Merle is sometimes introduced to other purebred dog breeds through crossbreeding, but these dogs are not purebred. There may also be additional requirements for the pattern such as the dog being allowed to have the pattern but must have completely dark eyes with no blue in them. The merle gene also plays a part in producing harlequin Great Danes.ĭepending on the breed, registry, or country, the pattern may be register-able with a registry but not allowed in conformation, and the pattern may not be recognized by the breed standard, disqualifying it from showing. In Beaucerons the merle pattern is known as "harlequin". In Dachshunds, the merle pattern is known as "dapple". Merle is a distinguishing marking of several breeds, particularly the Australian Shepherd and Catahoula Leopard Dog, and appears in others, including the Koolie in Australia, the Shetland Sheepdog, various collie breeds, the Cardigan Welsh Corgi, the Pyrenean Shepherd and the Bergamasco Shepherd. Pigmentation on paw pads and nose may be mottled by pink. Since merle causes random modifications, however, both dark-eyed, blue-eyed, and odd-colored eyes are possible. The merle gene modifies the dark pigment in the eyes, occasionally changing dark eyes to blue, or part of the eye to be colored blue.
In addition to altering base coat color, merle also modifies eye color and coloring on the nose and paw pads.
Combinations such as brindle and sable merle exist, but are not typically accepted in breed standards. Dogs who are recessive red can still be affected by merle, but the patches are either hardly seen or, if the dog is a clear recessive red, are not visible at all.
The merle forms of brown and black are usually called "red" (though this is not correct red and brown are genetically different) and "blue" as patches of blue are formed throughout the coat. Health issues are more typical and more severe when two merles are bred together, so it is recommended that a merle be bred with a non-merle dog of any other color. This genetic trait should be taken seriously when breeding merles. Some breeds that can be affected by this genetic trait are Carea Leonés, Australian Shepherds and Catahoula Leopard Dogs. There are two general types of colored patches that will appear in a merle coat: liver (red merle) and black (blue merle). The merle gene creates mottled patches of color in a solid or piebald coat, blue or odd-colored eyes, and can affect skin pigment as well. Merle comes in different colors and patterns and can affect all coat colors. Merle is a genetic pattern that can be in a dog's coat.
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