Breed a healthier Aussie litter by testing the DNA first, pairing colors safely, then finding a fully health-tested match on Petmeetly.
Australian Shepherd
Australian Shepherd mix
Australian Shepherd
Australian Shepherd
Australian Shepherd mix
Australian Shepherd
Australian Shepherd
Australian Shepherd
With Aussies, two DNA results decide more than anything else: the MDR1 drug-sensitivity gene and whether each dog is a merle (carries the marbled-coat gene). Start there. These four steps are the heart of responsible dog breeding.
Run the MDR1 drug-sensitivity test and the breed panel for eye and spinal-cord diseases. The results shape both safe pairings and safe vet care.
Get OFA hip and elbow x-rays once the dog is fully grown at 24 months, plus a yearly eye exam by a veterinary ophthalmologist.
Never breed two merles together, never breed two natural bobtails together, breed MDR1 carriers to clear mates, and keep shared ancestry low.
Agree a written stud contract, budget for whelping, and line up homes before the mating, not after the puppies arrive.
Short answer
They are one breed in two types. Working or herding lines are leaner and very high-drive, bred to move livestock all day. Show or conformation lines are bred to the written standard, often with a fuller coat. Whichever you choose, the health testing is identical.
The two types have drifted into nearly separate groups, so be honest with buyers about which one a litter comes from. A working pup placed in a quiet pet home, with no job to do, is the classic recipe for a destructive, frustrated dog. The breed standard and the breed clubs (the AKC, the Australian Shepherd Club of America, and the United States Australian Shepherd Association) describe the same core dog either way. It is bright, athletic, and devoted, with strong herding instinct, per the American Kennel Club breed standard.
Short answer
Hips, elbows, and a yearly eye exam are the core CHIC tests, plus DNA. Every breeding Aussie should have the MDR1 drug-sensitivity test and the breed DNA panel for eye and spinal-cord diseases. CHIC asks that results be public, not that every result is perfect.
CHIC stands for the Canine Health Information Center, a shared database run with the OFA (the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals). A dog earns a CHIC number when its owner completes the breed’s tests and posts the results publicly, even the imperfect ones, per the OFA CHIC program. The breed’s herding and genetics body, the Australian Shepherd Health and Genetics Institute (ASHGI), publishes recommended testing beyond the CHIC minimum, per ASHGI.
Run the full task list before the heat cycle starts. Our pre-breeding checklist walks through the timing steps that sit alongside these clearances.
Short answer
MDR1 (a change in the ABCB1 gene) breaks the pump that keeps certain drugs out of the brain. About half of all Australian Shepherds carry at least one copy. The fix is not to stop breeding carriers, which would gut the gene pool. It is to test every dog, breed carriers to clear mates, and tell your vet so dosing is safe.
The MDR1 gene normally makes a protein that pumps drugs back out of the brain. When the gene is broken, drugs build up in the nervous system and can cause tremors, seizures, or worse, per Washington State University.
The danger is drug-specific. High doses of some dewormers (ivermectin, milbemycin), the anti-diarrhea drug loperamide (Imodium), and a few chemotherapy and sedation drugs are the main risks. Heartworm-prevention doses are safe; the problem is the much higher doses used for other treatments, per Washington State University.
Washington State University, the lab that found the mutation, offers a simple cheek-swab test and dosing guidance. The breed body ASHGI calls trying to remove every carrier "short-sighted and even dangerous," because you cannot drop half the breed, per ASHGI.
The practical rule for breeders is simple. Test both dogs. You can safely breed a carrier to a clear dog. Favor clear puppies over the generations, and put each dog’s MDR1 status in writing for every buyer’s vet.
Short answer
No. Merle is the marbled coat pattern, and it is caused by a dominant gene. Breed two merles together and about a quarter of the puppies inherit two copies, called double merle. Double-merle Aussies are often deaf, blind, or both. This is the clearest rule in Aussie breeding: never pair two merles.
