What are your views on the breeding of different colours?

I can't really say I know much on the breeding of dogs of breeds with different colourings. I don't mean genetics and how the colours are inherited, I love genetics as sad as I am! Only I was speaking to a lady today who said she bred black labs and she would never put any of her black labs to a yellow or choc.

Just made me wonder what others thought if there are colour variations in your own breed how do you feel about them being bred to one another? It's an opinion I have never heard before anyway! Being that I am most interested in weims and rotts, you can't really mix up much in the way of colours!

Colour doesn't come into it for me, I look at the dog as a whole, Conformation, health temperament and working attitude are far more important, coat colour in a siberian is purely cosmetic.
Black and white is my least favourite colour but i'm planning on mating Loona with a black and white dog as he has everything i am looking for in a Siberian.

If she likes her blacks thats why she mates black to black as it will only produce black. Using another colour may produce other colours too.

as long as its not merle to merle, I don't mind any other colours being mixed!

Totaly agree, unless there is health problems associated with mixing the colours colour should not even come into the equation

There is so much to be thinking about with the health and temprament of the dog it is just plain daft to narrow the gene pool further on cosmetic reasons

anycase - nature IS varity, thats what makes it strong and beautiful

I don't really agree with breeding purely for colour because I worry that there is a risk that more important issues such as health and temperament will be overlooked purely to achieve cosmetic results.

I guess I wouldn't have a problem with it where all the other considerations had been satisfied.

Again - I like a variety of colour - as long as the important issues are not comprimised.

One of the deciding factors in Siren was the fact she was blue and white - but I knew the breeder had health tested and produces beautiful looking dogs with great temperments. (She wasn't actually expecting any blues....she put a Black and white to a blue merle and got 4 dilute - 3 blue, 1 lilac.)

I feel exactly the same as Susan (above) - in Siberians, colour isn't an issue (other than of personal choice). I love reds and black & whites, not so keen on greys and not at all keen on whites, but that wouldn't affect my judging the breed or selecting a stud.

Mick

Colour is kind of a controversial thing within the Lab world. Most working breeders prefer black dogs and there is a lot of prejudice towards chocolates.

Why is that? Chocolates seem more popular than ever as pets, wheras yellows seem to have lost favour a bit (at least round this area). I see lots of blacks and they always seem more boisterous and energetic than the other colours, in general. Is that why they make better working dogs?