Colour Guide
Solid Colours:
The most common border collie colour is Black and White. Black is a dominant gene, so only one parent needs to carry this gene for the colour to be passed on to pups.
Chocolate and White is the other solid colour which border collies may show. The shades of chocolate can vary greatly from dark brown to a reddish brown. Chocolate is a recessive gene so two copies of the gene must be present in a dogs genetic makeup in order for it to be chocolate. Both parents must carry the gene in order for chocolate puppies to be produced. If you mate two chocolates, all pups will be chocolate.
Dilute Colours:
The dilution gene is a recessive gene and acts by slightly altering the shape of the pigment containing cells in the hair follicles, and therefore affecting the pigment granules. When the dilution gene acts on Black, it produces a Blue and White border collie. When it acts on Chocolate, it produces Lilac and White Border Collies.
Merles:
The merle gene also acts on the pigment, causing various shades of colour dilution which produces the patchy colour appearance. When the merle gene acts on Black and White dogs, it produces a Blue Merle coat; on Chocolate it produces a Chocolate Merle coat; on Blue it produces a Slate Merle and on Lilac a Lilac Merle.
The Merle gene is a dominant gene, so only one copy of the gene is required for a dog to appear as a merle. The merle gene cannot be carried – only merle parents can pass on the gene. It cannot skip generations.
Two merle dogs should NEVER be mated together. There are many health issues associated with the genetic combination of two merle genes, often referred to as Double Merles. Double Merles are usually mainly white with very little colouring and usually have small eyes. These dogs can suffer deafness, poor eyesight and malformation of the eyes and infertility due to this genetic makeup.
Extension:
Red and White border collies, also known as Australian Red and White or ee Reds, are produced by the effects of the extension gene. As it says, the gene controls the extension of the two pigments in the hair follicles. The red colour is produced from a recessive gene which prevents the extension of the pigment eumelanin, thus making the dog red instead of Black or Brown. Two copies of the gene are needed for the dog to be red. What is interesting about this gene is that it masks the dogs ‘real’ colour. This means you can have a black, chocolate, blue, lilac or merle dog that appears red because of the lack of eumelanin in the hair follicles.
The hidden danger is the merle gene is not expressed on a red dog. Red and merle dogs should not be mated to prevent the chance of producing double merles. If two red dogs are mated, they will only produce red pups.
Tricolours:
Tricoloured dogs have tan points on their cheeks, eyebrows, legs and underneath their tail. The tricolour gene is recessive, so two copies of the gene must be present to produce tricolours. If you mate two tricolours, you will only produce tricolours. The tricolour gene can act in combination with the Solid, Diluted or Merle colours above, producing Black Tricolour, Chocolate Tricolour, Blue Tricolour, Lilac Tricolour, Slate Tricolour, Blue Tricolour Merle, Lilac Tricolour Merle and Slate Tricolour Merle.
Sable and White
Each hair in a Sable and White dog is more than one colour or shade. Usually black at the root and a light sandy brown at the tip. As with the ee Red dogs, the merle and tricolour genes cannot be fully expressed on the sable coat, so it is not wise to mate a sable with a merle as you may produce phantom merles. The sable pattern can act on the black, chocolate, blue or lilac base colours.
This is not an exhaustive list of possible colours and coat patterns in border collies, but it covers the majority.