Why merle to merle is the line you never cross
The numbers make the case. The AKC reports that about 56 percent of double-merle Australian Shepherds are deaf in both ears, while a single merle has under a 1 percent chance of being bilaterally deaf, per the American Kennel Club. Double merles also carry serious eye defects, including abnormally small eyes (microphthalmia) and missing pieces of eye tissue (colobomas), per ASHGI.
The reason is pigment. Merle removes pigment in patches, and the cells that make pigment are the same ones the inner ear and developing eye need to form correctly, per ASHGI.
There is a trap called cryptic merle. A dog can carry the merle gene but look almost solid, so two "non-merle-looking" dogs can still produce double merles, per ASHGI. A merle DNA test catches it. Test before you pair, and you remove the guesswork.
Short answer
The breed DNA panel covers four big ones: Collie Eye Anomaly and progressive retinal atrophy (both can blind a dog), hereditary cataract, and degenerative myelopathy (a late-life spinal-cord disease). Epilepsy, thyroid disease, and cancer also run in the breed and belong in your planning.
An inherited eye malformation that ranges from mild to blinding. It is recessive, so two carriers can produce affected pups; a DNA test and an eye exam both help.
The retina slowly breaks down, starting with night blindness and ending in total blindness. The common prcd form has a clear DNA test.
A clouding of the lens that can affect vision. The HSF4 DNA test flags raised risk, but it is only a risk marker, so it does not replace the yearly eye exam.
A late-life disease that slowly weakens the back legs. The SOD1 DNA test reports an at-risk result, not a certainty, since not every at-risk dog develops it.
Epilepsy (seizures) is considered inherited in the breed and can run a hard course, but it has no DNA test, so weigh family history, per Weissl et al.. Autoimmune thyroid disease is the breed’s most common immune problem, and a thyroid panel screens for it, per the OFA. Cancer, led by hemangiosarcoma (a blood-vessel cancer) and lymphoma (a lymph-system cancer), is the leading cause of death, so factor longevity into which dogs you choose, per ASHGI.
Short answer
No. The natural bobtail (a short or absent tail from birth) comes from a dominant gene. Breed two bobtails together and the puppies that inherit two copies usually die before birth, with serious spine defects. So one parent in a bobtail litter must have a full tail.
The bobtail trait comes from a change in the T-box gene, and a single copy gives the short tail. Two copies are lethal in the womb, causing spinal defects like spina bifida, so those pups are lost, per Hytonen et al..
The practical effect is fewer puppies and real welfare risk if you pair two bobtails. About one in five Aussies is born naturally bobtailed, so this pairing comes up often. A DNA test confirms which dogs carry it, per UC Davis VGL.
Short answer
Wait until the dog is fully grown and fully cleared. OFA certifies hips and elbows at 24 months, so a first litter usually comes after age 2. DNA tests can be run at any age, but the x-ray and eye clearances are the gate.
After OFA hip and elbow certificates at 24 months.
A yearly CAER exam; some eye diseases appear with age.
A female should finish hips, elbows, eyes, MDR1, and the DNA panel before a first litter. Hip and elbow x-rays are only reliable for an OFA certificate once growth is done at 24 months, per the OFA. The yearly eye exam matters because some inherited eye diseases appear later in life, so one clear exam at 2 years is not a lifetime pass, per the OFA.
Short answer
Match for clean clearances first, then for genetic safety. Never pair two merles and never pair two natural bobtails. Breed MDR1 and disease-gene carriers to clear mates so no puppy inherits two bad copies. Keep shared ancestry low to protect the breed’s gene pool.
The Aussie gene pool is smaller than its popularity suggests, so diversity-minded pairings matter for long-term health. A low coefficient of inbreeding (COI, a number for how related two dogs are) is the tie-breaker once both dogs are fully tested. Confirm the other dog’s results yourself rather than taking a word for it. For the wider workflow, our ethical breeding step by step guide covers what a sound pairing looks like start to finish.
