The Australian Shepherd
Common questions about the Australian Shepherd breed
What is a Merle Australian Shepherd?
A Merle Australian Shepherd is an Australian Shepherd that carries the merle gene that causes the coat to have mottled patches of colors. The gene also affect skin pigmentation on paws and noses and eye color. The two main types are the Blue Merle Australian Shepherd (BM) and Red Merle Australian Shepherd (RM).
Red Aussies
What Is A Solid Red/Self Red Australian Shepherd?
Solid Red Australian Shepherds feature an all red coat which can range from a light copper to a dark reddish-brown. Solid Red Australian Shepherds have light brown noses and light brown or hazel eyes. They have no other colors in their coat.
Are Solid Red Australian Shepherds Rare?
Yes, Solid Red Australian Shepherds are rare. Solid coat Australian Shepherds are pretty rare to begin with and the red gene is recessive, so it is no surprise that solid Red Australian Shepherds are one of the rarest coat colors.
What is a Red Merle?
Red Merle Australian Shepherds feature a mottled coat with red, copper, tan and white patches throughout it. They usually feature a large white patch on their chest and neck as well as smaller white patches on their paws and muzzle. Red Merle Australian Shepherds look very similar to Blue Merle Australian Shepherds except Red Merle Australian Shepherds would have originally had a red (liver) base coat instead of a black one. Besides the merle gene affecting coat coloration, it may also result in them having blue eyes and areas of their skin that lacks pigmentation.
What is a Blue Merle?
A Blue Merle Australian Shepherd (M/m) is an Australian Shepherd that has a black base coat and carries the Merle gene. The Merle gene dilutes sections of the black coat which results in their distinct coloring of grey and white patches. The gene may result in them having blue eyes and areas of their skin to lack pigmentation.
How to get a Merle Australian Shepherd?
The responsible way to get a Merle Australian Shepherd is to mate a Merle Australian Shepherd (M/m) with a non-Merle (m/m) Australian Shepherd. Roughly 50% of the litter will be Merles and none will be Double Merles.
A Blue Merle Australian Shepherd should never be bred with another Blue Merle Australian Shepherd as they are likely to produce Double Merles (M/M). These Australian Shepherds carry two copies of the “M” allele are affected by ocular defeats and deafness.
Life Expectancy
Blue Merle Australian Shepherds have a life expectancy of 10 to 12 years. They are considered to be a healthy dog breed and with a proper diet and enough exercise each day you can give them the best chance at living a long life.
What is a double Merle?
A Double Merle (M/M) Australian Shepherd has little to no color in their coat as they have inherited two copies of the dominant “M” allele. Unfortunately, Double Merle Australian Shepherds are affected by severe ocular defeats and deafness. They may be deaf in one or both ears and may be blind or have totally lost an eye.
Double Merle Australian Shepherds are also called ‘lethal whites’ due to their coloring and health issues. They are very controversial if they have been purposefully bred. Most official bodies refuse to register dogs that are a product of merle-to-merle breeding.
What is a Harlequin Merle?
A Harlequin Merle Australian Shepherd carries the merle gene and the co-dominate modifying gene for harlequin. Instead of the normal Merle pattern, Harlequin Merle Australian Shepherds have white patches between each dark patch instead of grey or copper. Harlequin Merle Australian Shepherds usually have larger areas of darker shades interspersed with white instead of intermediate shades.
