What is a Double Merle dog? A double Merle is exactly what it sounds like. It is the
puppy product
of breeding a Merle, also known as marbled/harlequin/dapple,
pattern dog
to a Merle pattern dog They can be of any breed or cross, and any colour Merle pattern.
Can a double merle be healthy?
Double merles, despite their deficiencies, are generally quite healthy dogs capable of living long, otherwise normal lives And they are no more aggressive, unpredictable or untrainable than hearing and sighted dogs.
How do you know if a dog is a 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 Double merle rare?
On every spot x spot litter, each puppy within the litter has a 25% chance of being born a Double Merle Double Merle dogs are highly likely to suffer from hearing and vision impairments and in some cases complete blindness and deafness.
Why should you not breed two merles?
In a double merle, the marbling/lightening effect is doubled and the coat becomes predominantly white. Double merles also have a very high chance of being deaf, blind, or both because they lack pigment where it would normally be.
What is wrong with merle dogs?
An autosomal, incompletely dominant trait, merle coat coloring predisposes dogs to inherited deafness 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.
Can you breed a dog that is a double merle?
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 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 Border Collies unhealthy?
Blue merle Border Collies are just like any other Border Collie. Before you buy this canine with this color pattern, keep in mind that they’re susceptible to eye problems and congenital deafness. Aside from that, they’re generally healthy.
What do double merles look like?
Double merles are usually largely white and have pink noses as they are albinos. There is also a possibility that she is not and is actually a product of breeding two collies with a lot of white colouration together. This can produce a pup with a large amount of white (or all white coat).
Can a double merle be black?
A double merle is one which is homozygous. That means it has two copies of the dominant M gene, so its genotype is MM. This impairs its ability to make pigment. Double merles are typically mostly white and have merle patches on the head and sometimes the body.
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.
How much does a double merle cost?
Expect to pay at least $2,500 for a merle Frenchie or even double that for a merle Fluffy Frenchie. Most show line Border Collie cost around $1,500.
What is the double merle gene?
When two merle-patterned dogs are bred together, each puppy in the litter has a 25% chance of inheriting that gene from both parents The resulting offspring is referred to as a double, or homozygous merle. Double merles often have a predominantly white coat.
What is the difference between merle and dapple?
The merle (also called dapple) pattern is the pattern in which random splotches of dark pigment are overlaid over a lighter shade of the same color.
Are blue merle Border Collies rare?
The Blue Merle Border Collie is a gorgeous herding dog that is best known for its striking blue merle coat. It is said to be the rarest color found in Border Collies In order to exhibit this color, one of the parents must have the merle gene.
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.
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 dog carry merle and not be merle?
A cryptic or phantom merle is a dog which phenotypically appears to be a non-merle (solid-colored) or a dog that has very faint patches of merle that can go unnoticed. Animals that do not present the merle phenotype may possess the merle genotype and subsequently produce merle offspring.
What color dogs make a merle?
Merle is a distinguishing marking of several breeds, particularly the Australian Shepherd and Catahoula Leopard Dog , and appears in others, including the Koolie in Australia, the Shetland Sheepdog, various collie breeds, the Cardigan Welsh Corgi, the Pyrenean Shepherd and the Bergamasco Shepherd.
What breeds carry 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 is a cryptic merle?
Cryptic merles are either liver or black, usually with one or a few small areas of merle However, since you can’t see what color coat would have been anywhere there are white markings, there will be some cryptics which appear to be non-merle.
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 merle to a Tri?
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.
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.
Is merle recognized by AKC?
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.
Are merle puppies healthy?
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.
How do you test for merle gene in dogs?
The Merle test checks for an insertion of DNA sequence (SINE insertion) in the SILV gene A dog who is heterozygous for this insertion (one copy of Merle) will show the Merle colouring.
What does the color merle look like?
Here’s what Wikipedia says about the merle: Merle is a pattern in a dog’s coat, though is commonly incorrectly referred to as a colour. The merle gene creates mottled patches of color in a solid or piebald coat, blue or odd-colored eyes , and can affect skin pigment as well.
What is a cryptic merle Border Collie?
Cryptic (phantom) merles are merles that have no visible blue or light red, yet they can produce merles when bred to nonmerles They can also produce homozygous merles if bred to a merle. This can be quite a surprise to the breeder, when two seemingly black tris produce a litter that contains merles as well.
What is an atypical merle?
Atypical merle dogs can have several different changes to their coat including reddish undertones, diluted coat color, or other anomalies Classic merle dogs have large, irregularly shaped fully pigmented regions separated by areas of diluted coat color.
What is a dilute merle?
Merles can be dilutes. Blue merles will have slate blue dark patches on a lighter blue background amd their noses and other exposed skin will be slate blue. Red merle dilutes have medium-toned dark patches on a pale background with pale liver on the nose and other exposed skin.
How much are merle Border Collies?
Black and white Border Collies are the cheapest, while rare colors like merle will cost more. You could pay $4,000 for a rare blue merle puppy , while a black and white puppy will typically cost you around $1,000. Yearly costs for owning this breed can reach as much as $2,500, but are more likely to be around $1,000.
Can you breed 2 Aussie merles?
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 These puppies have excessive white coloration – lack of pigment – and this coloration causes loss of hearing, vision, or any combination of the two impairments.
Do Border Collies keep their blue eyes?
Blue eyes are possible in border collies. While all dogs are born with blue eyes, only rarely are they kept after about 5 months However, when a blue-eyed border collie has been bred to a recessive gene carrier, 50% of the puppies will end up with blue eyes staying with them for life.
Can you breed merle and brindle?
The resulting offspring are known as being: Double-Merle, Double-Merled or Double-Dappled. We do not condone this type of breeding and consider it as Irresponsible, Unethical and “Quick Sells” methodology Breeding just for color with no regard for the betterment of the breed.
Citations
https://www.dogingtonpost.com/double-merle-dogs-a-lethal-genetic-combo-thats-totally-preventable/
http://www.doggenetics.co.uk/doublemerle.html
https://pethelpful.com/dogs/What-is-a-Double-Merle-Dog-The-Dangers-of-Merle-to-Merle-Breeding
https://www.whitekissesgreatdanerescue.com/double-merle-awareness