Is Merle a genetic defect?
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.
Why is double Merle bad?
Double Merle dogs are highly likely to suffer from hearing and vision impairments and in some cases complete blindness and deafness. Deafness and hearing impairment happens due to lack of hair pigment produced in the inner ear. Double Merles can also be blind or have vision problems due to congenital eye defects.
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).
What is the difference between Brindle and Merle?
Brindle is a coat pattern and not a color, and has a wild-type allele which is the product of at least two recessive genes and is rare. Merle and black are dominant genes. A blue merle has two blue genes as well as one merle but can carry others as well. Read more on Brindle.
Why is it called Blue Merle?
The dogs above are called “blue merles” because of the bluish colour between the patches in their coat. This is a widely-used term but is actually misleading. They are able to make normal eumelanin in their coat, so their patches are black. If they didn’t have the merle gene, they would be solid black.
How do you know if you have 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.
What does hidden Merle mean?
Hidden Merle and Cryptic Merle Hidden merle are Merle dogs (mM), who do not exhibit the merle pattern (it is usually not detectable to eye in red, gold, fawn or cream colours). The breeder will be surprised by merle puppies that may have various health defects due to unsuitable mating of parents.
What is a cryptic Merle bully?
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.
How do I know if my dog is double Merle?
However, some dogs will appear with the coat pattern of a normal merle (Mm), making it harder to determine if they are actually double merles. Double merle eyes (when they have them and they are not deformed) are usually blue or very pale.
What colors make a Merle bully?
Their coat is very similar to a tricolor American Bully because it will usually be a combination of tan, white and black, although the black will sometimes be quite faded and appear gray. A ‘bi-blue’ is also a possibility, which is when a blue merle has no tan in their coat at all.
Can you breed 2 Merle Aussies?
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.
What is a Harlequin Merle?
Harlequin is a dominant modifier of the merle pattern. When present, it allows the merle patches to vary in color from lacy pale blue or red to mid ranges of gray (or red in a harlequin red merle).
What is the difference between Merle and Harlequin?
What’s the difference between harlequin and merle? Harlequin dogs have white between the darker patches of merle. Merle dogs often look “marbled.” They have grey coloration alongside black spots. However, instead of the larger grey patches, their harlequin gene makes their base coat entirely white.
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.