5 questions to ask the other owner
Short answer
There are four recognized colors, each with or without white and copper trim: black, red (liver), blue merle, and red merle. Merle is the marbled pattern on the blue and red merles. Eye color varies widely, and two different-colored eyes (heterochromia) is normal and allowed.
Australian Shepherd color palette
Black and red are the solid base colors. Blue merle is a marbled grey-and-black coat, and red merle is marbled red-and-cream, both produced by the merle gene. White is only allowed as trim. A large white patch on the body is a fault. A mostly white coat usually points to a double-merle pairing that should not have happened, per the American Kennel Club breed standard. Knowing each dog’s color genes before you pair them tells you what the litter can produce and what to avoid.
Temperament is part of breed type, not a bonus. The standard describes the Aussie as intelligent, active, and even-tempered, devoted to its family but sometimes reserved with strangers, per the American Kennel Club breed standard. It also says any display of shyness, fear, or aggression must be severely penalized, which is exactly what a breeder should screen for. Pick breeding dogs with stable, confident nerves, and breed away from fearfulness, noise sensitivity, or uncontrolled herding nips. This is a high-energy working breed, so be honest with buyers that an Aussie needs daily exercise and a job to stay happy.
Short answer
Pregnancy runs about 63 days, and a typical Aussie litter is 6 to 7 puppies. Keep the dam (the mother dog) on her normal adult food for the first month. Switch to a calorie-dense puppy diet through late pregnancy and nursing. Have your vet confirm the litter size with an x-ray near the end. Aussies are medium dogs and usually free-whelp without trouble.
Feeding plan by pregnancy stage
No calorie increase yet.
Energy needs climb as the puppies grow.
A nursing dam may eat two to three times her normal amount.
Have a vet on call for whelping
Aussies rarely have birth trouble, but have a vet on call. A late x-ray gives you the puppy count, so you know when whelping (giving birth) is finished. Call your vet right away for any of these: hard straining over 30 minutes with no puppy, green discharge before the first puppy, or a dam who seems weak or shaky. These litter and gestation figures are general dog-care guidance, not Aussie-specific promises. Treat them as typical, not guaranteed.
Short answer
Expect roughly $2,000 to $5,000 up front before the first mating, mostly DNA and health testing, the stud fee, and progesterone timing (a hormone test that pinpoints the fertile window). Then plan another $1,500 to $3,500 for prenatal care, whelping, and the litter’s first shots and deworming. The revenue below can look large, but a hard birth or a sick puppy erases the margin fast.
Estimated cost of an Australian Shepherd litter
Ranges are typical US pricing for a first litter, which carries the one-time testing cost. Budget against the litter, not the individual puppy. A typical Aussie litter is 6 to 7 puppies.
What can the puppies sell for?
Market range only, not a Petmeetly endorsement. Puppies from untested parents, or from a careless merle-to-merle pairing, sell for far less and carry real health risk for the buyer.
These cost and price ranges come from owners, breed sources, and the AKC Marketplace. That is the softest evidence on this page, so treat the numbers as ballpark, per AKC Marketplace.
Total the numbers for your own pairing first. Our breeding cost and due-date calculator adds up testing, the stud fee, and the C-section cushion in one place.
Short answer
A written stud agreement spells out the fee, what happens if the female does not conceive, who pays vet costs, and how puppies or pick-of-litter are handled. Putting it on paper before the mating prevents the disputes that sour most first-time breedings.
Clauses every Aussie stud contract should name
Many Aussies are born with a natural bobtail, and long-tailed pups have traditionally been docked short for the show ring. Docking is cosmetic, and the law on it varies. The United Kingdom bans it, and the herding-dog exemption does not cover Aussies. Australia has banned it nationwide since 2004. Most of the European Union restricts it, per the AVMA.
The United States has no federal ban, and docking is generally legal and common in a puppy’s first days. The American Veterinary Medical Association opposes docking done only for looks and supports removing it from breed standards, per the AVMA.
For a breeder, this is a choice to make on purpose. A natural full tail is legal everywhere and meets the standard in countries where docking is banned. If you dock where it is legal, be honest with buyers about the welfare debate.
