They come in two merle variations; Red and Blue. The Irish Wolfhound will fall into the reverse brindle category. However, the merle coat can come with some serious health issues. The Merle gene is present in several dog breeds, so it’s important to find out what breed of dog you have if you’re trying to find a rescue breeder. Pit Bulls are a robust and healthy breed of dog in general, which directly helps them live longer. The phenotype is inherited as an autosomal, incompletely dominant trait. Ocular defects include microphthalmia, conditions causing increased ocular pressure, and colobomas, among others. Despite the “Australian” part, this breed is actually an American-born dog that is descended from a line of Europe’s dog herders. A double merle is created when two merle dogs are bred together. Seven Fascinating Dog Coat Color Patterns. All dogs exhibiting the harlequin pattern are also carriers of the merle gene. Dachshund Beagle Australian Shepherd Pit Bull Terrier Boston Terrier Border Collie Rottweiler English Bulldog Corgi Miniature Schnauzer Great Dane. There are a variety of internet groups dedicated to supporting carers of such dogs. It is sometimes referred to as a color, but is in fact due to a gene that alters the way pigment appears in the dog’s coat. https://www.americanspanielclub.org/about-the-breed/merle-color-in-cocker-spaniels/, Jess Chappell: Dog Coat Colour Genetics: Doppel-Merle, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Chihuahua Club of Canada - Merle Breeding Ban", "Pomeranian Colors - Any other allowable color", https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/press-releases/2020/january/registration-of-dogs-of-merle-colouring/, http://www.doggenetics.co.uk/merle.html#double, "Retrotransposon insertion in SILV is responsible for merle patterning of the domestic dog", "Merle phenotypes in dogs – SILV SINE insertions from Mc to Mh", "Basic Body Colors of the Australian Shepherd", Banning of Merle 'pattern' Chihuahua in Canada, Catahoula Coat Color Genetics - Introduction and History of Merle, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Merle_(dog_coat)&oldid=999040832, Articles needing additional references from September 2011, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia introduction cleanup from April 2012, Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from April 2012, All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 8 January 2021, at 05:46. Tri colored silver dapple Dachshund Lab mix puppy. Australian Shepherds with the merle gene will often have icy blue eyes. The word “merle” describes a color pattern seen in certain breeds of dog. Merle coat pattern comes in different color variations (not only blue) and can affect any dog breed. Author; Recent Posts; Follow me. Animals with the base color black appear then gray in places (blue merle) and dogs with the base color brown get a reddish pattern (red merle). In the litter, there was a puppy that was predominantly white. A merle coat pattern, truth be told, can be rather attractive and, for that reason, American Bullies with a merle coat are coveted by some dog owners and breeders. This special ‘merle gene’ is called heterozygous (also known as homozygous) and can merely cause light-colored eyes. [18] These dogs are sometimes referred to as 'double merle' and sometimes incorrectly referred to as 'lethal white'. 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