Australian Shepherd Colors and Markings (2024)

Color Gene Pair
Pattern Gene Pair
Tan Points and White Markings
Aussie 16 Basic Color Combinations Chart

Aussie colors and markings come in an amazing variety of combinations but are reallyonly made up of two gene pairs.

The first gene pair controls which colour an Aussie will be and they are either black or red.

The second gene pair controls the pattern and whether the coatwill be solid or merle. We'll talk about this gene pair later,but first...

Australian Shepherd Color Gene Pair

In the gene pair that controlscolour the black is dominant and is denoted by a B.The recessive red is denoted by a b.

This means that there are three possible combinations that anAustralian Shepherd could inherit. They could be BB, Bb or bb.

When the inherited gene pairs are the same such as BB or bb this is referredto as hom*ozygous as they have the same gene on each chromosome.In a case where Bb is inherited and we have a different gene on each chromosome itis called heterozygous.

So, a dog with BB has two genes that are dominantfor black. They will be black and will only produce puppies thatare also black. Since it only has dominant genes to give its puppieswould all inherit the dominant B gene and wouldbe black even if mated to a bb.

An Australian Shepherd with the Bb gene pair is a black dog but it carries the recessive b gene for the red color. These dogs are called red carriers or red factored. If bred with a BB thisdog would produce puppies that were all black. Some of the puppieswould be BB while some could be Bb and also carry the recessive red gene.

If a Bb were crossedwith another Bb they could have BB (black), Bb (black) and bb (red)puppies. If bred with a bb (red) there could be either Bb (black) or bb (red)puppies born.

So, if a bb werecrossed with another bb then only red bb puppies would result.

Once you see how this inheritance works its fairly easy to determinewhat the chances are of different colored puppies being born ina litter.

Australian Shepherd Pattern Gene Pair

Australian Shepherd coatpatterns come in solid and merle. Merle is the mottledblend of the dog's color (black or red) to a near white or white.

Merle is the dominant gene while solid is recessive. Merle isrepresented by an M while solid is shown as m. As with the colorgene pairs there are three possible pairings - MM, Mm and mm.

The hom*ozygous MM combination is of particular concern. This pair comes as a resultof breeding two Aussies with the merle pattern. This "doublemerle" combination is often referred to as "lethal white".

Having two merle genes results in puppies that have excessivewhite in their coats. This is much more serious than a cosmeticconcern about appearance. The lack of pigment around the earsand eyes results in severe defects that can render the dog permanentlydeaf, blind or both. This is why you should not breedmerles with merles.

For more informationabout "lethal white merles" read our in-depth article here.

If a dog with the MM gene pair were bred with a heterozygous merle Mm it would result in more MM hom*ozygous merles as well as Mm heterozygous merles. However, because the merle gene is dominantthey could never produce solid offspring.

In the case of a Mm heterozygous merle breeding with another Mm merle the puppiescould be MM hom*ozygousmerles, Mm heterozygous merles or mm solid color.

Finally we have the mm solid dog. When crossedwith a hom*ozygous MM it would result in heterozygous merles Mm only. Breeding with a heterozygous Mm merle would produce merle Mm and solid mm puppies. If crossed with anothersolid mm dog only solid mm puppieswould result.

Australian Shepherd Tan Points and White Markings

Common to the Australian Shepherd are tan points that appear in many variations from a rich copperto a lighter cream color. Tan points also cover a range of areasfrom the "shepherd's spots" above the eyes, the muzzleand cheeks as well as front legs, hind legs and feet.

In cases where the tan points are diminished the spot uder thetail can be an indicator that the dog has inherited tan markings.Sometimes this is the only location that the tan coloring is inevidence.

Puppies can be born will no tan markings except in that one spotunder the tail and then develop them in other areas as time goesby. This spot may be the only way to tell if a bicolor is reallya tricolor.

The Irish spotting gene influences white blazes, collars, legsand feet. Plus and minus modifiers act further to change the amountof white that appears. This can result in more white appearingthan is acceptable under breed standards. Excessive white is groundsfor disqualification from the conformation ring.

The Piebald gene is another gene that governs white areas andcan be responsible for white spots or patches appearing on thebody. Sometimes this modification is so extreme as to make thedog appear to be a hom*ozygous merle.

In order to discourage breeding dogs with excessive white andthe attendant health risks breed standards set limits on acceptableareas of white coverage. White collars that extend into the bodybeyond the withers and white patches on the body are to be avoided.

Australian Shepherd 16 Basic Color Combinations Chart

The following illustrated Austalian Shepherdcoat color combinations chart shows you the basic 16 possibilities.These combinations are the most common accounting for colors (redor black), coat pattern (solid or merle) and the degree of tanpoints and white markings.

For further reading:

Color FAQ on ASHGI for the Australian Shepherd