They are thrown away and even killed for being born with disabilities. A
double merle
is created when two
merle dogs
are bred together. It doesn’t matter what color merle or what breed they are If two merle dogs are bred together, each puppy in the litter has a 25% chance of being born a double merle.
Can you breed a red merle and a
blue merle australian shepherd
?
A breeder should be well aware of how dangerous merle dogs can be and how to do pretty, not sick when breeding Australian Shepherds. The rule is simple – NEVER BREED TWO MERLE DOGS TOGETHER! The AKC accepts Australian Shepherds that are black or grey with blue merle or cream or liver color, with red merle.
Is a red merle Aussie rare?
Red merles are far less common than blue merles because the red-colored gene is recessive in dogs, meaning both parents have to have it for their offspring to inherit the coat. Red is the rarest color in Aussies generally , although the red merle coat is one of the more common red-colored coats in the breed.
What is the difference between a red merle and a blue merle?
A blue merle is a black dog with the
merle pattern
; a red merle is a liver dog with the merle pattern All the merle gene does is determine whether or not a dog is merle. This gene is an incomplete dominant. Two dominant copies produce a “double merle” which will most likely have serious eye defects and may be deaf.
Can you breed 2 merle Australian Shepherds?
If you don’t want to produce homozygous merles in your litters, it’s easy to avoid doing so: Don’t breed two merles together.
Can a dog be red and blue merle?
Mudis are small, energetic and vocal dogs. They love to bark and run. Mudis can have different colors, such as cream, brown or black. The most common merle patterns in the breed appear in black and brown dogs – which are blue merle and red merle.
Can you breed a merle Aussie to a merle Aussie?
This term refers to a puppy bred by two merle colored Aussie parents. Many people are unaware, but when two merles (of any breed) are bred together, each puppy has a 25% chance of being born as a double merle.
Why can’t 2 merles breed?
The unethical practice of breeding double merles is generally condemned worldwide, not only because so many are considered defective and put down at birth by their breeders, but because of the health problems that plague them, namely, partial or complete deafness and blindness.
What is a Harlequin merle?
Harlequin is a pattern seen in Great Danes resulting from the complex interaction of the Merle (PMEL17) and Harlequin (PSMB7) genes on black pigment The dominant Merle gene by itself produces dark spots on a dilute background on eumelanistic dogs.
Do red merles darken?
Red merle Aussies may darken with age , as well, and they have a marbled reddish coat. Red merle puppies can be very light in color, but the red in their fur will usually turn a rich, brownish-red by adulthood.
Do red merles get darker?
Probably the most common type of color change is that of progressive darkening. Many blue merles and red merles are born with their merle areas fairly light. As the years go by they darken until in old age blue merles can resemble black tris and red merles can resemble red tris (or bis, or selfs).
How much is a blue merle Australian Shepherd?
The average pricing of a standard-colored Australian Shepherd from a trustworthy breeder is between $750 to $1,000. If it’s a blue merle Aussie puppy, the estimated cost is around $1,500 to $2,500 What is this?.
What is the rarest Aussie color?
With the red gene being recessive, and solid-colored Aussies being the rarest, solid red Aussies are the rarest of them all. It’s a cause for celebration if you meet one!.
Do blue merle dogs have health problems?
When inherited in the homozygous state, the merle mutation causes dogs to be white and have an even greater incidence of deafness, blindness and sterility The auditory and ophthalmologic abnormalities linked to merle are similar to those observed for the human auditory-pigmentation disorder Waardenburg syndrome.
Are blue merle Australian Shepherds rare?
Blue Merle Australian shepherds aren’t considered rare and are more common than Red Merle Aussies. The color patterns of a blue merle coat can vary. They may have a piebald or solid coat with black patches. They often have white markings, especially on the legs and face.
What happens if you breed two merles?
If two merle dogs are bred together, each puppy in the litter has a 25% chance of being born a double merle A double merle inherits the merle gene twice. One copy of the merle gene causes a marbling effect on the coat and creates lighter spots throughout the solid color coat.
What is a mismarked Aussie?
Dogs with excess white markings , sometimes referred to as mismarks, or over-marked. Australian Shepherds with too much white are usually healthy(exceptions noted below). There are entire breeds that allow far more white than typical of Aussies.
What is a Phantom Aussie?
Cryptic merles are sometimes referred to in Aussies as “phantom merles” but cryptic merle is the correct terminology. The merle mutation is a bit of inserted DNA called a SINE (short interspersed nucleotide element) that can change in length from one generation to the next.
How do I know if my dog is double merle?
Dogs with the double merle gene may be/have: All white in color, or have patches of merle/mottled coloring on the top half of their body – their head, back, and base of the tail. Light-colored paw pads. Have light blue, green or brown eyes, perhaps even eyes that are different colors.
Is merle dominant or recessive?
Merle is dominant , and so denoted by the capital letter M. Non-merle is recessive, and denoted by m. There are a number of different merle alleles, which are dealt with on their own page here.
What is a lethal white Australian Shepherd?
The original breeders of Australian Shepherds were ranch people with horses and dogs. The lethal white term refers to certain Paint colts that are born with a defective intestine and are unable to digest their food These white foals with blue eyes generally die of colic within hours or a few days of birth.
Do red merles have blue eyes?
Red merle Aussies can have solid colored eyes or they might have marbled or flecks of different colors. They may have two solid blue eyes or two solid brown eyes. They might also have brown eyes with flecks of blue, or two solid blue eyes with marbled brown.
Are merle Aussies healthy?
