Solid black and red coats are the least common coats among Aussie dogs, with solid red being the absolute rarest. The red-colored gene is recessive in dogs, meaning red fur must be present in both parents to make a red-colored pup.
The breed standards state that Australian Shepherds can come in some combination of two basic body colors (black and liver), one pattern (merle), and two trim colors (white and tan.) Of these, the pattern merle is described as two “colors”: Blue merle and red (liver) merle.
Black and White Aussies are relatively rare compared to other coat colors however you do see them around. The most common Australian Shepherd coat colors are Blue Merle and Red Merle followed by variations on a black coat and a red coat.
They are often referred to as “double merles.” If these puppies only had lots of white, there wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately, most of them are also blind, deaf, or both. This is the reason that the breed standards disqualify white dogs.
Yellow is probably the second most common nonstandard color in the Aussie breed. Inherited as a recessive at the E locus, it restricts the dog's body pigment and will obscure the tan point pattern if present.
Yes, the red Australian Shepherd is a rare coat color.
Is a blue merle Australian Shepherd rare? While blue merle Australian Shepherds are undoubtedly beautiful, they're not particularly rare. The blue merle color pattern is surprisingly common in this breed, being more frequent than the red merle.
Many people are unaware, but when two merles (of any breed) are bred together, each puppy has a 25% chance of being born as a double merle. These puppies have excessive white coloration – lack of pigment – and this coloration causes loss of hearing, vision, or any combination of the two impairments.
Australian Shepherd History
Their Pyrenean Shepherds crossbred with other working dogs, including Collies and Border Collies, creating the modern version of the Australian Shepherd.
Which Mini Aussie colors are the rarest? Solid black and red coats are the least common coats among Aussie dogs, with solid red being the absolute rarest. The red-colored gene is recessive in dogs, meaning red fur must be present in both parents to make a red-colored pup.
Dogs with excess white markings, sometimes referred to as mismarks, or over-marked. Australian Shepherds with too much white are usually healthy(exceptions noted below). There are entire breeds that allow far more white than typical of Aussies.
Aussies are remarkably intelligent, quite capable of hoodwinking an unsuspecting novice owner. In short, this isn't the pet for everyone.
It all comes down to genetics. Those two different eye colors, which is also known as wall eye, is one trait of many in dogs that their mother and father canine can pass down. With two parents, a puppy's gene copies double. Sometimes, these genes conflict with one another.
Aussies might have any combination of brown, blue, hazel, amber, or green eyes. Some Aussies even display more than one color within the same eye.
Are Black Australian Shepherds Rare? Only solid black Aussies are rare, since this breed typically has a multicolored coat. The other coat patterns in the black category are much more common.
Very genuine, very loyal; expressing Australian values; Australian. This derives from a British English sense of true blue, recorded from the 17th century with the meaning 'faithful, staunch, unwavering in one's commitments or principles; extremely loyal'.
Bluey is a 6 year old Blue Heeler pup who loves to play. Her parents and teacher give her lots of time to practice, which means she's become very good at inventing games, helping everyone choose their roles and deciding on the rules.
Your Mini Yorkshire Aussie is a mix of the Miniature Australian Shepherd (or Mini American Shepherd) and Yorkshire Terrier and, as such, can take on the appearance traits of one or both of the parent breeds.
What is a double merle? A dog that inherits two dominant versions of M is a double merle. In Australian Shepherds these dogs usually will have excessive amounts of white, be deaf in one or both ears, and have serious and generally blinding eye defects. In a few severe cases the eyes have been missing altogether.
Dogs with cryptic merle (also called phantom or ghost merle) typically display little to no merle pattern and some may be misclassified as non-merles. The cryptic merle alleles occur in the lower end of the range (typically from 200-255, however, this range and designation varies by study).
Double Merle dogs are highly likely to suffer from hearing and vision impairments and in some cases complete blindness and deafness. Deafness and hearing impairment happens due to lack of hair pigment produced in the inner ear. Double Merles can also be blind or have vision problems due to congenital eye defects.
Are all Double Merle's Deaf/Blind/Both? No. It is possible for a Double Merle dog to not have hearing or vision issue but it is very uncommon.
The merle gene is responsible for creating mottled patches of color in a dog's coat and blue or odd-colored eyes. However, merle is an incompletely dominant gene, so not every merle dog will have blue eyes. And while merle dogs often have blue eyes, they can also have one brown and one blue eye.
The pattern is very sought-after, and the more demand there is, the higher breeders can set their prices. In addition, merle breedings can be quite rare in some breeds.
Yes – merle dogs can be just as healthy as dogs that have a solid color. They have the same life expectancy, they are just as strong and athletic and smart as their counterparts without the merle gene. In lines with responsible merle breedings, all offspring will be healthy and live a long life.