Australian Shepherd Coat Colors and Size

Australian Shepherds are cherished by owners for their good natured, energetic temperament and versatility as both herding dogs and family companions. However, it’s often their eye-catching colors that first draw admirers to this breed. Australian Shepherd colors come in a rainbow of coat colors produced by interesting genetic inheritance patterns. This article will provide an in-depth look at the many diverse coat colors comprising this breed.

We’ll overview how several gene loci interact to dictate pigment intensity, distribution and merle patterning in the Australian Shepherd. Understanding Aussie color genetics allows appreciation of how controlled inheritance yields their unique, vibrant beauty within acceptable standards. Whether a fan of flashy merles or rich tricolors, all Australian Shepherd coats stem from the same intriguing genetic origins.

The Genetics Underlying Australian Shepherd Coat Colors

While best known for their signature merle patterning, Australian Shepherd coats actually involve several color loci interacting to produce diverse hues:

The B Locus – This locus controls the density of black eumelanin pigment produced. The dominant B allele allows full black pigment expression. The recessive b allele dilutes black pigment to brown, yielding liver pigment. BB or Bb dogs have rich black coats while bb dilutes to liver brown.

The E Locus – This locus controls distribution of pheomelanin, the pigment that produces red/yellow/cream tones. The dominant E allele suppresses pheomelanin, while the recessive e allele allows pheomelanin to be expressed. Dogs inheriting EE or Ee will have black coats, while those with ee will express pheomelanin producing shades from pale cream to rich red.

The A Locus – This locus controls whether hairs will be solid in color or exhibit a striped banding called agouti pattern. The recessive a allele produces solid uniform pigment while the dominant A allele produces the agouti banding of dark and light hairs.

The M Locus – This key locus determines whether a dog will exhibit merle patterning. The merle M allele causes random dilution of dark pigment, resulting in a marbled coat effect. One copy of M produces ideal merle patterning but two copies often causes excessive white.

So, in summary, the B locus controls black versus liver pigment intensity, the E locus allows or masks reddish pheomelanin hues, the A locus determines solid versus banded hairs, and the M locus dilutes solid colors into merling. The interaction of these four genes plus other minor loci like white spotting, ticking, and masking account for the broad range of colors seen in Australian Shepherds.

Signature Australian Shepherd Coat Colors

Thanks to genetic inheritance and careful selective breeding, Australian Shepherds exhibit several characteristic coat colors that make the breed so visually striking. The four coat varieties recognized by the American Kennel Club breed standard are:

Red Merle – This vibrant marbled coat incorporating darker and lighter red patches alongside black, gray, and white, which is produced by genes controlling both merling (M) and production of pheomelanin (e). Red merles also have the distinctive trait of copper trim points on the face, legs, and elsewhere. The red merle is by far the most common and popular Australian Shepherd coat color.

Blue Merle – Blue merles have a similar eye-catching marbled coat but in hues of silvery gray, black, and white rather than red. The merling is controlled by the M gene while lack of ee prevents pheomelanin red pigment expression. Blue merles may have tan trim points instead of copper.

Red Tri-color – When no merle genes are present, Australian Shepherds often sport a primarily rich red coat with bold black trim and attractive white markings as seen in breeds like the Bernese Mountain Dog. The ee genes allow for a vibrant reddish coat not muted by E alleles. This striking tricolor is the most common of the non-merle Aussie colors.

Black Tri-color – As the name suggests, the black tricoat has a primarily black base and trim with similar white accents as the red tri. Expressing homozygous BB or Bb allows for a black coat not diluted to liver. The white markings sharply contrast against the black.

Aussie coats may also occasionally display:

Liver Merle or Liver Tri – The bb dilution gene washes out black pigment to softer liver brown hues. This is seen but is much rarer.

White – Extremely white marked dogs often indicative of the double merle MM pattern. Excess white is penalized.

Solid Black – A simple but elegant jet black coat when a recessive Kb gene is inherited. While striking, solid blacks are atypical for the breed.

As you can see, despite favoring merle and tricolor patterns, the Australian Shepherd has remarkable diversity in potential coat colors. All stem from the same key color loci interacting in varied combinations.

