[Anastasiawisdom]

Hello, I have 5 month old puppy that I got when her and her and her two brothers were abandoned by a nearby lake. They were so cute we we couldn’t just let them go into a shelter so I kept the girl and my brother has the two boys. But we aren’t sure what kind they might be, two are tricolor and one is black and white. At first we though border collie but now we see they are too big to be pure border collie at least. Around a month ago they all started getting this shiny black fur that has became very wavy along the back of their spine area. Any clues or guesses to what you think they could be or could be mixed with would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[LeoRose]

Australian Shepherd or Border Collie x Great Pyrenees comes to mind. They are starting to get their adult coats and lose their puppy fuzz.

 

[Shell]

Keeping in mind that a litter can have more than one sire, I could see Bernese Mountain Dog for that coat and size in the Tri color pup.

Aussie or Border Collie with Pyr or Berner makes sense to me as a total guess based on only the pics.

A lot depends on what breeds are common in your area, particularly those breeds common on farms where they might roam or breeds from breeders that don't require spay/neuter of the pups they sell.

 

[DaySleepers]

I agree that a farm dog mix of herders and livestock guardian breeds - and maybe Berner too - would fit the bill! Could easily be a multi-generation mix, too. Keep in mind that it's possible for each puppy to have had a different father if the mother was free-roaming, so they could be different breed mixes from each other.

 

[Anastasiawisdom]

I agree that a farm dog mix of herders and livestock guardian breeds - and maybe Berner too - would fit the bill! Could easily be a multi-generation mix, too. Keep in mind that it's possible for each puppy to have had a different father if the mother was free-roaming, so they could be different breed mixes from each other.

Oh wow thank yo, I didn’t even know that was a possibility!

 

[LeoRose]

Yes, it's definitely possible for every puppy in a litter to have a different sire. I once owned the only mixed breed born into a litter of otherwise purebred Doberman Pinschers. I know people who own purebred dogs from dual-sired litters (there are special registration processes you have to do, including DNA typing both sires and all the puppies).

Bi-black and black tri-color are both extremely common in Australian Shepherds and Border Collies, so you wouldn't really need Berner in the mix to get a black tri-color mix.

The mostly black dog in this video was my Ilka, and the other dog was a known BC X Great Pyr cross. (Please ignore the fussing kid. He wasn't happy we were walking though a pasture.)

 

[Shell]

What state or region are you in?

As an aside, when I said "coat" for Berner mix I meant texture and type rather than color. I've been seeing some intentional Bernese mixes coming from midwestern breeders