Collie Eye Anomoly (CEA)- Collie Eye Anomoly is a disease that can be potentially harmful to the Collie. It is inherited by a simple recessive gene. Opthomoloist testing can determine Normal-eyed Collies from affected ones. Whe diagnosed Normal-eyed the Collies is either a carrier (one Normal gene, one affected gene ) or a Non-carrier (two Normal genes) An affected Collie carries tow affected genes. To be Normal-eyed, a Collie only needs one Normal gene. Therefore, the Non-carrier, wheather the Sire or the Damm, will always produce Normal-eyed dogs.

COLLIE COLOR CHARTS

This color chart and it's color discriptions is in accordace to the well respected book "The Collie Concept" by Mrs. George H. (Bobbee) Roos.

S-Sable. Dominant over tricolor. Shadings may run from straw through red to dark mahogany.

PS-Pure Sable. Usually a clear shade of straw or orange red with dark maskings or fringes. These individuals carry no tricolor gene and can produce only sable color regardless of what color is combined with them. 

tS-Trifactored Sable. Sable Collies carring the tricolor gene in conjunction with the dominant sable gene. Usually (but not always) a dark orange to a very dark mahogany in color with dark masking and fringes. 

tri- Tricolor. Recessive to sable. Black Collies wiht white and tan markings on sides of muzzle, above eyes, sides of cheeks, chest and inner margins of legs.

M-Merle. A dominant dilution gene which in combination with sable or tri genes produces merled collies.

BM- Blue Merle. Bluish gray with black splotching, carrying sable markings in the same pattern as the tricolor. Color results from the interaction of the dominant dilution gene (M) withthe tricolor gene (t).

SM- Sable Merle. Sable spotted Collies. Color results from that interaction of the dominant dilution gene (M) on the sable color. At birth, all sable merles exhibit a bluish tinge on tail and muzzle which disappears in a few weeks. Brownish mearling on body or head may or may not remain at maturity, and thus these individuals, if they have dark eyes can be mistaken for  a "normal" sable. However, many sable merles inherit blue or blue flecked eyes, a sure sign of a merle.

PSM- Pure Sable Merle. Usually a light or even "washed out" sable at birth with brown merling. At maturity, quite often these Collies loose their merling and coat color becomes clearer red. No tricolor gene is present in their makeup.

tSM- Trifactored Sable Merle.Usually a darker sable color than the PSM with dark brown merling which quite frequently is still visible at maturity. The tricolor gene is present in conjunction with the sable and merle gene.

w- WHITE. These collies are the result of a cross between either two white parents or two white factored parents. Color is carried on a recessive gene (w) and is inherited INDEPENDENTLY of sable, tri or blue merle and may occur in combination with ANYof them. A blue headed white is just as sound and normal a Collie as the tri or sable headed white. These are not to be confused with the white merle whose "white" color results from the double dominant dilution merle gene, whereas the white color of a blue headed white results from the recessive gene (ww) and its blue color from the normal interaction of the merle gene with tricolor.

wf- White factored. Colored dogs usually with large white frill, heavy white tail tip, possibly a body splash of white hairs and white extending upward from hind feet over stifle to meet the white underbody.

non wf- Non white factored. Regular colored Collies NOT carrying the recessive white factor.

WM-White Merle. DEFECTIVE WHITES, resulting from the combination of two merled parents. These Collies inherit the dominant dilution gene (M) from both parents. Thus, color is diminished almost to the vanishing point by the gene in duplex. They are almost white in appearance and may or may not have a few merling spots. Eyes, IF present, are pale blue; skin, including the eyelids, lips, nose and pads are pigmentless except within an area of merling; hearing and site severely impaired. These are commonly destroyed at birth. If a white merle is raised to maturity and is from a BM to a BM cross, it can be bred to a tricolor and will produce 100% blue merles. This is not true of white merles carrying the PS genes or the tS genes when bred to a tri.