Can You Breed Two Red Merle Australian Shepherds?

No. The problem that you are raising is that merle in dogs is a modifier gene that when it is expressed, causes a reduction in the production of pigment. When you mate two merles, the likelihood of getting an embryo that is either all white or all merle is not 100% – instead, you get the following: 1/4 of the offspring will be homozygous merle (all patches/white, unviable) 1/4 of the offspring will be double heterozygous for merle (1/2 white, 1/2 merle) 1/4 of the offspring will be heterozygous for merle 1/4 of the offspring will be wild type (all patches/colors) So, if you breed two merles together, you will always get a high percentage of patches/white and nothing else. If you selectively breed two heterozygotes for merle you can eventually end up with a population that is 25% merle. More to the point, if you breed two merles together, say, 10 times, you end up with 1 wild-type dog and 9 patches. That is not a breeding program – that is a waste of time and money. If you selectively breed heterozygotes together, you can maintain a breeding program and do not end up with a high proportion of patches..

Can You Breed Two Red Merle Australian Shepherds? – Related Questions

Can you breed a red merle with a red merle?

There is a specific gene that controls the merle pattern. A dog with a merle pattern will have one of four possible genotypes: MM, Mm, mm, or Mm. This locus is epistatic to all other genes, so it is responsible for washing out all other genes and displaying the merle pattern. In a merle x merle cross, the puppies will have four different possible genotypes: MM, Mm, mm, or Mm. Since MM does not produce a merle pattern, a cross between a MM and a Mm will only produce a Mm. The Mm puppy will always be a merle, but it won’t necessarily look exactly like its sire or dam. The offspring will have the same merle pattern as one of its parents, but it will be marked differently. In the case of a cross between a Mm and Mm, the puppies will have two MM copies and two Mm copies. Both copies of the Mm gene are nonfunctional. In the case of a cross between a mm and a Mm, one of the puppies will be mm and it will be a non-merle carrier of the merle gene. All other puppies will be Mm and merle. In the case of a cross between a mm and a mm, all puppies will be mm and non-merle carriers..

Why can’t you breed two merle Australian Shepherds?

Merle is a coat color that is caused by a double dose of a gene for a color called phaeomelanin and can be found in many dog breeds. The gene for merle is also referred to as the d locus and is located on one of the dog chromosome. When a merle gene is present, the puppy will have a random mixture of the two colors. Inheriting the merle gene from one parent and the non-merle gene from the other parent will give your puppy a solid coat color. The only way that you can get a merle Australian Shepherd is to breed a merle Australian Shepherd with another merle Australian Shepherd. This is because if one parent has the merle gene and the other parent does not, you will only produce puppies with a solid coat. The merle gene is a dominant gene and is easily recognizable by the “M” on the dog’s forehead and the “saddle” pattern on their back. If these traits are present, it is likely that the dog has the merle gene. Breeding two merle dogs is not recommended, as it is likely that they will produce offspring with health issues..

Can you breed two merle dogs?

Yes, of course you can breed two merle dogs. __% of all dogs are of merle coloring. However, this is not the same as breeding two merle siblings. Merle coloring is largely dominant in dogs, but there is still a chance that the offspring will not take after the parents. Breeding siblings who are both merle would produce puppies who are double merle. These dogs are not desirable because they can develop serious health problems, but the merle gene will be in their pups in any case. When breeding two merle dogs, it is essential that they are not closely related. It is important to remember that although the offspring will likely be merle, they can still develop health problems. This is because __% of all dogs are of merle coloring. You will also still have to be careful when breeding two merle dogs, because the chances of them having puppies with the merle gene is high, but they can still develop health problems, so be sure to check out the health of the parents before you choose them..

Can a red merle Australian Shepherd have blue merle puppies?

Red merle Aussie’s are very rare in the Australian Shepherd breed. Actually, only 15% of Australian Shepherds are red merle. Now, red merle Aussie’s can produce blue merle puppies. Blue merle puppies are always heterozygous for the merle gene. Having two copies of the merle gene can cause eye defects, but Red merles are very rare. This is why it is really rare to produce blue merle puppies..

What is a Phantom merle Australian Shepherd?

A Phantom merle Australian Shepherd is a breeding term for an Australian Shepherd that has double merle genes (one gene which is dominant and one which is recessive). The dog has a merle coat (a black base with patches of blue/pink) and blue eyes, despite not carrying the genes for tricolor (blue merle base with black spots). Phantom merle Australian Shepherds are sometimes confused with Dalmatians, which are usually associated with firefighting, but the only way to determine if the dog is a Dalmatian is to look at it’s spots. Phantom merle Australian Shepherds are not associated with the color red, but may have reddish patches due to the genes that create the merle coat..

