Blue Heeler<\/span><\/strong><\/td>

Red Heeler<\/span><\/strong><\/td><\/tr>

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Blue Heeler by Ellen Levy Finch<\/a> <\/em> (CC BY-SA 3.0)<\/a><\/td>

Red Heeler by Canarian<\/a> (CC BY-SA 3.0)<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Even the simple eye test of Blue Heeler vs Red Heeler reveals that there isn’t much differentiating the two apart from their color. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They’re both medium-sized dogs with an athletic and muscular build, broad heads, and distinctive powerful jaws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue Heeler Coat Colors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The base color of Blue Heeler’s coat is black. The white hairs are mingled throughout, creating a bluish appearance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dogs with more white hair will feature a lighter shade of blue and vice-versa. Those with less white hair will give out the impression of a darker blue color. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their blue coat can be speckled or mottled. The speckled coat is characterized by irregular stripes of white hair bursting through the black background of the coat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mottled blue coat features small darker spots, the size of a fingertip, against a lighter base color. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blue Heelers can also have evenly distributed black, blue, or tan markings. Some specimens have a black patch over one or both eyes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The forelegs and chest area can have rich tan markings.The Blue Heeler coloring also has a practical purpose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It makes them almost invisible at night, so they don’t frighten the livestock and have less of a chance of getting kicked by a spooked cow or some other cattle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, lighter color on the tail gives the owners an indication of their whereabouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red Heeler Coat Colors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Red Heeler’s coat features a reddish or ginger base, with white hairs distributed throughout the outer coat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just like with Blue Heelers, their base coat can be speckled or mottled with white hair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Depending on the distribution and frequency of lighter patches, Red Heelers’ color varies from deeper to lighter red. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes, they can have a patch of white hair on their forehead, commonly known as a “Bentley Star”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some dogs will have a stronger red mask over one or both eyes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Red Heelers’ coloring was useful to this breed as it prevented confusing these dogs to wild dingo\u2019s who have similar stature and getting mistakenly shot at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Color are Australian Cattle Dogs Born?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Red Heeler with a puppy whose color has not yet developed. by Mdk572<\/a> (CC BY-SA 3.0)<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
If you compare Blue Heeler vs Red Heeler at birth, you won’t see much difference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
All Australian Cattle Dogs are born covered in solid white fur with occasional dark patches on the back or around eyes and ears.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
These spots will usually be black with Blue Heelers and brown with their red cousins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s not until they reach around 4 weeks of age that they start to grow red or blue hairs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And, only after 8-12 weeks, these colors become predominant and you can get an idea of what will the grown dog look like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Determines the Color of Blue and Red Heelers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The color of grown Heelers depends on the genes they inherit from their parents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three types of genes are significant for future coloring: ticking, agouti, and spotting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ticking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ticking genes determine whether the puppies will grow to be red or blue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Agouti<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The agouti gene is responsible for the red and blue patches that usually appear on the face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spotting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
And, finally, the spotting gene influences the distribution of the white spots on the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mating two Blue Heelers will usually produce blue offspring. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, there are plenty of cases of two blue parents bringing a red puppy to the world due to the recessive genes hiding in the background. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Red Heelers can produce red offspring with a mate of any color. In some rare cases, mating a Blue and a Red Heeler will deliver a blue\/red mix. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, these are extremely infrequent, as are the Heelers with chocolate or fawn coat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These colors can only appear if both parents have that recessive gene in the background. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It can remain hidden and carried for generations before showing up and resulting in these unusual color variants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Breeds are Ancestors of Blue and Red Heelers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The development of Australian Cattle Dogs was a result of an effort to create a breed that would be capable of herding livestock over the long distances on the rough terrain of the Australian Outback. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Original breeders mixed British herding breeds with Dingo\u2019s to get all the traits crucial for a hardy herding dog. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There’s a lot of speculation on what exact breeds played part in the development of the modern Australian Cattle Dog. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to most sources, the original mix was between Dingo\u2019s and Blue Merle Highland Collie. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
That’s likely where Blue Heelers got their color from. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Later on, they were further mixed with the Australian Kelpie<\/a> which brought endurance and herding ability, Bull Terriers which made them more tenacious and aggressive, and Dalmatians whose genes are likely responsible for Heelers being born white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As you can see, Blue and Red Heelers are more or less the same dogs and share all of the key traits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the coat color being the only meaningful difference between the two, the choice mainly comes to a personal aesthetic preference. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both variants are sure to make a great addition to your home. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
No matter if you’re looking for a hard worker or a loving family friend, you can’t go wrong with either Blue or Red Heeler. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They are great playmates for kids<\/a> and are also more than up for any task you put in front of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For ages, they served as irreplaceable help on farms and ranches and were faithful and devoted companions<\/a> to their owners.<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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What Determines the Color of Blue and Red Heelers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe color of grown Heelers depends on the genes they inherit from their parents. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThree types of genes are significant for future coloring: ticking, agouti, and spotting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ticking<\/h3>\n\n\n\nTicking genes determine whether the puppies will grow to be red or blue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agouti<\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe agouti gene is responsible for the red and blue patches that usually appear on the face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Determines the Color of Blue and Red Heelers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The color of grown Heelers depends on the genes they inherit from their parents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three types of genes are significant for future coloring: ticking, agouti, and spotting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ticking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ticking genes determine whether the puppies will grow to be red or blue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agouti<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The agouti gene is responsible for the red and blue patches that usually appear on the face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n