups. Or not good quality ones anyway.

Edit for spelling

Edited September 4, 2010 by dobesrock

[Red Fox]

From the DOL breed pages:

There colours are red, fawn, white, black or blue, or any one of these colours with white. Any shade of brindle or any shade of brindle with white. Potential owners of the breed should be aware coat colour has no bearing on price and that there are no rare colours in Staffordshire Bull Terriers.

[Staranais]

"Chocolate" isn't a SBT colour, but perhaps they're just talking about a really dark red, or like someone else said a murky kind of blue colour?

[Gayle.]

It could be just a shade of red. In my breed, red is anything from a pale apricot to a deep dark brown. In Border Collies, reds and chocolates are two different colours.

[Kirty]

I met a liver Staffy a few weeks ago (from a registered breeder who was very shocked to see the colour pop up). I'd be willing to bet thats what they have. The puppy I met was a light brown colour, definitely not red, fawn or brindle. It was very cute!

ETA: here is a link to a pic of liver pups. http://www.knightwoodoak-staffies.com/page...er-1324798.html

Edited September 4, 2010 by Kirty

[alotanewfs]

I would also think that they are liver pups.....I often stumble across ads for rare dark red "English Staffy" pups only to see that they are liver in the pics and the "breeder" either has no idea, or is trying to bluff new buyers into thinking the colour they have is acceptable.

One "kennel" I came across based all their breeding on their "stunning red bitch"......she was liver, no ifs or buts....

[Greytmate]

If they have a brown nose, they are liver, and that is unusual in Staffies. Because the gene is recessive, it can remain hidden, and can unexpectedly pop up.

For a whole litter though? What a genetic freak of nature that litter would be. Smells like dodgy to me.

[poodlemum]

If they have a brown nose, they are liver, and that is unusual in Staffies. Because the gene is recessive, it can remain hidden, and can unexpectedly pop up.

For a whole litter though? What a genetic freak of nature that litter would be. Smells like dodgy to me.

You wonder if maybe Dad want's really the Chocolate Lab next door

Edited September 4, 2010 by poodlemum

[♪♫LMBC♫♪]

BYBs are always calling their dogs colours stupid names. I've seen red border collies advertised as "rare wheaten" and blues as "rare charcoal". So these so called "rare chocolate" staffies are probable red or even liver.

[ellz]

It is also quite possible that the dog was brindle. Some brindles have more stripes than others, ALL black Staffords are actually black brindle because genetically, Staffords don't come in plain black (as seen in other breeds). The standard also states "Any shade of brindle or any shade of brindle with white." as being acceptable.

For my part, I have a young dog which many people have called "brown" but he is in fact a brindle. And it gets very hard to explain to people as well without going indepth into the ins and outs of the standard and the even deeper ins and outs of genetics!

[WreckitWhippet]

Yeahhhhh liver is the new blue... The breed is headed down the toilet, like the blue craze hasn't done enough damage

[HeavyPaws]

I thought I'd clarify the colour.

The puppies had very clear pictures, and they had this level of darkness in colour:

They were a very deep brown, so I'd suspect dog-next-door syndrome

Next time I go, I'll see if I can take the poster and scan it

[ellz]

What colour were noses and eye rims?

Staffords DO come in liver, but like all dilutes, they have liver/brown/red noses and eye rims.

[HeavyPaws]

What colour were noses and eye rims?

Staffords DO come in liver, but like all dilutes, they have liver/brown/red noses and eye rims.

Some of the males and one female had light pink/whitey rims, and they all had very dark brown/blackish noses

[ellz]

Well, if they were black noses, then my guess is the puppies were brown brindle.

This is my boy....quite brown looking as a baby

But unmistakeably a brindle as he ages...now 9 months old

[WreckitWhippet]

There's going to be some very disappointed buyers if the " rare chocolates " turn out to be brindle

[ellz]

Like the person who was a bit put out when their "rare" red with black tail turned out to be smut! Mind you, she also got "miffy" when somebody called her puppy a bitch. Er....hello love, that's what girl puppies are called. She was even more disgusted when I suggested she should be thankful that bitches are no longer called SLUTS!!

[WreckitWhippet]

I got one in the box that I could market as a "rare chocolate" but I know which way he too is heading ....

[HeavyPaws]

There's going to be some very disappointed buyers if the " rare chocolates " turn out to be brindle

Wouldn't think so, they can market them as 'ultra rare colour changing staffies'. See them magically change from rare chocolate to ??? in a matter of years! It's all a mystery what you'll end up with! Tradies will be snapping them up, producing rare blue and chocolate colour changing staffies.

:D