While merle Australian shepherds are still prone to hip dysplasia, cataracts, and epilepsy, they’re relatively healthy Other big ones to look out for with Australian shepherds are hypothyroidism,
collie nose
, and cancer. Australian shepherds are anything but rare.
Do all merle Aussies have blue eyes?
The short answer is no. Not all Blue Merle Aussies have blue eyes However, it is prevalent. The blue merle color and pattern are caused by a gene that varies the amount of pigment in the hair, skin, and eyes.
What should I look for when buying an Australian Shepherd puppy?
In a non-confrontational manner, tell breeders you are interested in the breed but want to learn more before you buy. Ask about things like temperament, grooming, activities, necessary training, as well as health When you get to health, ask what they know about common breed health issues.
How common are red merles?
Red Merle Australian Shepherd Temperament It is the 16th most popular purebred pet dog in the United States (out of 193 purebred dog breeds). These dogs are smart, athletic, fun-loving, energetic and very hard-working. Owners often describe the Aussie as a “Velcro” dog.
Can a red merle Aussie have a black nose?
Aside from the issue of pink on the nose, generally seen only in merles and addressed above, black and blue merle dogs can only have black noses and red/red merle dogs can only have liver noses.
Why are merle dogs more expensive?
In a nutshell, merle dogs are expensive because puppy buyers are willing to pay a lot of money for them The pattern is very sought-after, and the more demand there is, the higher breeders can set their prices. In addition, merle breedings can be quite rare in some breeds.
Are all Aussies with white ears deaf?
Not every dog with too much white is deaf , so there are probably additional genetic factors which determine whether the dog is deaf. However, if breeders make efforts not to produce puppies with white on or close around the ears they can significantly reduce the frequency of deafness in the breed.
Is Double merle lethal?
This has led breeders to kill white puppies at birth, leading to the other name of double-merle pups, “lethal whites.” The genetic defect itself isn’t lethal , and the ONLY genetic defects these dogs have are the hearing or vision impairments, which do NOT get worse over time by the way.
What is a ghost merle?
Dogs with cryptic merle (also called phantom or ghost merle) typically display little to no merle pattern and some may be misclassified as non-merles The cryptic merle alleles occur in the lower end of the range (typically from 200-255, however, this range and designation varies by study).
Are merle dogs inbred?
No. Don’t do it The merle pattern is produced when a dog has a single copy of the M< allele. All merle dogs have the genotype Mm, meaning they have one allele for merle and one allele for non-merle.
Is Dapple same as merle?
One of the most unique coat color patterns in the domestic dog is merle (also known as dapple in the dachshund breed) , characterized by patches of normal pigmentation surrounded by diluted eumelanin pigment.
Do merle puppies change color?
Merle Dog Puppies Merle coloring can become darker with age So, be aware that those white areas on your merle puppy may start to look grayer as your dog ages. But other than that, a merle dog puppy will have all the attributes of an adult of the breed.
Can a Red Tri Aussie have blue eyes?
Red Australian Shepherd Eye Color Red Aussies tend to have amber colored eyes that surprisingly match their coats very well. Although rare, it’s possible to find one in this color group with blue eyes And it’s even more rare to find one with one blue and one amber colored eye.
Do Australian Shepherds eyes stay blue?
At 5 weeks, their irises are a medium shade of gray and are darkening gradually. They are not the ice blue of the puppy above, whose eyes will remain blue Pups with eyes destined to be fairly light, such as amber, would have irises a lighter shade of gray than these.
Is merle the same as brindle?
Like merle, brindle is also a coat color pattern , it is often described as being “tiger-striped.” The stripes are irregular and dark against a lighter base color that is often fawn, brown or gray. The brindle coat pattern is found in several dog breeds including great danes, bulldogs and boxers.
Can you breed a white dog with a merle?
If you plan to breed a dog with the merle gene, you should not breed it with another of similar genetic makeup If lucky, the dog will be colorful and healthy, but there is a substantial chance that the double merle gene offspring could be blind, deaf or both. In other words, don’t do it.
Can you breed a tri with a merle?
Breeding tri to tri produces all tri’s therefore, the preferred color crosses are blue merle to black tri, blue merle to red tri, red merle to black tri, & red merle to red tri. In addition, red to red yields all reds so breeding a red merle to a red tri produces ONLY red merle & red tri puppies.
What is a tweed merle Aussie?
Tweed is a merle modifier that turns the diluted parts of the coat (which should be grey in a normal merle, or light brown in a liver) into a variety of brown, grey and tan shades. Tweed is known to occur mostly in Australian Shepherds and Catahoula Leopard Dogs (where it’s known as “patchwork”).
What is a piebald dog?
A piebald or pied animal is one that has a pattern of unpigmented spots (white) on a pigmented background of hair, feathers or scales Thus a piebald black and white dog is a black dog with white spots. The animal’s skin under the white background is not pigmented.
What is a dilute Red Merle?
Red merle dilutes have medium-toned dark patches on a pale background with pale liver on the nose and other exposed skin Given the extreme variation in red pigmentation in “normal” reds and red merles it is possible that a dilute might not be recognized as such.
What is a cryptic merle?
A phantom merle or cryptic merle is one with such small patches of merle—or none at all—that it appears to be a non-merle This is commonly seen in dogs who are recessive red, clear recessive reds in particular, though patches can still be seen in certain red dogs.
Citations
https://www.dogingtonpost.com/double-merle-dogs-a-lethal-genetic-combo-thats-totally-preventable/
Merle Australian Shepherd Guide (Blue, Red, Harlequin, Double)