Australian Kelpie Coat Colors

Red

with and without tan points

This coloration is referred to as "Red". Technically -- genetically, this is incorrect. This color is brown, that has been lightened to liver or chocolate color. It is the homozygous recessive allele "bb". If in fact it was a true red, then the allele would be "ee".

Since, it is known universally as "Red" --- I will refer to the chocolate color as "Red".

Genes that code for color can easily be manipuled by the breeder to achieve a certain color, or breed a certain color out of the bloodline. The reason this is important, is due to the fact that sometimes when a recessive ("bb") is bred to a dilute ("dd") --- some of the resulting offspring could be affected with a skin condition called Alopecia. This skin condition is normally found in the fawn and blue colors.

In order to produce this lightened brown color, one of the parents must be the chocolate color or both parents must be a carrier of the gene. They could both be black (with or without tan points) and if they are both carrying the recessive form of the "B" gene, then they can produce the red color (lightened brown).

It is not advisable to breed "bb" to "bb" (red to red) if one or both parents are also carrying the "dd" or dilute gene, because the resulting offspring produced could be "bbdd" --- which is the fawn color. If the fawn color is something that is wanted, then it's *safer* to breed two black's, that are carrying the "d" and "b" gene, together. Or breed a black (that is carrying the dilution gene) and red together. Your chances of producing a fawn colored offspring that has a better coat (does not have Alopecia) is much higher.

Click on pictures or arrows below to see enlargement and description. 7 photographs.

COLOR COMPARISON | MIS-MARKED | WHAT THE HECK IS THIS COLOR?