The core CHIC tests are hips, elbows, and a yearly eye exam by a veterinary ophthalmologist. On top of those, every breeding Aussie should have the MDR1 drug-sensitivity DNA test and the breed DNA panel for eye and spinal-cord diseases. CHIC asks that the results be public, not that every result is perfect.
MDR1 is a gene change that lets certain drugs build up in the brain, and about half of all Aussies carry at least one copy. You can breed a carrier safely by pairing it with a dog that tests clear. Removing every carrier would gut the breed, so the goal is testing and smart pairing, not culling.
Merle is a dominant coat-pattern gene, and pairing two merles means about a quarter of the puppies inherit two copies, called double merle. Double-merle Aussies have very high rates of deafness and blinding eye defects. This is the clearest rule in Aussie breeding: never pair two merles.
A double merle inherits two copies of the merle gene, usually from a merle-to-merle pairing, and is mostly white. The AKC reports that about 56 percent of double-merle Aussies are deaf in both ears, against under 1 percent of single merles. They also have a high rate of eye defects, including abnormally small eyes.
There are four recognized colors, each with or without white and copper trim: black, red (liver), blue merle, and red merle. Eye color varies widely, and two different-colored eyes is normal. Predominantly white usually points to a merle-to-merle pairing and is not a recognized color.
No. The natural bobtail comes from a dominant gene, and puppies that inherit two copies usually die before birth with spinal defects. So at least one parent in a bobtail litter must have a full tail. A DNA test confirms which dogs carry the bobtail gene.
Wait until the dog is fully grown and fully cleared. The OFA certifies hips and elbows at 24 months, so a first litter usually comes after age 2. DNA tests can be run at any age, but the x-ray and eye clearances are the gate.
A typical Aussie litter is about 6 to 7 puppies, and pregnancy lasts roughly 63 days. Aussies are medium-sized dogs and usually whelp without trouble. A late-pregnancy x-ray confirms the puppy count so you know when whelping is finished.
Plan for roughly 3,000 to 8,500 dollars for a first litter before any puppy sells, covering DNA and health testing, the stud fee, progesterone timing, and whelping. A litter of 6 to 7 puppies can bring in 8,000 to 18,000 dollars at market prices. But an emergency C-section or a sick puppy can erase that margin fast.
No. Many Aussies are born with a natural bobtail, and a full natural tail is legal everywhere. Docking is cosmetic, banned in the United Kingdom and Australia, and the American Veterinary Medical Association opposes it when done only for looks.
They are the same breed in two types. Working or herding lines are leaner and very high-drive, bred to move livestock. Show or conformation lines are bred to the written standard and often carry a fuller coat. Both need the same health testing.
Australian Shepherds typically live 12 to 15 years, and one large 2024 dataset put their median life expectancy near 13.7 years. Cancer is the leading cause of death in the breed, so longevity in a dog’s close relatives is worth checking before you breed.
Sources
Real stories from dog owners who found perfect breeding matches on Petmeetly
Everything has been great! Thank you, Kevin. I’ll be meeting up with Olive from Petmeetly in October
Aarthy
Victoria, AU
We found a really sweet mate, and they spent around 3.5 days together.
Caroline
California, US
It was a perfect experience. Thank you!
Abhinav
Delhi, IN
More vetted material for owners planning an Australian Shepherd litter
When can you breed your dog? A vet-informed timing guide covering male and female age windows, 50-breed reference table, OFA CHIC health tests, and heat-cycle protocols.
Behavior kills more US dogs under 3 than disease does. The 8 to 16 week socialization window, the AVSAB-approved checklist, and how to handle an adopted dog.
100 female dog names organized by theme and breed, each with meaning and origin. Naming-science tips so your dog learns it fast. Trending picks for 2026.
Discover breeding guides for different dog breeds and find the perfect match for your breeding program
Find an Australian Shepherd breeding partner with clean DNA and health paperwork.
No card required to sign up.
