Explains the Merle Gene in Doodles and why we will not introduce it into our bloodlines…
Multi-colored, speckled and spotty Australian shepherds are well known for their kaleidoscope coats. They are not the only dog breed capable of displaying such furry finery, A Doodle is also capable of coming in a variety of coat colors. Beyond the accepted tans, browns, blues, and cream coats, merle Doodles have been known to exist. But it is not a natural coloring in Poodles or Doodles. Merle is more than just a coat color, though.
A merle Doodle has a cacophony of colors on its coat. Merle tends to express itself in patches, dots, spots, and dashes. Usually there’s a base color (black is common on Doodles, though with light gray spots it looks like a blue palette), over which an array of darker colors are patterned. This is different from parti - who usually have a white base paired with one shade of either only black, red, or brown. The (dis)coloration isn’t strictly reserved to the dog’s fur. It can also affect the color of the poodle’s eyes – light blue is a tell-tale sign of a merle dog. The coloring also effects the skin of the Doodle’s eyes, nose, and paws. Usually known to have black or liver skin, the dog could end up with a mottled black and pink discoloration.
Merle isn’t always obvious. No marking merles exist and they’re as ghostly as they sound. Also called cryptic merles, they don’t show any of the obvious merle traits at all. They look like a run-of-the-mill Doodle – no spots or dots or unusual colors. What makes them merle is their genetics. These merles still carry the merle gene in them, it’s just not physically visible. These merles are important to look out for when it comes to breeding.
While some breeds have spontaneously developed the merle gene, MERLE DOODLES ARE NIT NATURAL! This means that the gene has been introduced into the poodle pool by another breed of dog, making merle poodles not purebred even if they look and act like it. Some people believe their dog is purebred poodle after DNA testing that seems to support this claim, but it is guaranteed that if they traced their dog’s heritage back they would eventually find a (great-)grandparent of another breed who introduced the merle gene to the family. In order to get a merle Doodle puppy, you must have a merle parent to breed with a regular poodle. It will never occur naturally.
While there are several breeds which are known and accepted as merle (such as the Australian shepherd and corgi), merles are not accepted by the AKC in the poodle category. This is especially because it is not a naturally occurring trait in poodles, whereas it is in the other breeds. The AKC sees merle poodles as a corruption of the purebred and any merle poodles presented will be automatically disqualified.
Breeding two confirmed merle dogs together is almost guaranteed to produce a double merle. It’s all about statistics. The parents can be MM and MM or they can be MM and Mm. As you can see, the odds of the offspring being MM are very high and the effects of a double merle disastrous Then there are double merles, who show as MM. A double merle dog is a Doodle who got double the dose of genetic mutation, meaning that both of its parents carried the merle gene. They are more than likely to have the tell-tale coat markings of a merle dog – or sometimes come out as completely white, but never phantom – along with several unsavory side effects. It is common for double merles to have birth defects: malformed ears or eyes, even missing ears or eyes is possible. Less extreme but still severe for any dog, double merles could be born blind or deaf.
Across all breeds, merles face auditory and ophthalmologic problems – both visual and internal. They can also have problems with their cardiac, skeletal, and reproductive systems. Double merles are almost guaranteed to face these issues in their lives, if they’re not already born with them. Many of these diseases are not ones that can be treated easily. These health problems they can face are compounded with normal Doodle health problems. Start with the ones common for regular Doodles, then add on the health problems faced by merles specifically. That makes a merle Doodle at risk for more health problems than its plain-coated contemporaries.
Some breeds very rarely carry and display merle genes, some breeds almost never do. The merle poodle is rare because it is not naturally occurring.
It’s not wrong to want to own a pretty puppy, but everyone should want a healthy dog
A merle Doodle has a cacophony of colors on its coat. Merle tends to express itself in patches, dots, spots, and dashes. Usually there’s a base color (black is common on Doodles, though with light gray spots it looks like a blue palette), over which an array of darker colors are patterned. This is different from parti - who usually have a white base paired with one shade of either only black, red, or brown. The (dis)coloration isn’t strictly reserved to the dog’s fur. It can also affect the color of the poodle’s eyes – light blue is a tell-tale sign of a merle dog. The coloring also effects the skin of the Doodle’s eyes, nose, and paws. Usually known to have black or liver skin, the dog could end up with a mottled black and pink discoloration.
Merle isn’t always obvious. No marking merles exist and they’re as ghostly as they sound. Also called cryptic merles, they don’t show any of the obvious merle traits at all. They look like a run-of-the-mill Doodle – no spots or dots or unusual colors. What makes them merle is their genetics. These merles still carry the merle gene in them, it’s just not physically visible. These merles are important to look out for when it comes to breeding.
While some breeds have spontaneously developed the merle gene, MERLE DOODLES ARE NIT NATURAL! This means that the gene has been introduced into the poodle pool by another breed of dog, making merle poodles not purebred even if they look and act like it. Some people believe their dog is purebred poodle after DNA testing that seems to support this claim, but it is guaranteed that if they traced their dog’s heritage back they would eventually find a (great-)grandparent of another breed who introduced the merle gene to the family. In order to get a merle Doodle puppy, you must have a merle parent to breed with a regular poodle. It will never occur naturally.
While there are several breeds which are known and accepted as merle (such as the Australian shepherd and corgi), merles are not accepted by the AKC in the poodle category. This is especially because it is not a naturally occurring trait in poodles, whereas it is in the other breeds. The AKC sees merle poodles as a corruption of the purebred and any merle poodles presented will be automatically disqualified.
Breeding two confirmed merle dogs together is almost guaranteed to produce a double merle. It’s all about statistics. The parents can be MM and MM or they can be MM and Mm. As you can see, the odds of the offspring being MM are very high and the effects of a double merle disastrous Then there are double merles, who show as MM. A double merle dog is a Doodle who got double the dose of genetic mutation, meaning that both of its parents carried the merle gene. They are more than likely to have the tell-tale coat markings of a merle dog – or sometimes come out as completely white, but never phantom – along with several unsavory side effects. It is common for double merles to have birth defects: malformed ears or eyes, even missing ears or eyes is possible. Less extreme but still severe for any dog, double merles could be born blind or deaf.
Across all breeds, merles face auditory and ophthalmologic problems – both visual and internal. They can also have problems with their cardiac, skeletal, and reproductive systems. Double merles are almost guaranteed to face these issues in their lives, if they’re not already born with them. Many of these diseases are not ones that can be treated easily. These health problems they can face are compounded with normal Doodle health problems. Start with the ones common for regular Doodles, then add on the health problems faced by merles specifically. That makes a merle Doodle at risk for more health problems than its plain-coated contemporaries.
Some breeds very rarely carry and display merle genes, some breeds almost never do. The merle poodle is rare because it is not naturally occurring.
It’s not wrong to want to own a pretty puppy, but everyone should want a healthy dog
parts of this information is from: https://nedhardy.com/2021/05/05/merle-poodle/
