mixeduppup Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 So i asked this in the coolie thread but will ask here as well. My friend recently adopted a Coolie pup, cute as a button but her colour has many people stumped, she seems too dark to be a red merle but too light to be a blue..she has red and blue mixed together...is this possible to be a "multi" merle? What do you think? As far as we know her father was a similar colour to her and her mother was black with a merle patch on her backside or something like that (if they were even her parents) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 She appears to have a black nose so must be blue merle with tan points. She could also be sable or seal merle but it hard to tell from the photo and at this age. I certainly hope both her parents did not have merle on them as it is unethical and stupid to breed merle to merle in any breed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixeduppup Posted August 16, 2012 Author Share Posted August 16, 2012 Well she came from pretty shoddy people so I wouldn't be surprised :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Most of ours have these sorts of markings :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 (edited) I'm by no means an expert but looks blue merle with tan to me, just with minimal white... Totally cute :) ETA: could also be a bitsa?? Edited August 16, 2012 by Saxonpup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixeduppup Posted August 16, 2012 Author Share Posted August 16, 2012 Just a bit concerned, if she is merle to merle what does that mean for her health wise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parkeyre Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 (edited) She looks to have black nose and eye rim pigment, making her a Blue Merle, but also with copper (and possibly some white) markings/points. (Edited because I cannot spell). Edited August 16, 2012 by Parkeyre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash1 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Just a bit concerned, if she is merle to merle what does that mean for her health wise? I am also very interested in this, as we recently adopted a merle cattle dog pup. Had no idea her colour could present a health risk? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parkeyre Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Merle x Merle breedings can produce double Merles (lethal whites), which can have sight, hearing and/or organ issues. It's a 25% chance for every puppy produced by Merle x Merle to be a double Merle, with life long issues. IMO its very unethical and you should run from breeders putting their puppies at risk like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inevitablue Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Just a bit concerned, if she is merle to merle what does that mean for her health wise? I am also very interested in this, as we recently adopted a merle cattle dog pup. Had no idea her colour could present a health risk? Often in cattle dogs people use the term merle for one without face markings. Its not the same 'merle' that other breeds have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perfumed Lillium Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Just a bit concerned, if she is merle to merle what does that mean for her health wise? I am also very interested in this, as we recently adopted a merle cattle dog pup. Had no idea her colour could present a health risk? Often in cattle dogs people use the term merle for one without face markings. Its not the same 'merle' that other breeds have. What do you mean by "one without face markings?".....what sort of markings are you referring to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inevitablue Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 (edited) Just a bit concerned, if she is merle to merle what does that mean for her health wise? I am also very interested in this, as we recently adopted a merle cattle dog pup. Had no idea her colour could present a health risk? Often in cattle dogs people use the term merle for one without face markings. Its not the same 'merle' that other breeds have. What do you mean by "one without face markings?".....what sort of markings are you referring to? Double or single eye patches, or full or half masks. When I say its not the same 'merle' used to describe BC's, Aussies, Collies, Coolies, Great Danes ect I mean its not the one which produces the lethal white gene. Edited August 16, 2012 by Inevitablue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 There is nothing wrong with a merle dog (ie. one with one copy of the gene). Cattle dogs aren't merle, that is ticking I believe :) Most double merle dogs (ie. with two copies of the merle gene) have hearing and sight issues but NOT all. I believe it's unethical to breed merle x merle but not all double merles have problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.mister Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 (edited) To the OP, that looks like a blue merle with tan points to me. I've noticed in coolies, and sometimes working line bcs too, that the tan can be muddied and patchy compared to what most people are used to, giving you the look of that coolie pup in the photo. A normal merle only needs one copy of the gene that makes it merle, as merle is dominant. So call merle 'M' and not merle 'm'. If you mate a merle dog with a not merle dog, you will have pups in the litter that will be either Mm or mm, so either merle or not merle. If you mate two merle dogs (both are Mm) you have a chance of getting a litter with MM, Mm and mm. So, double merles, normal merles and not merles. It's when the merle gene doubles up (MM) that it causes problems. That means that not all pups resulting from a merle x merle mating will necessarily be affected (the Mm and mm pups), but there is a good chance some will be, which is why merle x merle matings are a bad idea. Double merles are generally characterised by being mostly white with very little merle and small eyes - sometimes affected pups are born with no eyes at all. Many have deafness and blindness issues. eta: wuffles has already explained it, whoops Edited August 17, 2012 by mr.mister Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixeduppup Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 Thanks, she seems very alert and her hearing is fine, so crossing fingers she didn't inherit any health issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayly Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Homozygous merles usually have large amounts of white on them, I would doubt she is a double merle. She looks like a blue merle with muddy tan points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris the Rebel Wolf Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Merle x Merle breedings can produce double Merles (lethal whites), which can have sight, hearing and/or organ issues. It's a 25% chance for every puppy produced by Merle x Merle to be a double Merle, with life long issues. IMO its very unethical and you should run from breeders putting their puppies at risk like that. Agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheree_e4 Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 She is a blue Tri merle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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