Piebald colored puppies? Unique, but not breed standard for Australian Shepherds.

DNA testing is required in order to determine if an excessively white puppy in a merle breed is piebald or double merle. All of our parent dogs are DNA tested and that is how we know our puppies color lineage. Piebald is rare because both parents must carry the recessive piebald gene in order for their puppies to physically display this coat pattern. Many of our dogs carry this recessive gene and it might pop up as a single puppy here and there. However, Mollie's most recent Aussie litter has 4 of these babies! The most we've ever had in a litter!

Piebald refers to a coat pattern characterized by irregular patches of two colors, commonly dark and white. In Australian Shepherds, this pattern typically features over 25% white in relation to the overall body coloration. The distinctive white splashes often seen on the face, neck, head, and legs of Aussies result from a specific combination of genetic factors, not just piepald. In Aussies, piebald is primarily seen as predominantly white bodies with splashes of intermittent solid or merle colors. Learn more about basic Australian Shepherd colors here:

https://asca.org/aussies/about-aussies/health-and-genetics/color-coat/

When breeding merle colored dogs, it is ALWAYS imperative to NOT EVER breed TWO MERLE colored dogs together. Here is why: A double merle is used to describe any dog that comes from breeding two merle-patterned dogs. These resulting puppies are highly likely to have more then 1/2 their body, if not their entire body, full of white (missing pigment) along with a high risk of vision and hearing impairments (deafness/blindness). This is due to the lack of pigment in/around the eyes and inner ears.

The stunning and distinctive merle pattern found in dogs results from incomplete color genes, specifically black or red, in Australian Shepherds. This beautiful merle coloration in puppies comes from absent DNA sequences, which can lead to potential health issues. In particular, if there is 0% pigment around the inner ear and eye areas, as may be present in double merle puppies, it can have a negative impact their hearing or vision. Understanding these genetic factors is crucial for responsible breeding practices.

It's important to note that there is no definitive way to predict the specific deficits that a puppy with piebald or double merle coloration, characterized by significant white pigment, may display. Each puppy is distinct and should be carefully observed during the first few weeks of life. Any potential effects resulting from this genetic trait will be present from birth. Otherwise, the presence of white pigmentation itself does not have an impact on the overall health or longevity of these puppies compared to others in their litter.

These Mollie puppies are georgous standard sized Aussies. Parents are health tested: Mom is a classic black tri (no merle gene at all) and Dad is a classic Blue Merle. In this case, they are both recessive carriers of Piebald. We are not expecting any significant hearing or vision issues; however, we will know by week 4 if they are affected in any way by the extra white on their bodies.

I hope this information has been helpful, especially if you are considering the adoption of a piebald puppy! Learn more about excessive white and the S-Locus gene, where the piebald comes from, at this site: https://coatsandcolors.com/s-locus-white-spotting-piebald/