Red Australian Shepherd Guide: Red Merle, Red Tri & Self Red

Australian Shepherds often feature red in their coat whether that is a solid red coat, a red bi-color coat, a red tri-color coat or a red merle coat. Whichever type of red coat an Australian Shepherd has, they are sure to be loyal, intelligent and affectionate so it’s no surprise that they’re such a popular breed.

If you are interested in Red Australian Shepherds keep reading this article to find out the all the answers to your questions about this dog breed!

Cover Image Credit: @gwen_with_ragnar

Table of Contents

Are Red Australian Shepherds Rare?

Red Australian Shepherds are much rarer than Black Australian Shepherds as red is a recessive gene. Most Australian Shepherds are blue merle which is the result of a Black Australian Shepherd carrying the dominant merle gene. The most common Red Australian Shepherd is the Red Merle Australian Shepherd followed by the Red Tri Australian Shepherd.

Red Australian Shepherd Characteristics

Black Australian Shepherd Characteristics
Size	Teacup, Toy, Mini or Standard.
Temperament	Loyal, affectionate, eager to please.
Activity Levels	Moderate to high.
Exercise Requirements	30 to 60 min per day.
Lifespan	10 to 12 years.
Coat	Double coat.
Eyes	Amber or brown, occasionally blue.
Shedding	Moderate to heavy.
Apartment Adaptability	Small Australian Shepherds may be able to live in an apartment.
Good with Children	Yes.

Red Australian Shepherd Price

Red Australian Shepherds cost between $2500USD and $4000USD depending on whether they are a red merle, solid red, red tri or red bi coat. Red Tricolor Australian Shepherds are the cheapest while Solid Red Australian Shepherds are the most expensive.

Red Australian Shepherd Names

Lava
Maple
Tawny
Phoenix
Sparks

Brandy
Caramel
Truffle
Mars
Pepper

Coat Color Patterns & Variations

Many Australian Shepherds feature red or a bit of red in their coats. There are four main types of red coat patterns including solid red, red tri, red bi and red merle coats. Red bi coats feature two colors while red tri coats feature three.

In this article we will discuss:

Solid Red Australian Shepherds
Red Tri Australian Shepherds
Red Merle Australian Shepherds
Red Bi-color Australian Shepherds
Self Red Australian Shepherds
Self Red Merle Australian Shepherds
Red Factored Australian Shepherds

Solid Red Australian Shepherd

What Is A Solid 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.

Red Tri Australian Shepherd

What Is A 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 out of all Australian Shepherd coat colors. The red tri coat is rarer than the merle coat but is not as common as the black tri coat. Out of all the red coat variations, you are pretty likely to come across a red tri Australian Shepherd.

Red Merle Australian Shepherd

What Is A Red Merle Australian Shepherd?

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.

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. They are about as common as Red Tri Australian Shepherds.

Red Bi-Color Australian Shepherd

What Is A Red Bi-Color Australian Shepherd?

A Red Bi-Color Australian Shepherd has a mainly red coat with a secondary color in patches. The most common bi-color coat color combination is red and white but you can also get red and tan. Red and White Australian Shepherds feature a mainly red coat with white patches on their paws, chest, neck, muzzle and between their eyes. Red and Tan Australian Shepherds feature a mainly reddish-brown coat with tan points on their chest, neck, muzzle, paws, tail and above their eyes.

Are Red Bi-Color Australian Shepherds Rare?

Red Bi-Color Australian Shepherds are no where near as common as Red Tri-Color Australian Shepherds. They are about as common as solid red/self red Australian Shepherds.

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Self Red Australian Shepherd

What Is A Self Red Australian Shepherd?

A Self Red Australian Shepherd is the same as a Solid Red Australian Shepherd. They have no tan points and no white patches on their coat. Self Red Australian Shepherds feature an all red coat which can range from a light copper to a dark reddish-brown. They have light brown noses and light brown or hazel eyes.

Are Self Red Australian Shepherds Rare?

Yes, Self Red Australian Shepherds are rare. It’s not very common for Australians to have solid colored coats let alone red solid coats. It’s no surprise that solid Red Australian Shepherds are one of the rarest coat colors.

Self Red Merle Australian Shepherd

What Is A Self Red Merle Australian Shepherd?

Self Red Merle Australian Shepherds feature a mottled coat with only red and copper. There are no tan or white patches on their coat. Self Red Merle Australian Shepherds do not have the large white patch on their neck and chest like most Red Merle Australian Shepherds.

Are Self Red Merle Australian Shepherds Rare?

Self Red Merle Australian Shepherds are rarer than the typical Red Merle Australian Shepherd that features a white patch around its neck and chest area and also on their paws. Red Merle Australian Shepherds are already less common than Blue Merle Australian Shepherds.

Red Factored Australian Shepherd

What Does Red Factored Mean In Australian Shepherds?

A Black Australian Shepherd may be ‘red-factored’ if it can produce red coated puppies. This may happen if a Black Australian Shepherd carries one black and one red gene. The reason why they are black despite also carrying a red gene is because black is a dominant gene while red is a recessive gene. Red-factored black Australian Shepherds genes are rB.

This happens if a Red Australian Shepherd is bred with a Black Australian Shepherd. All the puppies will be black but they will all be red-factored black Australian Shepherds.

Red Australian Shepherd x Black Australian Shepherd Genetics

	B	B
r	rB	rB
r	rB	rB