Ever noticed the glorious color variations of Australian Shepherds?  It’s because the breed comes in sixteen basic color combos that are based on the dog’s body color (black or red), whether tan points are present or not, and if white trim is present or not. You may think this post is about color in Australian Shepherds, but we’re actually using the breed to explain “self color.” When an Aussie (or other breed) is only one color (or only merle) and it has no white trim or tan points, it’s called a “self color.” The dominant allele in the series is K^B  is responsible for self-coloring, and any dog with at least one K^B allele will be self-colored. The Bedlington Terrier, for example, is born a self-colored dog.  Some breeds have some slight color variation in their coat, but each hair is a uniform shade and if they have no white markings, they’re self colored dog. If you have a self colored dog, share their picture with us and tell us their breed!

Our image by Lyn Culp is clearly not a self colored dog – we’re counting on you to share those pictures.  Meanwhile, you can purchase this print by Ms. Culp here.