What Causes the Signature Merle Coloring?

No discussion of Australian Shepherd coats would be complete without specifically examining what makes their iconic merle patterning. As outlined, the merle effect is produced by the dominant M allele at the M locus. When a dog inherits one or two copies of the merle gene, it causes random dilution of dark eumelanin pigment in the coat, producing a marbled patchwork effect. The size, shape and distribution of the merling varies dramatically based on the other color genes present.

Australian Shepherds inherit merle coloring due to one of these merle gene combinations:

Heterozygous Merle (Mm) – This dog possesses one copy of the merle gene. This results in the preferred “classic” moderate merle patterning considered ideal in the breed, with balanced patches of darker pigment and lighter merling.

Homozygous Merle (MM) – The doubling of two merle genes causes excessive dilution of pigment, often resulting in mostly white dogs with only random residual patches of merle color. This doubled merle gene pattern is associated with deafness and vision issues and thus avoided by responsible breeders.

Non-Merle (mm) – Without any copies of the merle gene, the coat color will be a solid tricolor instead of marbled. Solid black tris and red tris occur when no M genes are inherited.

The heterozygous merle (Mm) produces the ideal moderate merling that preserves sufficient color contrast for a coat still rich in pigment. Homozygous MM merle doubling has associated health risks and is undesirable.

Common Merle Color Combinations

By pairing just one copy of the dominant merle gene with other major color loci, Australian Shepherds produce an array of stunningly beautiful and distinctive merle variations. Some of the most common are:

Red Merle – The classic red merle has patches of darker red and liver red interspersed with areas of lighter diluted red and white. This color also has distinctive copper trim points. This is the most familiar Aussie merle coat.

Blue Merle – This coat has marbled patches of silvery gray and black overlaying a gray background. Blue merles sometimes have tan trim points in place of copper. The blue merling is a dilute of the black tri-color.

Liver Merle – An analogue of the red merle but on the dilute bb brown background instead of rich red. Features a blend of darker liver-hued merling and pale cream.

Harlequin Merle – Primarily white coats with torn irregular patches of residual merle color. Often associated with the excessive white spotting from the homozygous merle gene doubling.

Cryptic Merle – A “hidden” merle with such minimal merle patterning that their coat appears almost solid. But they can still produce merle offspring. 

Thanks to variable expressivity even within a litter, Australian Shepherd merling patterns showcase immense diversity. But the preferred heteroyzgous Mm merle form has sufficient bold patchwork colors without excessive dilution.

Non-Merle Australian Shepherd Coat Colors

Although the flashy, eye-catching merle coats might get all the attention, Australian Shepherd colors also come in gorgeous solid tricolor coats when no merle genes are inherited. Some of the most common non-merle color combinations include:

Black Tri – The most familiar non-merle coat features a deep jet black base and trim with rich tan accents on the cheeks, eyebrows, legs and below the tail, and attractive white flashes on the face, neck, chest and feet.

Red Tri – A stunning, vibrant golden or dark reddish-copper coat with black trim and accents. The deep red hues really grab attention. Sometimes the white markings are more extensive in red tris.

Red Speckled – As the name indicates, this coat has a predominantly red base speckled with small scattered white hairs rather than distinct white patches. No black trim is present.

Black Speckled – Resembles the red speckled but with a primarily black base coat mingled with white hairs throughout instead of large areas of white.

Solid Black – While atypical in Australian Shepherds, some solid black coats are produced when a recessive Kb gene is inherited. This lacks typical Aussie body markings.

While they don’t display the signature flash of the merles, these tricolor and solid coats allow Aussies to showcase their attractive pigmentation even without merle dilution genes present.

Disqualifying Coat Colors Per the AKC Standard

The American Kennel Club sets forth a breed standard for acceptable Australian Shepherd colors in the conformation show ring. Certain colors and traits are considered faults or disqualifications. These include:

Excessive White – More than 25% white overall, especially on the body, yields an appearance too similar to a Collie. Aussies should not be mostly white.

