Double merles usually have pale blue eyes. All of these coat colorings can come with or without white markings and copper points on the legs, tail, ears, and face. Males weigh between 50 and 65 pounds. Quick Summary Below are a few quick comparisons between the two breeds. And he does wake my husband if he sleeps in 5 mins more. We always woke to tell him we were leaving the room so he would race through the house looking for us. There has been a lot of research done in the past 20 or so years about how a dog’s color might be linked to other traits, such as health and behavior, but scientists still have a lot of questions and a lot more research to do. Shepherd and flock shall sing, and all my powers Outsing the daylight hours. However, if you do decide to take on a white Australian Shepherd, you must be prepared to accept that he will most likely have vision and hearing problems that are caused by his double merle genetic make-up. We have done cat rescue for years, mostly special needs (blind, deaf, both, tripods…you name it). Expecting an Australian Shepherd to spend his days in the backyard and his evenings keeping you company while you watch your favorite TV shows is a sure way to create a barking, bored, destructive dog instead of the calm, well-behaved, loyal companion you … When I talked to my husband about rescuing him, he was completely on board. Australian Shepherds were bred to be working dogs – not simply pets to hang around the house or backyard. Beautiful german shepherd puppies straight back wo . He accustomed and sleep beside Finnegan until he was comfortable sleeping on his own. It was originally a working breed that came from the Basque region of Northern Spain, Europe. You should never leave your Aussie shut in a kennel or small yard all day by himself. There are also predominantly white Aussies which are not homozygous merles at all. “The Way I See It: The Dangers of Trait Over-Selection.”, Johnson, George P. “Basic Genetics: Inheritance of Color and Pattern.”. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. Pet Breeder. Your email address will not be published. He is currently almost 5 months old and rings a bell to go outside. The colors are. Many Australian Shepherds can be trained to enjoy dog agility sports and can be hugely successful. All Australian Shepherd dogs, including the white Australian Shepherd, belong to the herding group. when we first brought him home, he took quite a bit to calm down at night. We are currently looking for another rescue – preferably deaf with seeing. Australian Shepherds Dogs Travel Picnic Lunch Bag Lunchboxes Outdoor Lunch Box Bag Lunch Tote Handbag Convenience For Out. And there’s a prudent animal welfare reason for that. The same checks should be applied if you’re considering buying a white Australian Shepherd mix or pattern white Australian Shepherd. Don't miss out on the perfect companion to life with a purrfect friend. Report Ad. So we know that some expressions of Australian Shepherd colors can be downright dangerous, but does color have anything to do with behavior? The outer coat is comprised of long, coarse guard hairs that act as a shield against wind and rain during the winter. Chaos is able to know houses away that I am coming home and meets me at the door sometimes – he can’t hear and I don’t keep a regular schedule. Chaos would look to Finnegan to see what he should be doing. We’ll look that this in greater detail later in this article. Bluekreek Australian Shepherds. Our fenced back yard is her favorite place so far. With some double merle dogs, who are born with microphthalmia, the entire globe of the eyeball is abnormally small. Males generally are taller and heavier than females. Similarly, some double merles can present outwardly as healthy, heterozygous merles. Moon Valley Australian Shepherds. Well, that’s not proven, but perhaps these dogs have more of a tendency to jumpiness because of their impaired sight and hearing. It’s a lot of work, but I can’t wait to see how far she can go! Finnegan was the ears for Chaos. With Finnegan, we could tell her it was alright and she would communicate to Chaos. 5. aussietraders.com.au . We once left a dinner in the oven cooking while we canvassed the neighbourhood for an hour for heart and stroke, only to arrive home to have the casserole dish on the floor and the oven door wide open. Merle Australian Shepherd Health Defects A prevalent health problem that affects the Australian Shepherd is thyroid disease. A good example of this would be the colors sable and yellow. But she has achieved so much already. Luckily, an employee of the store knew I was a good fit for him. Check out this video to see why! Also, areas that you would expect to be dark such as eye rims and noses are instead pink or pink-spotted. A double coat is evolved to give the dog protection against the elements. my australian shepherd was white when it was born but now it has really faint tan spots. Although these dogs appear beautiful with their arctic-white coats and friendly, outgoing personalities, they are not the same as regular Australian Shepherds. There is currently no research to suggest that any of these Australian Shepherd colors have a direct affect on behavior, and we’ll talk more in depth about this later. Without these cells, this interpretation doesn’t happen correctly, and the dog is therefore deaf. To protect new generations of Aussies, responsible breeders do not mate two dogs who both have merle coloring. Today, the Australian Shepherd’s work is not limited to herding on farms! 