Are red Aussies rare?

Red Aussies are actually not rare, but they are an unusual color for an Australian Cattle Dog. It is estimated that only 15% of the Australian Cattle Dogs are also red in color. Red Aussies are so rare in fact, that in the 1960s, there were only three registered in the entire United States. The Australian Cattle Dog comes in three colors – red, black or blue. The red, black or blue colors are caused by recessive genes. If both parents are carriers of the recessive genes, then the color of the Australian Cattle Dog puppies will be black or blue..

How do I know if my dog is double merle?

A dog is double merle if it has two copies of the merle gene. The merle gene looks for a particular DNA sequence and if it finds it, the dog will have a black coat and blue eyes. In dogs with one copy of the merle gene, the gene is turned off. In dogs with two copies of the merle gene, the gene is turned on and they have a merle coat and blue eyes. This is why dogs with two copies of the merle gene are always born merle. The two copies of the merle gene cause the production of extra pigment. This pigment causes the merle coat. The eyes are blue because the iris is made up of lots of little hairs called melanocytes. These melanocytes are pigmented so the iris is blue. When there are two copies of the merle gene, there are lots of melanocytes made so the iris is blue..

Why are merle dogs more expensive?

Merle is a color pattern seen in dogs. It is characterized by the merle gene, which is a recessive gene. The merle gene makes it difficult to identify the breed or *** of the dog. A merle dog may be blue, black, gray or tan. A merle dog has patches of color on an otherwise lighter colored coat. If you compare a merle Great Dane with a solid-colored Great Dane, the merle dog will look like “muddy” or “marbled” coloring. The merle coloring, however, does not affect the dog’s eyes. A merle Great Dane may have blue eyes or brown eyes, just like a Great Dane without merle coloring. Merle dogs are more likely to have health problems related to the eyes. These problems can include cataracts, glaucoma or retinal diseases. Merle dogs may also have hearing problems, heart problems or neurological problems..

What is a Harlequin merle?

A Harlequin merle is a tricolor dog with black patches outlined in white, but with no black in the coat, while the dog has both black and white pigmentation. The Harlequin coi is a rare variation of the merle. On a Harlequin merle, black-and-tan patches appear on the head only. The dog can be either tricolor or bi-color. The bi-color mutation is the result of the merle gene being used on its own. The merle gene can have other effects on a dog’s coat color, causing the face, ears, legs, and underparts to have limited color. Those dogs are called “merlequin” or “quin”..

How do you breed a merle dog?

Breeding merle dogs is easy if you understand the basics. You’ll also need to be aware of what to expect while breeding merles..

Can you breed a merle carrier to a merle?

Absolutely not! Merle is a dilution gene, so if both parents carry the gene, it is impossible to get a merle out of the litter. Actually, it is possible to breed merles together because merle is not a dominant gene. Merle is recessive, so either parent can carry it. Merle to merle breeding can produce blue merles, double merles, and merle to merle breeding cannot produce solid merles. My question to you is – why are you breeding merles together, are you trying to produce solid merles? I would advise against breeding merles together..

Can you breed a cryptic merle to a merle?

Breeding two merles together will produce merles. However, breeding a merle to a cryptic merle will not produce another cryptic merle. It will produce a normal merle that may carry the cryptic merle gene. To get another cryptic merle, breed a cryptic merle to a merle..

Do Red Merles have blue eyes?

Yes. A merle can have blue eyes. The red base coat color with a black overlay (black mask and/or black ears) make the eyes look blue..

Do Red Merles darken with age?

No, the coat color of a dog is genetic, and will not change. Working lines, which are common in the Red Merle breed, are bred to produce an “overlay” of Merle, which will lighten the Merle to create the Blue Merle. The Red Merle is allowed to get darker over the course of its life, but it will never lighten. The Merle color is seen predominately on the head, plus the legs, chest, and saddle area. Merle is the result of a double dose of MC1R in the gene, which is in the cells, in the hair shafts. It is not the result of the cells in the hair shafts being damaged by the sun, or any other outside influence. This is not an inherited trait..

What is the difference between red merle and red tri?

Red merles are considered to be at increased risk of developing eye or ear defects, especially if two merle parents are present. Red merles are also more likely to develop pigmentary problems, such as brindling, fading or dilution..