| Sailen Acres Ranch Specializing in the preservation of the Working Shetland Sheepdog |
| SHELTIE COLORS We have added this page to help you distinguish the difference between the different acceptable colors of Shetland Sheepdogs. The AKC describes the accepted colors as such: Black, blue merle, and sable (ranging from golden through mahogany); marked with varying amounts of white and/or tan. We have listed examples of the colors below |
| Blue Merle This is an example of a Blue Merle. A Blue Merle is created by the merle gene found in Shelties which places a dilution on a Black, Tan, & White Coat to give the Blue Merle Sheltie Coat. If you did not have the dilution gene on this Sheltie, it would be a Tri-Color Sheltie |
| Tri Color This is an example of a Tri Color Sheltie. The Tri Color Sheltie Coat has a base coat of Black with a degree of White and Tan points. Some Shelties may exhibit more White than others which may include White from the feet on the front side of the back legs running to the belly this is sometimes referred to as the White Factor. |
| Sable Sable is basically a red/gold/tan/brown color, with varying degrees of black overlay. Extremes in overlay may vary from red, gold or tan with black confined to the whiskers to a dog that at first glance looks black with tan on the face and legs. All sables have some tan in the undercoat of the body. This is an example of a lighter colored sable & white Sheltie. Sables may also be a deep Mahogany in color. |
| Bi-Blue This is an example of a Bi-Blue Sheltie. A Bi-Blue is a dilution on a Bi-Black Coat to give the Bi-Blue Sheltie Coat. A Bi-Blue coat may contain different levels of White around the Collar and legs, but does not contain any tan. The Coat may also contain more or less Black within the coat pattern. |
| Bi-Black This is an example of a Bi-Black Sheltie. As you will notice, a Bi-Black coat does not contain any Tan. This is one of the rarest colors today to find on a Sheltie, but was one of the Original Coat colors to come to the United States in the early 1900’s. |
| To learn more about Sheltie Coat Colors and Genetics, there is a fun site that allows you to pick the color of the parents to see what colors the litter may produce. |
Click on the link to be redirected to an Outside Site about Sheltie Colors and Genetics in a new window, you will not lose your place on this site.
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