4.5 out of 5 stars 35. Pigment cells in the inner ear are crucial because they help to translate the sounds received by the ear into electrical impulses that are then interpreted by the dog’s brain. We are so glad we rescued this dog before she was sent to a shelter. Filter Dog Ads Search. Sort. Merle is the patch-work coloring (black and grey or liver and buff) most associated with the breed. Dog Trainer. Ingleburn, New South Wales. That means that their coats have large areas of white. These are pretty colors, but the AKC does not recognize them in its breed standard. See more ideas about aussie dogs, australian shepherd puppies, favorite places. The Miniature Australian Shepherd was developed directly from the Australian Shepherd. ... White; White Australian Shepherds for Sale White Australian Shepherds . And, of course, as much-loved family pets! In some cases, the retina of the eye is abnormal, or the optic nerve has not developed correctly. Add to Likebox #41853949 - Australian shepherd puppy and scottish cat lying on green grass. Deafness in double merles is usually caused by a lack of color pigment cells in the dog’s inner ear. With a gorgeous mottled coat and a steady friendly temperament, the Australian Shepherd is ideal for all households and makes a wonderful family dog. In 1968, the breeder Doris Cordova from California started breeding very small Australian Shepherds. Double merle Aussies often present with depigmented coats. They are about 18 to 23 inches in height, and weigh from about 40 to 60 pounds (18 to 27 kilograms). Their white arises from genes that give many breeds of dog white markings. If you are interested in adopting an Australian Shepherd puppy, make sure you are purchasing from a responsible breeder who knows the dangers of double merle. The white Australian Shepherd has the same double coat as a regular Aussie. However, just because a color isn’t standard doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. She loves walks and is beginning to learn not to pull so hard and how to stay beside me. Does the dog in your life have a cat in theirs? They can even have “split” eyes, in which half the eye is one color and the other half is a different color! We were looking for a companion for our hearing and seeing brown and tan beautiful aussie (Finnegan) who was a gift of a dog. Our little girl had already been in 3 homes. He is a loyal companion and has the stamina to work all day. They don’t look like your typical Aussie, but this color combination has been increasing in popularity over the last few years. We always know when we enter our house, whether Chaos has been into something he shouldn’t have, he goes in the bathroom and closes the door. Some Australian Shepherds came to the U.S. with early Australian migrants where they quickly became the dog of choice for ranchers who used them for herding sheep and other livestock. Another thing we have learned, if we leave dirty dishes on the counter or sink, he manages to take them into our livingroom without breaking anything and lines them up. Now we have a hand signal that he checks for and that does help to stop the barking protection, i.e., mailman. Pet Service. It’s hard to say. Also, an Aussie with poor sight and hearing may be more prone to being nervous and stressed, so would not do well in a family with noisy children or other pets. black; red; blue merle; red merle. This became quite a habit until we figured out how to lock the freezer. Local Business. He is housebroken. 99. This means they need proper mental and physical stimulation or they may get bored and make their own fun (which may not be so fun for you!). Actually not from Australia, as one might rationally conclude, these pups grew in popularity as herding dogs because of their high energy levels and impressive intellect. So, are double merle, white Australian Shepherds more prone to stress or nervousness? Our thoughts were that this little white guy would be nurtured by Finnegan and be taught the habits of the older dog without creating a dominating fight in the house. We have recently adopted a white double Merle we have named Foxy. He now sleeps touching one of us – sleeping on our foot or something. All white Australian Shepherds are usually produced when two merle-colored dogs are mated together. Finnegan must have coached him to then go to the pantry – so they feasted on boxes of cereals, noodles, etc. 120-124. Are you thinking of adopting a white Australian Shepherd? The shepherds sing; and shall I silent be? We got children’s locks and locked up the pantry. The risk of accidentally breeding from two dogs who both carry the merle gene and producing sick puppies is very high. He would open the drawer freezer and bring the food out into the livingroom and line it up. When a puppy inherits two copies of the gene for merle, it will usually have a lot … During the last few months of Finnegan’s life (she passed from a brain cancer), Chaos religiously scrounged for food and brought it to her in our livingroom. Australian shepherds are medium-sized dogs with a solid build and low center of gravity. When it was discovered that he was deaf, the store couldn’t sell him. Rorem, Linda. The breed is extremely agile, intelligent, loyal and hard-working. The markings are tan points, white markings, and white markings with tan points. These genes can cause everything from no white, like a Dachshund, to almost all white, like some Fox Terriers. Fortunately, someone noticed right away and we saw him. The inner ear pigment cells are very important because they help translate sounds into electrical impulses that are then sent to and read by the brain. Some dogs with this condition have even had to have one or both of their eyeballs removed. 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