Australian Shepherd Colors Guide (Merle, Black, Brown, Red, Tri etc.)

Australian Shepherds come in a wide range of coat colors from solid coats to complex multi-colored markings. The most common are the merle coats – either Blue Merle or Red Merle, closely followed by tri-color coats such as Black Tri and Red Tri. They can also come in solid coats like black, brown and red however these are rarer.

If you want to know more about Australian Shepherd coat colors, keep reading this article to find out about every coat color they can come in.

What Colors Do Australian Shepherds Come In?

Australian Shepherds come in a range of coat colors including:

• Blue Merle
• Red Merle
• Black
• Brown
• Red
• Red Tri
• Black and White
• Grey
• Yellow
• Sable
• Yellow Merle

What Is The Rarest Color Of Australian Shepherd?

The rarest color of Australian Shepherd is sable or yellow. It is a disqualified coat color for Australian Shepherd standards as they often mask carrying the merle gene. This can lead to breeders accidentally breeding Double Merle Australian Shepherds which suffer from ocular and auditory defects.

Blue Merle Australian Shepherd

What Is A Blue Merle Australian Shepherd?

A Blue Merle Australian Shepherd has a blue, grey, white and tan coat in a distinct mottled pattern. They would have originally had a solid black coat but the merle gene diluted it into mottled patches. The merle gene also affects eye color and skin pigmentation on the nose and paws. This means that Merle Australian Shepherds often have very light eye colors such as blue and often have pink patches on their nose and paws.

Are Blue Merle Australian Shepherds Rare?

No, Blue Merle Australian Shepherds are not rare. They are one of the most common coat colors as the merle gene is dominant. Blue Merle Australian Shepherds are more common than Red Merle Australian Shepherds.

Blue Merle Australian Shepherd Price

Blue Merle Australian Shepherds cost between $3000USD and $4000USD. They are one of the more expensive coat colors as the breeding process is very involved. Breeders have to make sure that they do not breed two Australian Shepherds that carry the merle gene together as Double Merles have severe ocular and auditory defeats. They are also expensive as the coat has very pretty grey and white patches and they often have blue eyes.

Blue Merle Australian Shepherd Names

Read Also: Merle Australian Shepherd Guide (Blue, Red, Harlequin, Double)

Red Merle Australian Shepherd

What Is A Red Merle Australian Shepherd?

Red Merle Australian Shepherds look similar to Blue Merle Australian Shepherds except they originally had a red (liver) base coat instead of a black one. Red Merle Australian Shepherds feature a mottled coat with red, copper, beige and white patches. The gene may result in them having blue eyes and areas of their skin that lacks pigmentation.

Are Red Merle Australian Shepherds Rare?

Red Merle Australian Shepherds are rarer than Blue Merle Australian Shepherds because their red (liver) base coat is a recessive gene while the black base coat of a blue merle is a dominant gene. While they are less common than Blue Merle Australian Shepherds, Red Merle Australian Shepherds are by no means extremely rare. You can find them pretty easily at quite a few breeders.

Red Merle Australian Shepherd Price

Red Merle Australian Shepherds cost between $3000USD and $4000USD. They are one of the more expensive coat colors as like Blue Merle Australian Shepherds, breeders have to be very careful to not breed Double Merle Australian Shepherds.

Red Merle Australian Shepherd Names

Black Australian Shepherd

Black Australian Shepherds feature a jet black solid coat with a black nose and dark eyes. They have a black, thick, double layer coat that is medium in length. They also have long black tails and black floppy ears.

Are Black Australian Shepherds Rare?

Solid Black Australian Shepherds are pretty rare. The merle gene is inherited in a dominant fashion so only one copy needs to be present for the coat to be diluted rather than solid. This is the main reason why you don’t come across solid black Australian Shepherds that often. You are much more likely to find an Australian Shepherd that has a mainly black coat with other colors through it such as a Merle Australian Shepherd or a Black Tricolor Australian Shepherd.

Black Australian Shepherd Price

Black Australian Shepherds cost between $3500USD and $4000USD. Solid black is the second rarest coat color for Australian Shepherds after solid red which is why they are so expensive.

