Australian Shepherds are smart dogs that come in four acceptable colors including black, red, blue merle, and red merle. However, these main colors can be combined to create further distinct color-marking combinations - including black tri, red bi, and red tri - all of which are recognized by the American Kennel Club.
Source: Reddit
Source: Reddit
The most popular Australian Shepherd color is the blue merle. Australian Shepherds, or Aussies, do come in other colors too. However, they wouldn't be recognized by the AKC as purebreds. In this article, I have grouped my list of the four rarest Australian Shepherd colors.
1. Solid Red
Source: Reddit
Solid red is the rarest Australian Shepherd's color, albeit being officially recognized by the AKC. These precious Aussies range from light cinnamon to liver. The dog in the above picture is Ranger, a 4-month-old Australian shepherd with a solid red coat.
According to the dog's owners, all of Ranger's siblings were Merle but they fell in love with him when they saw his solid red coat. That picture was posted on Reddit four years ago, which means Ranger must be 4 years and 4 months old by the time of this writing.
2. Solid Black
Although being officially recognized by the AKC, Aussies with solid black coats are rarer to find than multicolored ones. Most black Aussies usually have white markings on the chest and belly and have brown eyes. However, it is not common to see an entirely black Aussie.
3. White
There are plenty of black and white and brown and white Aussies out there. However, completely white Aussies are rarely seen. Plus, the color is not an official AKC-recognized one. A white Aussie is called a double merle, which is the offspring of two merle parents. Breeding two merle parents is considered unethical.
Most white Aussie puppies are euthanized because they are unfortunately prone to hearing loss, sight loss, and cancer. Those sold eventually end up in shelters, as the average owner is not ready to take on a deaf or blind dog.
4. Yellow
Another color that is not accepted in the Aussie breed is yellow. Most yellow Aussies usually have white patches and a black or brown nose. They resemble golden retrievers. However, unlike goldies, it is extremely rare to find an Aussie with a completely yellow coat.
Conclusion
While red and black Aussies are officially recognized by the AKC, whites and yellows are not. Regardless, all of these four colors are rare to find. On a side note, don't get the white Aussie unless you are prepared to take on a deaf or blind pet. On the other hand, you may get a solid red, black, or yellow Aussie if you are looking for a rare-colored Aussie.
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