Australian Shepherd

Coat

Solid: Black (35) Red (55) Brown (95)
Merle: Red or blue merle (strict). Minimal Harlequin Merle is also accepted.
Tan: Any of the above colours with or without Cream (45) Orange (65) Tan (105) markings in the traditional or creeping (minimal) pattern.
Masking: A mask is allowed (standard mask). The mask is Black (35) Red (55) Brown (95) and matches the pigment of the rest of the dog (black in black dogs, liver in livers).
White Markings: Any of the above markings may have White (15) as trim or in the irish spotting pattern.
White on the face must not predominate and/or completely surround the eyes.
White is not allowed to be present on the sides of the body, only as part of a collar or on the undersides.
White on the collar, chest and forelegs may extend backwards for the width of the dogs eyeball beyond the withers, and white on the undersides may extend upwards to a line drawn from the point of the elbow to a point the height of an eyeball above the tuck, all without fault.
White on the hindleg is subject to the usual Irish Spotting rules.
Substantial white within the green area is DQ. Small infringements into the green area are faulted to the degree to which they infringe.
White Diagram 1
In the diagram below, white may be present in the white areas, up until the green line. As mentioned above, white crossing the line is faulted based on how much white is present. As such, some of the dogs in the diagram would be faulted. The line on the hindleg is arbitrary - whether or not the legs, tail and head have colour is left to the Irish Spotting definition and the Aussie standard specifically discussing those parts.
The red dog shown provides an example of what the maximum unfaulted white extension might look like on a dog.
White Diagram 2
Ticking/Roaning: Slight ticking on the muzzle and/or legs is allowed.

Eyes

Brown (60-69/50-59/90-99) in blacks and blue merles.
Gold (120-129/100-109, 215) Copper (60-69) in livers and red merles.
Light Blue(152-158/171-172/175-179) and odd eyes are allowed without fault in all colours.

Nose

Black (35-39/244) in blacks and blue merles.
Liver (90-99/50-59/60-69/188-189/228) in livers and red merles.
Merles may have up to 25% Flesh (180-187/70-79/40-49/213) , but the less spots the better. More than 25% is faulted, more than 50% is DQed.
on any non-merle is DQ.

Faults

White slightly extending past the point it's allowed on the body. Refer to the diagrams.
25 - 50% flesh spots on a merle dog's nose. Incorrect nose/eye color.

Disqualifications

White sigfnificantly extending past the point it's allowed on the body. Refer to the diagrams.
White slightly extending past the point it's allowed on the body if completely surrounded by colour.
White surrounding the eyes.
More than 50% flesh nose on a merle dog.
Flesh nose on a black or liver dog.

Notes

Despite its name, this is an American breed. It does, however, have sheepdogs imported from Australia in its history, and is believed to be related to the Pyrenean Sheepdog, which it closely resembles, as well as other herders, like the Australian Cattle Dog. The Australian Shepherd, often known simply as the Aussie, is a good herder and watchdog, sometimes said to be better at herding cattle, rather than sheep. It was recognized by the AKC in 1993.

The Aussie should be a medium size breed, slightly rectangular, very agile and lively. The head should be substantional, the muzzle and skull should be the same length, the eyes with a lively expression. The ears are triangular and set high. The neck is of medium length, powerful and slightly arched. The chest is deep, the back strong and straight, with slight tuck up. The tail can be bobbed, docked or natural. Natural tails can be short or long. The coat is of medium length, straight or wavy, weather resistant and longer on the neck, where a thick ruff is fomed, on the backside of the legs and the underside of the body.