Black Australian Shepherd Names

Read Also: Australian Shepherd Size Guide (Teacup, Toy, Mini & Standard)

Brown Australian Shepherd

Brown Australian Shepherds describes Australian Shepherds that feature brown tones. There is no such thing as a solid brown Australian Shepherd. Australian Shepherds that feature brown tones in their coats include Red Merle Australian Shepherds and Red Tri-color Australian Shepherds.

Brown Australian Shepherd Names

Red Australian Shepherd

Red Australian Shepherds feature a solid red coat which can range from a light copper to a dark reddish-brown. There are no other colors in their coat. Red Australian Shepherds have light brown noses and light brown or hazel eyes.

Are Red Australian Shepherds Rare?

Yes, 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.

Red Australian Shepherd Price

Red Australian Shepherds cost between $3500USD and $4000USD. Solid red is the rarest coat color for Australian Shepherds which is reflected in their high price point.

Red Australian Shepherd Names

Red Tri Australian Shepherd

Red Tri Australian Shepherds feature solid red, white and copper patches in their coat. The majority of their coat is red and they feature a large white patch on their chest and front legs as well as a smaller white patches over their muzzle and between their eyes. Their back legs may also feature white, especially on their paws. They feature small copper patches on the sides of their muzzle, above their eyes and in places where their red coat transitions to white.

Are Red Tri Australian Shepherds Rare?

Red Tri Australian Shepherds are about the third or fourth most common coat color. They are rarer than the Merle coats of Australian Shepherd and are not as common as Black Tri Australian Shepherds however they are pretty easy to come across.

Red Tri Australian Shepherd Price

Red Tricolor Australian Shepherds cost between $2500USD to $3250USD. Red Tricolor Australian Shepherds are common which is why they are a bit cheaper than the other coat colors.

Red Tri Australian Shepherd Names

Read Also: How Much Does An Australian Shepherd Cost? (Price Guide)

Black and White Australian Shepherd

Black and White Australian Shepherds feature a mainly black coat with a large white patch on their chest, muzzle and sometimes on their legs or paws. They may also feature black spotting on their muzzle, especially around their nose. They have jet black noses and light brown eyes.

Black and White Australian Shepherd Price

Black and White Australian Shepherds cost between $2500USD to $3500USD. You see this coat color relatively frequently however many other coat colors are much more common like Black Tri-color coats.

Black and White Australian Shepherd Names

Grey Australian Shepherd

In reality, Grey Australian Shepherds are Blue Merle Australian Shepherds. Sometimes people call them Grey Australian Shepherds because large sections of their coat are a silvery grey with darker brown/black parches and tan patches speckled throughout.

Grey Australian Shepherd Names

Read Also: Mini Australian Shepherd Guide: Size, Temperament, Shedding, Price & More

Sable Australian Shepherd

What Is A Sable Australian Shepherd?

A Sable Australian Shepherd has a bi-colored coat where the hairs range from a deep chestnut to a pale lemon and are dark brown or black at the tip. They also feature a large white patch on their chest, one on their muzzle and one on their front legs.

Sable is a disqualified coat color for Australian Shepherd standards because it can mask the presence of merle which makes breeding dangerous. Breeders may be unaware that their Sable Australian Shepherd carries the merle gene and then they can accidentally breed two dogs that carry the merle gene together and produce a Double Merle (AKA Lethal White) which will have severe ocular and auditory defects.

For these reasons, Sable Australian Shepherds are not bred and are therefore extremely rare.

Yellow Australian Shepherd

In reality, Yellow Australian Shepherds have sable coats. The sable coat of an Australian Shepherd is quite unique in the fact that it has a very yellow tinge and not much black in it. That is why some people call them Yellow Australian Shepherds.

Our Top Picks: Must Have Dog Products!

Further Reading

• How Much Does An Australian Shepherd Cost? (Price Guide)
• Australian Shepherd Size Guide (Teacup, Toy, Mini & Standard)
• Merle Australian Shepherd Guide (Blue, Red, Harlequin, Double)
• Mini Australian Shepherd Guide: Size, Temperament, Shedding, Price & More
• Aussiedoodle Colors Guide (Blue Merle, Black, Chocolate, Red etc.)