What is the color blue merle?

A blue merle is a black dog whose coloring has been genetically diluted. Parts of his black coat remain intact, while other parts take on a bluish-grey color. Patches of solid color are normally irregular in shape and are located anywhere on the dog’s body.

What does blue merle look like?

Blue merles can exhibit a range of coat markings. Some blue merle dogs will have a mostly gray-blue coat with a few small, black patches. The most common merle pattern and the one described in most breed standards is a coat that is approximately 50 percent merle, or gray-blue, and 50 percent black patches.

What color is merle in a dog?

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. Some percentage of merle puppies could have eye defects and/or could be deaf.

What does merle color 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 is it called blue merle?

The dogs above are called “blue merles” because of the bluish colour between the patches in their coat. 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 tell if my dog is a blue merle?

In blue merle dogs, the color is mottled black atop black-and-white dilute hair. In red merles, the color is a mottled brown on top of lighter brown hair. You’ll still see patches of undiluted pigment over the dog’s body. The merle gene seems to affect mostly the black pigment.

What is the difference between merle and blue merle?

A blue merle is a black dog with the merle pattern; a red merle is a liver dog with the merle pattern. All the merle gene does is determine whether or not a dog is merle. This gene is an incomplete dominant. Two dominant copies produce a “double merle” which will most likely have serious eye defects and may be deaf.

Why are merle dogs more expensive?

Why are merle dogs so expensive? In a nutshell, merle dogs are expensive because puppy buyers are willing to pay a lot of money for them. The pattern is very sought-after, and the more demand there is, the higher breeders can set their prices. In addition, merle breedings can be quite rare in some breeds.

What is wrong with merle dogs?

Health Issues The merle gene is known to cause a number of health problems, mostly deafness and blindness, and also sun sensitivity and higher rates of skin cancer. These problems are unusual in heterozygous merles (Mm) but more common in homozygous merles (MM).

Why are merle dogs expensive?

Do blue merle dogs have health problems?

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 breed of dog is blue merle?

Blue Breeds. Not every breed will exhibit merle coloring. The gene is present in the Australian shepherd, border collie, old English sheepdog, mudi, cardigan Welsh corgi, rough and smooth coated collie, Shetland sheepdog, Pyrenean shepherd, dunker and Catahoula leopard dog.

What breeds of dog are Merle?

Merle appears in the Australian Shepherd dog, Shetland sheepdog and Beaceron merle, but also in various Collies, the Koolie, the Welsh Corgi (Cardigan), the Pyrenean Shepherd, the Bergamasco Sheepdog, and the Old English Sheepdog. In Dachshunds the merle marking is known as “dapple”. It is also present in the Pomeranian .

What color is Merle in dogs?

Merle (coat color in dogs) Blue merle Border Collie puppy. Merle is a pattern in a dog’s coat. “Merle” comes in different colors and patterns. Some have blue patches throughout and are considered blue “merle”; same with red, and chocolate, although some describe merle as only a “pattern”.

What are merle markings on a dog?

Blue merles can exhibit a range of coat markings. Some blue merle dogs will have a mostly gray-blue coat with a few small, black patches. The most common merle pattern and the one described in most breed standards is a coat that is approximately 50 percent merle, or gray-blue, and 50 percent black patches.