With the red gene being recessive, and solid-colored Aussies being the rarest, solid red Aussies are the rarest of them all.
What is the rarest Australian Shepherd color?
Red merles are far less common than blue merles because the red-colored gene is recessive in dogs, meaning both parents have to have it for their offspring to inherit the coat. Red is the rarest color in Aussies generally, although the red merle coat is one of the more common red-colored coats in the breed.
Can Australian Shepherds be red?
Aussie Breed Standard Colors
The red merle Aussie is just one of for different recognized colors for the breed. The official Australian Shepherd dog breed standard specifies that these colors are solid black, solid red (also called liver), blue merle and red merle.
How much is a red merle Australian Shepherd?
Wondering how much a Red Merle Australian Shepherd costs? The price can vary depending on the quality of the breeder and the dog itself. Most Aussies cost anywhere from $600 to $3,000, but most fall on the lower end of the scale.
What is a Harlequin Aussie?
In other words, a “Harlequin Merle” is simply a beautiful and unusual variation of the more common Merle color pattern. When a Merle Aussie possesses the Harlequin gene, the already uniquely beautiful Merle coat pattern becomes even more “exciting”.
How can I tell if my Australian Shepherd is red factored?
You can determine whether a black dog is red factored several ways: If it has a liver parent or offspring, by doing a DNA test, or by breeding it to a liver colored dog to see if you get liver puppies.
What is a red merle dog?
The merle gene creates mottled patches of color in a solid or piebald coat, blue or odd-colored eyes, and can affect skin pigment as well. There are two general types of colored patches that will appear in a merle coat: liver (red merle) and black (blue merle).
Can you breed a red tri Aussie to a red merle Aussie?
In addition, red to red yields all reds so breeding a red merle to a red tri produces ONLY red merle & red tri puppies. And since tri to tri yields all tri’s, breeding red tri to red tri yields all red tri’s.
What color is a red tri Australian Shepherd?
Red Tri-Color Isn’t a Recognized Color.
Other Australian Shepherd tri-colors are accepted by most kennel clubs, like black and tan. However, red does not fall into this category. You can have a red merle dog, but not a red tri-color one!
Are Red Tri Australian Shepherds rare?
The red (also called “liver”) gene is recessive, in contrast to the black gene which is dominant. This means that red Aussies are rarer than black ones. The only way that a dog gets that coloring is if they have two red genes and no black genes.
What is a red Aussie?
Red Aussies result from being homozygous for the red allele, and they can vary considerably in tone and shade of color. As with red merles, the body color of a red solid can vary from fairly light to so dark that the dog must be examined in the bright sun to see that it is a red and not a black.
Do red merles get darker?
Red merle Aussies may darken with age, as well, and they have a marbled reddish coat. Red merle puppies can be very light in color, but the red in their fur will usually turn a rich, brownish-red by adulthood.
Do red merles darken with age?
Probably the most common type of color change is that of progressive darkening. Many blue merles and red merles are born with their merle areas fairly light. As the years go by they darken until in old age blue merles can resemble black tris and red merles can resemble red tris (or bis, or selfs).
What color eyes do red merles have?
Red merle Aussies can inherit either two solid blue eyes, two solid brown eyes, two solid brown eyes marbled with blue, one solid brown and one solid blue eye, two solid blue eyes marbled with brown, or two eyes with different blue/brown marbled pattern.
Are merle dogs more expensive?
The bottom line. Merle dogs of any breed are likely to be more expensive than solid-colored dogs, even though a lot of responsible breeders try to change that. Depending on how rare the merle pattern is in the breed and how much the standard price for a puppy is, your merle dog might cost up to $3,000.
What is a mismarked Aussie?
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.
What are ghost eyes in Aussies?
Legend has it that Native Americans called Australian Shepherds “ghost eye” and thought they were sacred. These dogs do not always have blue eyes, but pale blue, “ghostly” eyes are common among the breed.
What is a dilute Red Merle?
Red merle dilutes have medium-toned dark patches on a pale background with pale liver on the nose and other exposed skin. Given the extreme variation in red pigmentation in “normal” reds and red merles it is possible that a dilute might not be recognized as such.
