Yes – merle dogs can be just as healthy as dogs that have a solid color They have the same life expectancy, they are just as strong and athletic and smart as their counterparts without the
merle gene
. In lines with responsible merle breedings, all offspring will be healthy and live a long life.
What does merle mean in dogs?
Merle is an incompletely dominant coat color pattern characterized by irregularly shaped patches of diluted pigment and solid color Miniature Australian Shepherd puppy with
merle pattern
.
Is merle a rare color?
Pomeranians most often are seen in the colors of
solid white
or orange/red. The merle coloring is rather rare and if you are looking for such a dog, you are likely to spend quite a bit of time (and money!) to get your puppy.
Does the merle gene cause
blue eyes
?
With respect to ocular effects, the Merle gene’s most minor manifestation is a blue iris (or irides). The blue appearance may also be as an ‘inclusion’ or as a partial segment of another wise brown eye (heterochromia iridis).
How do I know if my dog is merle?
The merle gene modifies the dark pigment in the eyes, occasionally changing dark eyes to blue, or part of the eye to be colored blue. Since merle causes random modifications, however, both dark-eyed, blue-eyed, and odd-colored eyes are possible. Pigmentation on paw pads and nose may be mottled by pink.
How do dogs get merle?
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. All non-merles are mm.
Do all merle dogs have blue eyes?
No, the merle gene does not always cause blue eyes The merle gene causes the lightening of pigment in patches throughout the body. If these patches do not coincide with the eyes, the dog will have brown eyes instead. They may also have multicolored eyes.
Are merle dogs more expensive?
The bottom line. Merle dogs of any breed are likely to be more expensive than solid-colored dogs , even though a lot of responsible breeders try to change that. Depending on how rare the merle pattern is in the breed and how much the standard price for a puppy is, your merle dog might cost up to $3,000.
What dog breeds have the merle gene?
The Merle pattern can be seen in various breeds, such as the Australian Shepherd Dog, Australian Koolie, Border Collie, Dachshund, French Bulldog, Louisiana Catahoula, Labradoodle, Miniature American Shepherd, Miniature Australian Shepherd, Pyrenean Shepherd, Rough Collie, Shetland Sheepdog, Welsh Sheepdog, Cardigan.
What does the word merle mean?
1 : a coat color pattern of some dogs (such as the border collie, dachshund, and Great Dane) that consists of a typically bluish- or reddish-gray mixed with splotches of black or reddish- brown and that occurs as a result of the lightening or dilution of the normal base coat color so that only dark patches of normal.
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.
How do you tell if a puppy will have blue eyes?
You can usually tell if your puppy will have blue eyes permanently by taking a look at the eye color of its parents Furthermore, the type of breed the puppy belongs to can also affect this, with certain breeds being more likely to have brown eyes compared to other breeds.
How do I know if my merle puppy has blue eyes?
Merle Gene If your dog has dominant light patches of fur or is completely white , the chances that their matured eye color is blue are higher because of the fact that their cells are unable to develop pigmentation. These types of dogs carry the merle gene.
Does a blue eye mean a dog is blind?
Blue eyes does not indicate that your dog will eventually go blind, deaf, or have any other genetic defects Variation in pigmentation in the iris can occur for varying reasons, and doesn’t necessarily point to health concerns.
Is merle a genetic mutation?
Merle is among the most exciting coat color mutations of dogs both phenotypically and genotypically The autosomal semidominant inheritance of this mutation was described nearly a century ago. Two alleles have been identified and distinguished: the wild “m” allele and the mutant “M” (or merle) allele [8].
What colour is merle?
English: Merle is a colour combination in dogs’ coats. It is a solid base color (usually red/brown or black) with lighter blue/gray or reddish patches , which gives a mottled or uneven speckled effect.
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.
How do you get a merle puppy?
Double Merle pups are born when both of the parents are merle It doesn’t matter what color merle, how much merle the parents have, how little (or how much) white trim, what breed they are, or even that the parents are the same breed. Statistically, 25% of the pups from two merle parents will be Double Merles.
What’s the difference between Dapple and merle?
Do you have a Dapple? Dappling, a splotchy multi-color coat pattern found in Dachshunds, is called merle in other dog breeds such as the Collie, Great Dane and Australian Shepherd. It’s important to understand that dapple is NOT a color, it is a pattern.
