Colors of the Miniature Australian Shepherd and Toy Australian Shepherd

Tri:

The most common color of the Toy or Miniature Australian Shepherd. Tri’s can be either red or black.

Tri means main body is a solid color with white and copper trim. Trim is in reference to; white on the chest (commonly referred to as a tuxedo or tux front), white blaze on the face, white collars on the neck, white on the feet and legs. Copper is often seen in the eye brows, checks, legs and in under the tail.

Merle
Blue merle, red merle, solid black, red (liver), all with or without white and or tan (copper) markings: on all colors, areas surrounding ears and eyes dominated by color other than white; white is acceptable on neck (either in part or as a full collar) chest, legs, muzzle, under-parts, blaze on head and white extension from under-part up to four inches, measuring from a horizontal line at the elbow; white on head should not be predominate, eyes must be fully surrounded by color and pigment; hairline of white collar should not exceed the point of the withers. The blue merle and blacks have black pigmentation on nose, lips and eye rims; red merle and red do not; red merles and reds have liver (brown) pigmentation of the nose and lips; butterfly nose is not faulted under one year of age; small pink spots are permissible on merles’ noses, but should not exceed 25% of the nose on dogs over one year of age. 

Due to the number of excessive white Aussies being offered on the Internet for sale these days, we recommend that you visit this page before you buy. Australian Shepherd Health and Genetics Institute

Tri:

The most common color of the Toy or Miniature Australian Shepherd. Tri’s can be either red or black.

Tri means main body is a solid color with white and copper trim. Trim is in reference to; white on the chest (commonly referred to as a tuxedo or tux front), white blaze on the face, white collars on the neck, white on the feet and legs. Copper is often seen in the eye brows, checks, legs and in under the tail.

Bi:

Bi color means the main body color with white trim only, no copper points or trim.

Some times Toy and Miniature Aussies come in dilute colors phases. They can appear to be almost blue (grey), have a yellow tinge or even a slight rose color. Dilutes are not normally accepted as a registrable color.

Blue Merle

Blue Merle means the main body of the dog is a mixture of various shades of grey and black, giving the dog a blue hue, with or without white and copper trim.

Red Merle

Red Merle means the main body of the dog is a mixture of various shades of liver, giving the dog a redish or pink hue, with or without white and copper trim. Merles can be dilute in color phases as well.

Whites And Pattern Whites

White is probably the most problematic color (actually lack of pigment) in our breed. It is not the white coat itself that is unhealthy. White outside of the areas prescribed in the standard is a warning flag that there may be health problems related to lack of pigment or to homozygousity of the merle gene. Among the defects commonly associated with excessive whiteness are deafness (full or partial in one or both ears) and vision problems and eye defects from mild to severe. There are several causes for to much white, but the two most common are recessive pattern whites and the mating of two merles to produce a homozygous merle.

For complete details please visit Australian Shepherd Health and Genetics Institute