[purplesully]

Hi all. This boy hasn't been around for awhile, but I am still curious about what he could be. He got a few guesses before, but I wonder if maybe anyone else has any ideas what his breed(s) might be. The dog is not mine, he was a stray. Looked about 40-50 pounds. Thank you

 

[Sabina88]

Id say Australian shepherd mix. Most likely with something more slender and possibly a bit smaller. But I cant think of anything at the moment. Though I almost want to say a bit of spaniel, though that could just be me.
Hopefully someone else will be able to give a better guess.

 

[icemaiden]

What a beautiful dog!

The feathering on the ears, tail set and carriage and the stance would suggest a chihuahua or a papillon. The head shape and colouring looks Australian shepherd. Do you know what he is/was?

 

[purplesully]

I agree, he has beautiful coloring and wonderful tufts. If he was cleaned up he'd be stunning.
He was about mid 40 ish pounds. Compared to my dog, he looked about 17 or 18 inches at the shoulder, so any small breed in the mix would not be the primary breed. But, Chihuahuas and their mixes are VERY popular in my area. So are small hunting dogs, goldens and terriers.

 

[BellaScarlett]

Looks like an English Shepherd to me. He's very beautiful.

 

[SueM]

I kind of want to say Sheltie/Border Collie mix. Most likely there is something else thrown in, too- maybe the Pap that someone else mentioned.


The tail set reminds me of field line English Setters, but I don't think that's in the mix.

 

[Sabina88]

I can sorta see how others got pappillion. But the closer I look it more reminds me of a stand up dog ear (?) that flopped at a funny angle with aussie ear hair. Maybe its just cause I have a aussie, but that's a large part of what I see (that or I must be Australian shepherd crazy ).
Is that his natural color, or is it from the sunlight that you get the blueish tint?

 

[purplesully]

Is that his natural color, or is it from the sunlight that you get the blueish tint?

The overall look of his fur was dark grey, with hints of lighter gray in the sun. He was not black.
Between the nose and eyes he had silver color fur. Just stunning imo. I wonder if that is from age, or just part of his coloring. I have no idea how old he is, or if he is still living. People around here shoot stray dogs just for passing through Just the other day three healthy looking golden mixes with shiny groomed coats passed by my house, and about ten minutes later I heard gunshots in the direction they were headed. Sad.

 

[purplesully]

I can sorta see how others got pappillion. But the closer I look it more reminds me of a stand up dog ear (?) that flopped at a funny angle with aussie ear hair. Maybe its just cause I have a aussie, but that's a large part of what I see (that or I must be Australian shepherd crazy ).

Aussie crazy is Aussome
The one ear had a funny flop (sort of a forward fold-over, not rose shaped) with the hair cascading over the ear cartilage.

 

[mathilda]

Could be an Aussie or Collie mix.

 

[Sabina88]

There are actually some black and I think red to though less common (im not entirely sure on the genetics) aussies that have more of a blue/silver tint. I wish I could go scoop him up and take him home, he looks so sweet. Have you tried to catch him?

http://up.picr.de/4202111.jpg
http://www.australian-shepherd-lovers.com/images/maui-21606599.jpg

 

[purplesully]

There are actually some black and I think red to though less common (im not entirely sure on the genetics) aussies that have more of a blue/silver tint. I wish I could go scoop him up and take him home, he looks so sweet. Have you tried to catch him?

http://up.picr.de/4202111.jpg
http://www.australian-shepherd-lovers.com/images/maui-21606599.jpg

Thank you for the color information. Genetics are fascinating! We only saw him once or twice, and didn't have any way to contain him at the time. We have a dog and extra collars now, so in the off chance that he shows up again I can capture him. He would be stunning after being cleaned up.

 

[akodo1]

Okay, this is a wild shot.

I look at this dog and it scratches some recognition in my brain, but I can't place it. At first I though Mudi, but that's not it. What it is, is some southern european or eastern european regional herding breed, like a Basque Shepherd or something like that, at least partly in it's breeding. Which is why it looks 'herdy' to many of us, but we can't put our finger on a specific breed...because it's a breed/landrace that isn't 'Kennel Club' hence not seen much.

The other bit is that it could be a multi-generational mutt mix, with many different breeds in it's background including a lot of the herding breeds, but so mixed together and so mixed with other non-herding dogs that it all becomes impossible to parse out.

Finally, appearance can play a big part in figuring out a dog's makeup, but behavior is also a big part. Does it show any interest in herding? In fetching/retrieving? Interest in pointing/flushing? Fascanated by certain scents?

 

[purplesully]

Okay, this is a wild shot.

I look at this dog and it scratches some recognition in my brain, but I can't place it. At first I though Mudi, but that's not it. What it is, is some southern european or eastern european regional herding breed, like a Basque Shepherd or something like that, at least partly in it's breeding. Which is why it looks 'herdy' to many of us, but we can't put our finger on a specific breed...because it's a breed/landrace that isn't 'Kennel Club' hence not seen much.

The other bit is that it could be a multi-generational mutt mix, with many different breeds in it's background including a lot of the herding breeds, but so mixed together and so mixed with other non-herding dogs that it all becomes impossible to parse out.

Finally, appearance can play a big part in figuring out a dog's makeup, but behavior is also a big part. Does it show any interest in herding? In fetching/retrieving? Interest in pointing/flushing? Fascanated by certain scents?

All very good ideas. Thank you Akodo1.
The second paragraph is most likely correct. I live in a very rural area of South Carolina (USA). Herding dogs are popular as pets, bully breeds are popular as either pets, guards or for fighting, hound dogs are immensely popular and very often wind up in shelters after getting lost in the swamps. Something in the shape of the dog's muzzle makes me think there might be some small hound, like running walker or beagle ... but I'm no expert.

I have no idea about his temperament... he was a stray that happened to be passing trough. Some hotdogs lured him close, but he got away before I could call anyone.