Is blue merle rare?
Blue merle is actually one of the rarest Border Collie coat colors This coat color can only be produced in puppies by dogs who carry the dominant merle gene.
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.
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.
Are brindle and merle the same?
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.
Are blue eyed dogs deaf?
Blue eyes, resulting from an absence of pigment in the iris, is common with pigment-associated deafness but is not, in and of itself, an indication of deafness or the presence of a deafness gene; however, in several breeds (Dalmatian, English Setter, English Cocker Spaniel, Bull Terrier), dogs (and cats) with blue eyes.
Is the merle gene 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.
Why do Aussies have one blue eye?
What is it about Aussies that causes them to have heterochromia? It all comes down to genetics Those two different eye colors, which is also known as wall eye, is one trait of many in dogs that their mother and father canine can pass down. With two parents, a puppy’s gene copies double.
What is a hidden merle?
Some dogs do not look to have a merle pattern but genetically are merle. These merle dogs are called cryptic, phantom, or hidden merles. Merle pattern can be masked by other genes or heavy patching Each gene has it’s own labeling including the recessive red (“ee”) and clear sable (a y ).
Do blue eyed dogs have health problems?
And while not all blue-eyed dogs will have problems with their sight or hearing, some are at greater risk for certain conditions Cochleosaccular deafness is a hereditary condition linked to pigment in a dog’s coat and eyes.
At what age do puppies eyes stop changing color?
Mature Eye Coloration It often takes nine to 12 weeks, starting from this point, for a puppy’s eye color to settle in and “stay.” The permanent eye color change can even happen as late as 16 weeks in age.
What is the difference between merle and Tri?
Red merle makes up this base coat for this color combination. They have red spots on top of an buff (a light orange-brown) to silver base color. The tri colored version has white markings found on the face, chest, legs and belly. They also have copper highlights usually seen on the face and legs only.
Can you breed a red and blue merle?
In a breeding where one parent is red, such as blue merle to red tri or red merle to black tri, we typically get more red’s in the litter, usually 70%, such as 3 red merle, 3 red tri, 1 black tri, & 1 blue merle.
Why do 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.
What is the grey dog with blue eyes?
Weimaraner The Weimaraner is known for its sleek, silver-gray coat and loving, active personality. Their kind eyes can be amber or blue, a perfect complement to the breed’s iconic silver-gray coat. These happy, high-energy pooches were bred in the 1800s in Germany for hunting and grew in popularity as companion dogs.
What does it mean when a dog has one blue eye and one brown eye?
Most of the time heterochromia is an inherited genetic occurrence, but occasionally it can be a result of an injury If your dog sustains an injury to their eye, or they develop a disease of the eye, they can sometimes experience a change in their eye color.
Can you breed merle to white?
A single merle gene can produce results as harmless as fur or eye color and as difficult as loss of eyesight or hearing. However, mating two dogs with the merle gene can produce offspring with a homozygous double merle gene, sometimes known as “lethal white” or “double-blue.”.
What is a merle Pom?
The merle Pomeranian is a recent color pattern addition to the Pomeranian breed Merle Pomeranians are not an accepted Pomeranian color pattern in many countries. Two merle Pomeranians should never be bred together. The merle gene modifies the base color of the dog’s coat.
Can merle dogs be AKC registered?
Can They Be AKC Registered? Most merle French bulldogs can be registered by the AKC , but they aren’t considered a standard breed color. Despite this, the AKC still recognizes them.
Can a poodle be merle?
We do know with 100% certainty that there are AKC Registered Merle Poodles There are several AKC Breeders that register them regularly. Many people also note that there is not a specific color called Merle when registering an AKC Poodle, so Merle must not be an AKC color.
Is merle short for something?
Merle is a given name used by both men and women. The name is a variant of Merrill or Muriel , influenced by the French word merle meaning blackbird (from the Latin merula).
Where does the name merle originate?
Merle as a boy’s name (also used as girl’s name Merle), is pronounced merl. It is of French origin , and the meaning of Merle is “blackbird”.
References
https://spiritdogtraining.com/breeds/merle-dog-breeds/
https://pethelpful.com/dogs/What-is-a-Double-Merle-Dog-The-Dangers-of-Merle-to-Merle-Breeding