reversed mask - Page 5

Ibrahim, you're a heck of a nice guy but you're incorrect on this. Pigmentation and color are not the same. Reverse masked dogs may suffer lack of pigment JUST LIKE ANY OTHER DOG, as they are not related. But the presence of a reverse mask does not mean the dog lacks pigment. 

Jenni, my point is if you have better options why go for this one, give me valid reasons. That said if I were in Duke's shoes or yours I just might make same decision you did (or will), who knows !!!

And yes, I could be wrong about the reversed mask bein maskless/less masked/lacks in mask. But that is my understanding of it, let me add at the moment, as one keeps learning and growing

A tempest in a teapot and since the pattern of inheritance is clearly not know eleminating the dogs with so called reverse mask makes no biological sense whatever. 

Ibrahim, you're still looking at it as a fault. That's why you don't understand and want Duke to choose a "better" option. It is not a fault. It's not something YOU may like, but it is not lack of pigmentation, and if the breeder has good reason to believe this dog is the best option for the breeding as a whole, how could you make any decision BUT to breed the reverse mask dog? There is enough chatter about reverse masks amongst old time dog people who have bred and worked thousands that if I had a litter in which most things were equal but one superior pup had a reverse mask, I'd breed it in a heartbeat, especially if I was looking to solidify some seriousness and aggression. Maybe there's no correlation and we're all crazy. But so what- absolutely no harm done if that's the case, since the dog is a great dog all around, but if there is something to it, Duke may have just helped solidify the traits he's after in this breeding. 

Jenni that was a like and partial agree only to your last post 

Ok, great; just so we're clear on that. 

Ibrahim , disagree with some things here, colour patterns have nothing to do with lack of  pigmetation

secondly ,  there are not so many dogs around anymore who bring his mix of qualities to the table,  hard, strong, fast  dominant, super prey-civil balance, NO  handler agression, super detection/nose, and he and all littermates clean bill of healt

Reverse mask:

Regular mask, lacking in pigment:

The mask did grey out a bit as the dog at the top got older, but her whole face turned a bit grey (along with her owner's hair... )  Here she is at 12, part way through a very strenuous hike in Algonquin Park: She lived to be 14 1/2.

I don´t care about colour patterns, but about temperament, health, working ability, conformation, and pigmentation. Nowadays we are that much used to the "mainstream" colors black and tan/red in showlines, and dark sable or bicolor in working lines, that we tend to forget about all the other colours/colour patterns, but they are not faulty - they may not win in the show ring, but I´m pretty sure the pups of this special litter won´t be sold to show people...

In case you don´t like the pattern, don´t buy the dog, but maybe you´ll have problems to find a dog with better temperament/health/working ability later on. There is no perfect dog, but maybe the pups out of this litter will become perfect K9´s.

Let´s talk again in 2.5 years.

Sunsilver, that is exactly what is lack of mask in both dogs irregardless of distribution (pattern) of dark/black color.

lack of mask = less dark area on muzzle