Top Texas Aussies

 

Yesterday I received a call from someone about puppies. He was a little surprised at how hard it had been to locate a Blue Merle. I never thought about telling people either on my web page or in conversation about how the "numbers" work in breeding for merles. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office">

So here it goes... When breeding Aussies you can only get merles if you breed a solid (i.e.: red or black tri/bi color) to a red or blue merle. If you breed a solid to a solid you will get only solid color puppies. If you breed merle to merle (which is a major no, no and something you absolutely never, ever should do!!) you would get merles but, you would also get lethal whites and some other genetic mutations.

When breeding a merle Aussie to a red or black Aussie you can expect on average (this is from personal experience) 25% merle puppies and 75% solid puppies. So for every 4 pups, 1 would be a merle and the other 3 would be solid. Now sometimes those averages are bigger one way or the other but for us it seems to be the most common numbers. Now whether they are blue merles or red merles I can't tell you. It really depends on if the dogs are more blue factored or red factored.

Now for eyes. They can come in different colors. Predominantly black tri or bi colored dogs have the most amazing liquid brown eyes. Usually pretty dark ones at that. The red tri/bi colors can have brown, amber or sometimes green eyes. Red Merles can have amber, green, blue or brown eyes, a combination of two colors or a partial blue and other colored eye. Our Clementine has a part blue eye part brown eye. They look very interesting. The blue merles I have had usually have brown, blue a combination of brown and blue or the part blue part brown eye. One of our male merles (Bandit) has a full blue eye and a half blue half brown eye. It's a very striking color combination on his face which has tan points on it.

About sexes of puppies. All I can tell you is that like in people that is determined from the sire (father). Litter to litter it can vary hugely but it seems to average out to about 50% 50% over time. That is the best I can do with that one.