Shetland Sheepdog Standard Colors

As stated in the standard: Black, blue merle, and sable (ranging from golden through mahogany); marked with varying amounts of white/and or tan.

Faults: Rustiness in a black or blue coat. Washed out or degenerate colors, such as pale sable and faded blue. Self-color in the case of the blue merle, that is, without any merling or mottling and generally appearing as a faded or dilute tri-color. Conspicuous white body spots. Specimens with more than 50% white shall be so severely penalized as to effectively eliminate them from competition.

Disqualification: Brindle

Read about the DNA behind colors here.

Sable

SABLE

Ranging from gold to mahogany with varying amounts of white.

Tri Color

TRI COLOR

Black with varying amounts of white and/or tan.

Blue Merle

BLUE MERLE

Grey and black with varying amounts of white and/or tan. The merling gene dilutes the basic black to a silver-gray, leaving patches of black in random areas, this is what is referred to as merling.

Bi-Blue

BI-BLUE

A bi-blue is the same as a blue merle except it has no tan markings.

Bi-Black

BI-BLACK

Black with varying amounts of white and no tan anywhere on the body.