ESS So which colour would it be? General Chat

No preference, love both colours, but it has to be a show springer through and through!!

I agree. Colour would come very low on my list of preferences when choosing a dog. People tend to prefer the dog they are familiar with . I used to prefer black and tan short coated GSDs because they were the ones I`d always had. Now I have a blonde fluffy and wouldn`t swap her for the world.
I`d be more concerned about breeding, health and temperament, tbh.

Breeding, health and temperament come top of the list for me too, but in the same breath I would never choose to own a liver Springer. If I couldn't have a black and white with superb breeding, health and temperament then I'd do without until I could. The two don't have to be exclusive from one another.

I love tri colours Friend of mine has a super Tri dog lovely temperament as well

mmm I only posted this thread as a matter of interest!

I choose L&W as our first ESS was L&W and I find them more appealable, even though if you look at my avatar, we have B&W and L&W.

With regards to breeding etc, we have had ESS before, know about their temperaments and made sure that our ESS were from working stock and of good breeding....and this was before we looked at the colour!

I automatically think of L&W but I prefer B&W. I dont like brown in any dogs whether that be a choc lab, red and white collie, L&W or solid liver German pointers etc (I know I have a solid liver dog but I wouldnt have another).

I guess I think of the liver and white when I think of Springers, but only because I see far more L&W's than B&W's.

If I had to pick my preference would be liver and white, but colour is irrelevant to me provided everything else checks out. I like my 'boring' black animals...gimme a black dog, cat, rabbit, hamster, any day.

For our first pup it had to be a liver and white springer, the black and white didnt appeal, but for our second if we get one we have seen a few black and white and they are appealing more and more, the name we had chosen for a second also worked better with a black and white.

Might sound fickle but ours will only ever be pets, not worked or shown, and so the only thing once quality of breeding is taken into account would be the look to appeal to us, if there is a mixed litter that our breeder has then we would pick purely on the puppy that appealed to us now we know the breeder and their dogs, it i dont believe would be led by liver or black as the decision it would come down to the bitch that appeals as our second.

(that said it is not a dead cert it will depend on how Rolo matures during his 6-12month phase and whether we can handle him fully, we will only get another if he is working well for us)

I have had 2 liver and whites and my current black and white. They were all rescues so I had no choice about their colour, they just turned up and I loved them all. I would say that my current black and white boy has the edge, but that is because he's here, now.

I used to think of B&W as my uncle and auntie had one when i was growing up, but i now i do think L&W as i rarely see B&W around here. I do prefer B&W though

Think L&W
Prefer B&W

Im not keen on red/browm/liver dogs, as i dislike the pigment.

I like MISMARKED livers in ESS, lots of white!

I prefer Black and whites as well but wouldnt expect to win with one in the show ring so I'd probably be tempted by a tri colour.

Never even knew these existed

Have you got any pics? would love to see

When someone mentions Springers, I think Gracie! So I guess my answer would be L&W.

I prefer black and white, and the nicest springer I ever knew was mainly black with a little white.
Probably the liver and white is what most people think of when you mention an ESS.

Sorry, haven't read all four pages yet but just wanted to answer this one....

Round here in the shooting world, there are just as many black & whites as there are Liver & whites now.

I have a black & white, predominantly white. Not so long ago, field triallers where trying to breed mostly white springers as they are more noticeable and flashy to judges which of course includes a slightly longer docked tail.

I chose mine purely for his breeding (not KC registered but Gamekeeper bred) because I knew both the sire and dam and they are bloody good dogs! Flyn was the last one left in the litter of just four - so he came home.

If I were to choose purely for colour and not for working then I too would choose a more solid coated dog rather than the white one I have now!


Off to read the rest of the thread now........