Dilute Body Color – Any coat with washed out, dilute pigment lacking richness and intensity is faulty. Proper coat colors are deeply pigmented.

Silvers or Grays – Solid silver, gray, or blue coats without proper black or liver pigment are atypical for Aussies. Rich colors are ideal.

Albinism – A complete absence of coat pigment resulting in a white dog is linked to health defects and undesirable. Some pigmented coat is required. 

Lacking Copper – Red merles must present at least some copper trim coloration. A red merle completely void of copper is penalized.

The Australian Shepherd coat should lavishly express the breed’s characteristic merle or tricolor pigment in accordance with the standard for excellence.

Do Aussie Puppies Change Color as They Mature?

Many Australian Shepherd puppies undergo noticeable coat changes in their first one to two years before reaching their final mature color and markings. Some common shifts seen as puppy coats transition to adult include:

Darkening – Both merle and tricolor puppies often deepen and intensify in their color as they mature. Very light red merles and soft black tris become richer with time.

Spot Expansion – In merles, the colored spots and marbled patches sometimes increase in size and definition as the puppy coat sheds and adult hairs come in.

Fading – Puppies with greater white spotting genes can become lighter and less defined in their merle colors as adults. Cryptic and harlequin merles often lighten considerably with maturity.

Black Overlay – Scattered darker black hairs emerging over the back, head and sometimes tail of red merles frequently develops between 1-2 years old as adult coat replaces puppy fur. 

While subtle changes are common, an Australian Shepherd puppy will not make drastic shifts out of their original color family and patterns. Solid reds won’t suddenly become merles, and so forth. Maturity simply fills out the richness and final expression of their encoded coat genetics. Hormones, seasons and nutrition can impact exact coat changes.

Appreciating the Diversity of the Australian Shepherd Coat

What makes the Australian Shepherd so visually special is the amazing diversity of colors and patterns the breed displays – from the blue merle to the red tri and everything in between! Yet behind the extensive variety lies sound structure and moderation in pigment distribution that keeps the Aussie look recognizable and appealing. Appreciating the influence genetics has on their vibrant coats adds further depth to these beautiful, bright dogs. Whether you prefer a flashy merle or rich tricolor Australian Shepherd, science and selective breeding allows them to confidently display their stunning coats.

The Ideal Structure and Proportions of the Australian Shepherd

In addition to a stunning coat, the Australian Shepherd is valued for its moderate yet athletic build that suits their original purpose as agile herding dogs. The ideal structural characteristics of the Aussie combine strength, speed, and stamina.

The AKC Australian Shepherd breed standard describes proper structure as:

Additionally, the AKC specifies the ideal Australian Shepherd height at the withers for each sex: 

Proper Australian Shepherd proportions should create a medium-sized dog looking capable of agility, speed, and untiring movement. Their conformation supports their function as active herding dogs.

Variations in Size Within the Breed

While a medium breed overall, Australian Shepherds do exhibit some natural diversity in sizing:

Most properly structured Australian Shepherds bred to the standard fall within the mid-sized parameters. But slight variations both taller and shorter do occur while maintaining a proper moderately sized phenotype.

Purposeful crossbreeding for “mini” or “giant” sizes is considered unethical by the AKC and alters key Aussie traits optimized for farm work. But natural size diversity is respected.

Growth Rate and Changes in Aussie Puppies

Australian Shepherds are a slow maturing breed, reaching full adult height by 12-18 months old and full body mass around 2 years old. Typical growth milestones include:

Because this is a slow growing breed, providing optimal nutrition, moderate activity, and health monitoring from puppyhood into early adulthood allows Aussies to fully develop into their ideal physical conformation. Proper rearing makes achieving genetic potential for size and structure attainable.

In summary, the Australian Shepherd colors present a physically diverse package – from red merle to black tri, miniature to oversized, this breed displays admirable variety in coat and structure while retaining soundness, moderation and vigor that allows them to thrive in any environment or activity their owners delight in sharing with them. Appreciating the Australian Shepherd involves looking beyond their handsome appearance to respect the inheritance and purpose that built this quintessential American farm dog.