In other words, a “Harlequin Merle” is simply a beautiful and unusual variation of the more
common merle color pattern
When a Merle Aussie possesses the Harlequin gene, the already uniquely beautiful Merle coat pattern becomes even more “exciting”.
Whats the difference between merle and Harlequin?
harlequin dogs
have white between the darker patches of merle Merle dogs often look “marbled.” They have grey coloration alongside black spots. Harlequin dogs also have the merle gene. However, instead of the larger grey patches, their harlequin gene makes their base coat entirely white.
What is the difference between Harlequin and tweed?
In harlequins and tweeds the
different colors
are quite distinct and do not muddy or bleed into each other The fuel for the controversy is that a very few harlequins have small lacy white areas on the body where the patch is depigmented completely.
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 is the rarest Australian Shepherd color?
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 color is Harlequin?
Harlequin (color), a color located between green and yellow ChromaFlair, a pigment used in paint systems, primarily for automobiles.
Are Harlequin dogs healthy?
It is also true that these beautiful dogs make wonderful companions and get along with just about everyone. Unfortunately, Harlequin Great Danes can be susceptible to a number of health issues including congenital deafness and bloat , and due to their large size, they have a shorter lifespan than most other breeds.
Can a merle have a Harlequin?
Harlequin causes the grey background on a merle to be diluted to white, leaving dark patches on a white background, and can affect any type of merle (including brindle, sable etc, as well as double merles). It is a dominant embryonic lethal gene, so all HH dogs are reabsorbed into the womb and only Hh dogs are born.
Can you breed a harlequin with a Harlequin?
HARLEQUIN to HARLEQUIN: You can expect, in a litter of 7, to see 2 (likely mismarked) black or Mantle pups, 1-2 merle pups, 2-3 harlequin pups & one deaf white pup (two are statistically conceived, but one of two whites conceived generally dies prior to birth).
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.
What is a Phantom merle dog?
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.
What does red factored mean in
australian shepherds
?
A black dog, on the other hand, may produce puppies of either color if it happens to carry a liver version of the gene , referred to as ‘red factored”. Those with no liver version will never produce liver colored offspring.
Are merle dogs 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.
Can you breed a red Merle with a black tri?
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.
What does merle coloring 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.
What are ghost eyes in Aussies?
Legend has it that Native Americans called Australian Shepherds “ghost eye” and thought they were sacred. These dogs do not always have blue eyes, but pale blue , “ghostly” eyes are common among the breed.
What does atypical merle mean?
Atypical Merle expressed as Ma (247-254 bp) is the next measurement up the ruler scale of the Merle length These are the puppies that can often look like dilute puppies.
What happens if you breed merle to 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.
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.
What is a Harlequin rough collie?
HARLEQUIN MERLE A harlequin variation is simply stronger dilution—completely removing the pigment The result is a randomly spotted black or brown collie. In the show ring, a harlequin would compete as a merle.
How do I know if my dog has the merle gene?
The merle gene modifies the dark pigment in the eyes, occasionally changing dark eyes to blue, or only part of the eye to blue Since Merle causes random modifications, both dark-eyed, blue-eyed, and odd-colored eyes are possible. Color on paw pads and nose may be mottled pink and black.
What is a double merle Australian Shepherd?
What is a double merle? A dog that inherits two dominant versions of M is a double merle. In Australian Shepherds these dogs usually will have excessive amounts of white, be deaf in one or both ears, and have serious and generally blinding eye defects.
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 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 the most popular Aussie color?
The black tri Australian Shepherd is one of the most popular coat colors of the whole Australian Shepherd breed. Since black is the dominant color, their eyes are still light to dark brown.
What are the most expensive Australian Shepherds?
The average price of the Australian Shepherd ranges from $650 to $850. However, an Aussie can cost anywhere between $300 to $1,800+ USD depending on breeder reputation, coat colors, pedigree and location. Australian Shepherds are not the cheapest dog breed available, but they’re not terribly expensive either.
Are male or female Australian Shepherds better?
As you can tell, there are no major personality differences between female Australian Shepherds and their male counterparts Both genders have wonderful personalities that make them fit companions and family members. Choosing a male vs female Australian Shepherd is a matter of personal preference.
Is Harlequin a breed or color?
The Harlequin is a colourful breed of rabbit originating from France. It is a breed based around the coloration and markings, rather than fur and body type.
Is Harlequin a shade of green?
The color harlequin green with hexadecimal color code #46cb18 is a shade of green In the RGB color model #46cb18 is comprised of 27.45% red, 79.61% green and 9.41% blue. In the HSL color space #46cb18 has a hue of 105° (degrees), 79% saturation and 45% lightness.
Why are Harlequins called Harlequins?
The club was renamed Harlequin Rugby Football Club in 1870, supposedly because the membership was no longer purely local, but the HFC monogram had to be retained. The word ‘Harlequin’ (Arlecchino, a comic servant from the commedia dell’arte) was found in a dictionary and all present agreed to the new name.
What is harlequin pattern?
Harlequin print is a repeating pattern of contrasting diamonds or elongated squares standing on end.
Do Harlequin Danes have blue eyes?
Like humans, most Great Danes are born with blue eyes and then change to brown as they get older. Though in the Harlequin Great Danes, one of the largest breeds of dogs, their eyes can remain blue throughout their adult lives.
What is the largest dog breed?
What is the largest dog breed in the world? The largest dog breed in the world is an English Mastiff – in both height and weight! English Mastiffs standing between 27-35 inches tall and weighing around 200-230 pounds, on average.
Can you breed a brindle to a Harlequin?
A Fawn or Brindle cannot be bred into a Harlequin line It eliminates what are called “sable merles” in the herding breeds.
Can you breed two Australian Shepherd merles?
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 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.
What dogs can you not breed together?
- Komonhund (Komondor-Dachshund) .
- Pitkingese (Pekingese-Pit bull) .
- Cha-Cha (Chow Chow-Mexican Hairless) .
- Great Chihane (Great Dane-Chihuahua) .
- Bappet (Basset Hound-Whippet) .
- Weimarogi (Weimaraner-Corgi) .
- Hug (Husky-Pug)
Can you breed a Harlequin Dane with a merle Dane?
Double Merles are a result of bad breeding practices, most commonly known as spot x spot breeding. For Great Danes this could be Harlequin x Merle, Harlequin x Harlequin, Merle x Merle, any Quin x Quin and any Quin x Merle breeding.
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 ).
What is a cryptic blue merle?
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.
Is red merle and chocolate merle the same?
The most recognizable is the blue or red merle, but chocolate merle is also possible (see photos below). Merle refers to the pattern in the coat and is not a color as such. The white and gray patterns that appear on a black make them appear to have a blueish cast.
Citations
http://munster.sasktelwebsite.net/DogColor/merle.html
http://www.sierraeliteranch.com/Adult-Aussies.php
http://color.ashgi.org/color/harlequin_aussies.htm
https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/harlequin-pattern-great-danes