I've been working hard researching my favorite breed, the one that makes me go weak at the knees, the sable. In the time I've spent researching it, what I've learned above all else, is everyone is a bit confused. I've been told so many different things, by so many different people that in the end I realized the best way to tackle this, was to memorize the standard and look to England. Which unfortunately didn't actually help. For instance the English Rare Varieties Cavy Club has a picture of what they view as the ultimate sable, what they are aiming for here: British Cavy Council: New & Emerging Breeds. Fair enough right? the sable is a chocolate based cavy with dark sepia masking... Then you go to the website of the only sable breeder I can find anywhere: Tartuffe Cavies. Their sables are black based animals with black masking... Confused yet?
After speaking to judges, including visiting english judges and comparing chocolate based and black based sables side by side. This is the conclusion I have come to:
There are THREE varieties of self sable
Chocolate based dark sable: Chocolate pigment with deep sepia masking (aka dark sable)
Black based dark sable: Black pigment with black masking (aka seal sable, or black sable)
Chocolate based chocolate sable: Chocolate pigment with chocolate masking (aka chocolate sable)
For me the problem is defining what the standardised sable is. I own all three varieties of sable listed above (courtesy of Janellan cavies). However after speaking to the judges and the very few sable breeders I can find, and studying the standard some more, I have come to a conclusion. The sable standard calls for dark sepia masking, not black. It calls for a beige belly, not milk chocolate. To me these suggest that chocolate pigment is necessary. Since true chocolate masked sables have not been around long and our standard was written years ago I believe our standard calls for chocolate based dark sables. However if I'm wrong my genetics study has indicated all I need to do is cross a chocolate dark sable to a black himalayan to return to black based sables.
So this is all interesting theory, but what does it mean?
Well let me introduce you to the sables who are my foundation stock for this project. Please note however that Eugenie, Beatrice, Fergie and Harry are just five months old. They have a good four or five more months until they are fully shaded. You can see in the pictures that some of the shading appears strangely uneven.
Janellan Eugenie is the best one I have. Her type isn't great but her masking is the best of all five chocolate based sables. Her belly is far too dark though, but I'll be working on that.
Eugenie has been paired with Sathra Wizard in an attempt to add more contrast to the shading.
Janellan Beatrice is easily the second best with decent shading and type.
Beatrice has been paired with Janellan Helix.
The two sisters together in the sunlight, which really shows the shading off.
Janellan Harry, he isn't great, but he is still sable, and pedigree at that.
Janellan Fergie, she has white hairs and her shading isn't great, but she is a sable.
Afflexian Choc Tina is the last of my chocolate based sables. She also has chocolate masking. She is the mother to teh four sables above but the different masking shade would suggest there are different genes at play.
Tina has been mated to Sathra Rally just to see what pops out.
Then we have the two black sables. Both are from much iffier backgrounds and will never be mated as I don't really want sable dutch, sable american cresteds or sable abyssinians. However they are fun to show.
Spud isn't actually mine but I do show him as it's a good way to give a judge a visual comparison between the two colours. He's got a good mask but no shading along his spine. He also has a tonne of cream hairs.
And of course I've posted Piggles on here before. It's generally 50/50 whether a judge gives her a BOB or DQ's her.
Now in the three months since I've started talking about sables, I've been attacked, called a backyard breeder or simply informed that if I like brown pigs so much I should show chocolates. I know sables aren't a well known or well loved breed. I know it will be an uphill battle to bring them back to standard but I've also been told before that we breed cavies, we show cavies, because we love them. I've been told to choose the breed I love, the one that for me is so gorgeous it's like my heart stops when I see it. That would be the sables for me. I won't win Best In Show's with them no, but honestly I don't do this for the glory. I do it for love of cavies, love of learning and a love of the friendship that exists within the fancy.
I have all sorts of ideas and theories in my head in regards to sables. For instance an English breeder has found evidence in her own sable line that the himalayan gene can be bred out, that sables may actually breed true. It's why I'm starting with three unrelated himis now. After these three matings I intend to line breed for a good 5-10 generations to see how I go. But since all my sables are related I wanted to introduce some new blood in first, before I start intensive line breeding. With so much misinformation out there the only way I'm going to learn about sable genetics is by actually breeding them. I intend to keep meticulous photographic records, so I can study how the sables change as they grow, and also learn how to improve the shading. One day I will breed a sable with complete shading and a beige belly. I am absolutely determined.
