Thoughts on Australian Terrier Color

This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, July 2017 issue.

Thoughts on Australian Terrier Color

Congratulations to the Australian Terrier Club of America on its 50th Anniversary! We have come a long way in our status in the Terrier group and the breed deserves it. I should know, I acquired my first Aussie puppy in 1963 and have been a fan ever since. The breed has never disappointed me and we who own them know we have something special. Besides its personality, utility, hardiness and versatility, the Australian Terrier is a beautiful breed. Yes, beautiful and in this essay, I would like to offer some thoughts on one key aspect of type that is uniquely Aussie: its color. While some may not equate this quality with conformation, structure, temperament, it is clear that the Australian founders of the breed intended to produce a particular set of colors which are intrinsic to Aussie type and lend beauty to the overall appearance. I would like to share my thoughts about two books I have come across over the years which have informed some of my opinions and still keep me thinking, learning and analyzing even more.

The first, Mr. W. A. (Fred) Wheatland‘s book, The Australian Terrier and The Australian Silky Terrier, published in 1964, has been known to most of us for some time; the second book, discussed below, is a more recent acquisition for me, although I have known of it for a long time as well. Let’s quote from the Australian Standard as presented by Fred Wheatland in his book. Standard from 1896: Colour • Blue or grey body, tan on legs and face, richer the better, topknot blue or silver • Clear Sandy or Red Standard from 1974: Colour • Blue or Blue-black or grey • black with tan on face and legs, the richer the better • Sandy or clear red. Smuttiness or dark shading undesirable. Standard from 1962, by the National Kennel Council of Australia: Colour • Blue, steel blue or dark greyblue with rich tan not sandy on face, ears, underbody, lower legs and feet and around the vent (puppies excepted) The richer the colour and more clearly defined, the better. Topknot blue, silver or a lighter shade than the head colour. • Clear sandy or red, smuttiness or dark shadings undesirable.

Topknot a lighter shade. The book further cautions against allowing the tan to “creep up the legs into the shoulder or the blue portion of the back coat in the Blue-Tan, cautions against white on chest and body, and urges that Reds and Sandies be clear and defined. Mr. Wheatland was strongly opposed to breeding Blue-Tans to Reds or Sandies, mirroring the conventional wisdom of many of his time. While I have always felt this caution may not have been warranted, we really don’t know as much about the inheritance of Aussie coat color as I would like. We all know that the gene for red/sandy is dominant and the blue-tan is recessive. So red/sandy can produce only red/sandy if neither or only one carries the recessive blue-tan gene. Red/sandy can produce blue-tans when bred to red/sandy, if they both have the recessive blue-tan gene or when bred to blue-tans. Blue-tans bred to blue- tans, both recessives, only produce blue-tans. The next book I wish to discuss tells us we have a lot more we could learn. The answers are not necessarily contained in this book, but this book has provided a whole meal of food for thought for me. This new thought process started for me a few years ago when I acquired my copy of The Inheritance of Coat Color in Dogs, by Clarence C. Little first published in 1957. This discussion is presented in my laymen’s way of understanding, but I found it so interesting in light of the distinct colors the Australian Terrier has that I wanted to share it as well as I could. Mr. Little tells us that dogs have two major types of pigment in their coats: dark (black or brown) and yellow; all the colors are formed by genes which control the amount, extent, patterns and combinations.

The optical effects produced in the various breeds may be produced by the same or different combinations of genes and may be very similar genetically or very different. He tells us, as a basic primer, that genes are located in linear order in chromosomes and that genes occupying the same site (locus) in a chromosome are called alleles of one another. The main focus of the book is the discussion of the ten (10) genes for coat color and a detailed description of each series of alleles.

They are as follows: 1. The A series – These alleles govern amounts and location of Black/brown pigment and tan/yellow together on the hair and the coat as a whole. • -As – Dark (black or brown) overall as in a Newfoundland • -Ay – Creates clear sable or tan by restricting the dark, as in the Basenji or Irish Terrier • -At – Creates black and tan, liver and tan, etc. Described as Tan-Points, as in the Welsh Terrier or Doberman. • -A possible 4th, Aw – would produce an agouti or “wild color”, i.e. banded hairs, as in the Norwegian Elkhound or the Schnauzers. A possible fifth is the as allele which is a saddle pattern. Puppies are born darker overall in this pattern and then to the saddle pattern, as in the Airedale or Welsh Terrier. This series appears to describe the production and appearance of the Aussie coat, both in the Blue-tan and the sandy/red, based on some of the breeds Mr. Little studied and mapped out, such as the Airedale, Welsh, Norwich, Irish and Yorkshire Terriers. 2. The B – b pair: B produces black and b reduces the pigment and produces liver or chocolate. 3. The C series: C controls the full depth of pigmentation as observed in golden brindles, dark tans or reds, or deep blacks or livers.

The c ch is called chinchilla and reduces red-yellow so that the black or dark pigment is most obvious and the light background much less intense, as in the Norwegian Elkhound. There are other possible alleles in this series which can create albinism or extreme dilution. 4. The D – d pair: the D creates the intensely pigmented dogs and the d causes Blue dilution. Most breeds are D, intensely pigmented. The d gene called the Maltese (as in a cat) or blue dilution creates blue in many shorthaired breeds such as blue Great Danes or Dobermans, as well as blue Chows or Poodles. 5. The E series:The black mask is created by Em. The next member E allows the dark (black or brown) pigment evenly over the coat. The bottom member e leaves clear and evenly distributed red or yellow (no dark pigment) such as in Irish Setters or orange Pomeranians. There is also an e br (brindle) which in the presence of ay (clear sable or tan) or at (bicolor varieties) produces brindle dogs, with bands of dark pigment on tan or yellow, such as in Scotties, Boxers, Irish Wolfhounds. This series is interesting in its interaction with the A series as described above.

Another concept worthy of additional analysis is that breeds that are somewhat similar in color may be a product of completely different combinations of genes creating that color. 6. The G-g pair: The G gene is partly dominant and changes a uniformly dark puppy toward grayness or a paler shade, and is found in Kerry Blues, Yorkies and Poodles. Dogs that are gg do not lighten. This pair is different from d which creates blue Danes or Weimaraners. 7. The M-m pair: The M gene creates merle or dapple, with lighter or blue eye pigment and can create deformities. 8. The P-p pair: Most dogs are P but in pp animals, the dark is greatly reduced, called “pink-eyed dilution” leaving pale blue or light yellow fawn and is very rare. 9. The S series: The S creates a solid color, with little or no white markings (perhaps a spot on the toes or chest.) The next in the series is s i, known as Irish spotting as in the Basenji or Boston Terrier.

The sp creates piebald spotting as in the Beagle. The series continues to the sw allele which is extreme piebald as in the Bull Terrier or Sealyham Terrier, mostly white with perhaps a spot on the face, ears or tail. 10. The T-t pair: The dominant T gene creates white flecks or ticking. There is some discussion of a possible separate locus R for Roan, a mixture of colored and white hair. When thinking about these series and pairs of genes in relation to Australian Terriers, I feel that I, for one, have a lot more to learn and consider in breeding Aussies, when trying to breed for correct color in addition to all the other attributes required by the Standard. But one of the most enjoyable aspects of dog breeding is continuing to study and learn, no matter how many years of experience you may have. The Australian Terrier is well worth this effort and I hope to spend many more years enjoying our wonderful breed.