Shetland Sheepdog coat colors Trivia Quiz

Answer: sable

On most breeds the dominant color is black, but not in the case of the Sheltie.

Answer: brindle

It is DQ'd from being shown because having a brindle Sheltie means (or used to mean) that the bloodline was impure because the brindle Sheltie was a descendant of a terrier.

Answer: Yes

If you go to the Swedish Shetland Sheepdog homepage, it mentions that there was once a black and tan Sheltie.

Answer: Sable Merle

Many sable merles look like regular sable and whites, but some look like muddy or washed out sable and whites, which can be penalized.

Answer: Sable merle

The bi black merle would be the same as a bi blue merle, which is a dog with gray, white & black and no tan. The blue merle has tan, while the sable merle is a sable dog with the merling gene.

Answer: harlequin

You can get a double merle by breeding two merles (sable or blue) together. Although, that is highly not recommended because the puppies can have many defects. (Ie. blind, deaf)

Answer: Yes

If a sable and white is bred to a bi-black, then the resulting puppies will all be bi factored sable and whites, meaning they can carry and pass on the bi gene.

Answer: Yes

Since each of those genes are separate, they can all be passed on and displayed (except for the bi gene). Since the bi gene is recessive, for it to be shown, the dog would have been a bi-blue or a bi-black instead of a sable and white merle (since the bi gene removes the color sable).

Answer: Sheltie that will or can produce color headed whites, and extreme white on puppies.

If you breed a white factored dog to another white factored dog, the result could be white puppies. The best way to identify a white factored sheltie is to see how much white it has. Generally, if the sheltie has a large white ruff, white stifles, and white on its belly, it is white factored.

Answer: Yes

The blue merle is a tri-color with a merling gene. This is inherited through the merle parent. When the merling gene is present, the tri-color has gray and black instead of solid black. The white and tan markings remain the same, as the merling gene affects just the black.