What Is A Double Merle Australian Shepherd?

A __% merle double merle Australian shepherd (Aussie) is a dog with a defective gene which causes a lack of pigmentation and other defects. The only gene which is responsible for the character of a dog is called as Coat Color gene (CC). Two dogs (A and a) having the same allele for this gene (Aa) would produce a merle double merle Australian shepherd (AaAa). Merle refers to the colored patches of the dog. Double merle refers to the dogs which have heterozygous merle gene (Aa). Such dogs are generally born blind or deaf or both. Such dogs are generally born deaf. The __% double merle Aussies are born with blue eyes. Such dogs are generally born deaf..

What Is A Double Merle Australian Shepherd? – Related Questions

How do I know if my dog is double merle?

The easiest way to tell if your dog is double merle is to look at their littermates. If at least two of them are also double merle, then it’s very likely that your dog is also double merle unless there is a chance you have a really weird litter. Merle is a genetic defect, so it would be strange to have even one merle out of four dogs. The only exception is that there are two copy of the merle gene, then it’s possible that one of the littermates is merle..

What happens if you breed 2 merle Aussies?

Merle is a dominant trait, so if you breed a merle to a merle, there is a good chance that you’ll get a merle puppy. You can also breed a merle to a dog that has a non-merle parent that also carries the merle gene. When this happens, about ___% of the puppies will be merle and the rest will be non-merle. There is a higher risk of ___ with merle dogs, so you should always spay or neuter your dog..

Are double merle dogs unhealthy?

Double merle dogs are born with deformed eyes, skin, and ear pigment. They also tend to have hearing problems. For these reasons, it is recommended that double merle dogs are not bred..

Can a double merle be healthy?

There are different types of merle in dogs, however, it is important to remember that the merle is the color of the dog, not the health. There are merle dogs alive today who are healthy, however, there are also many that are not healthy. One of the reasons why the merle is not healthy is because of the genetics of the dog. The merle is a combination of both the dominant and the recessive gene, which causes the merle. As a result, there is a higher chance that the merle is going to have health defects. It is important to remember that with both parents being merle dogs, the chance of the merle getting health defects increases to __% . Also, with both parents being merle dogs, the chance of the puppy being a merle dog is __% even if it’s not both parents are merle dogs. The double merle is often times born blind, deaf, and with other health defects..

Why are merle dogs more expensive?

In dogs, a merle is a pattern of mottled, splotched, or marbled coloring. The merle pattern is actually a form of partial albinism, where less pigment is distributed throughout the dog’s fur. The merle gene is a dilution gene that produces a mixture of eumelanin and phaeomelanin pigment granules, instead of a uniform color. It is a recessive gene, which means a dog must inherit two copies of the merle gene in order to express the merle pattern in its coat..

Can you breed 2 Blue Merle Australian Shepherds?

Australian Shepherds have been bred for their looks for a long time, and that has created a lot of inbreeding in the breed. This has been a problem from the beginning with the breed. The Blue Merle gene is a lethal gene. This means that a Blue Merle dog cannot produce a viable pup. A Blue Merle with a Blue Merle will not produce a viable pup. A Blue Merle with a merle can produce a viable pup, but most of these pups will have health problems. A Blue Merle with a non-merle is a viable combination. The Blue Merle gene can be passed from a carrier to a non-carrier, but that will only result in a carrier. The gene for color is not dominant. It’s recessive. This means that a Blue Merle must have a Blue Merle parent. It is impossible to produce a Blue Merle by breeding a Blue Merle with a non-Blue Merle..

What is a Whitehead Australian Shepherd?

A Whitehead Australian Shepherd is a variety of Australian Shepherd. The Whitehead is known to be exceptionally well-muscled, standing between 18-22 inches at the shoulder, with an average weight of approximately 55 pounds. The Whitehead Australian Shepherd has a life span of 16 years. The coat of this breed is shorter than that of the other Australian Shepherds, but just as thick. The coat is white, with some brown or tan markings on the ears, cheeks, and mask. There are also black markings around the eyes, around the nose, and inside the ears. The tail is usually white-tipped, but can also be white, tan, or brown. The Whitehead Australian Shepherd is noted for his blue, almond-shaped eyes, which are very expressive. The Whitehead Australian Shepherd has an incredibly soft temperament, making it an excellent family dog. All Whitehead Australian Shepherds should be well-socialized at an early age, in order to help prevent any future behavioral problems. The Whitehead Australian Shepherd was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 2008..

What is the rarest color of Australian Shepherd?

The rarest color of Australian Shepherd is black. The coat color is also known as “Australian Blue Merle”. It is an extension of merle gene that is responsible for diluting black coloring of dogs. This particular canine coloration has been observed in cattle breeds since the 19th century. Blue Merle dogs are not albino rather they have some color. The muzzle, tail tip, ears, eyebrows, eye rims and paw pads are some of the parts of the body where some dark pigmentation can be observed. A dog with this coat color is always heterozygous for merle gene. A homozygous dog is a blue merle Australian Shepherd. This happens when a dog inherits recessive alleles from both the parents. This is not a color that can be found in a litter. Therefore it’s a color that is extremely difficult to breed. The dogs that carry this recessive coat color need not necessarily express it as dogs can have multiple coat colors as well as be genetically blue merle dogs. In 2004, a litter of 8 puppies was born to parents who both were carriers for this gene. They all had blue merle coats, but only two of them were heterozygous..

Why are double merles bad?

A double merle is a merle without the merle gene, which is responsible for the white patches in dogs. The double merle coloring is responsible for dogs with defective eyes, deafness, blindness, organ defects, seizures, and even death. Double merles are bad because they are less likely to reach adulthood because of the defects that they are born with. ___% of double merles are born deaf, which means they cannot hear anything. Some dogs can’t even open their eyes, which means they are blind. Double merles are the ones most likely to have deafness. A double merle is also simply bad because it’s less likely to survive. A double merle will have a hard time surviving in the wild because it will not be able to hear any danger approaching..

What is wrong with merle dogs?

Merle dogs are just different color dogs that have white fur that are usually spotted because the genes are mixed. These dogs are not any more related to each other than any other dogs that can be of the same color. It is believed that the merle dogs got their name from their mottled and marbled coat. The name of these dogs can be traced back to the French word for “pied” and the German word for “swirl” or “mottled”. It is observed that the merle dogs don’t seem to get along very well with non-merle dogs, and such dogs tend to get agitated easily..

Why are merle dogs blind?

Merle dogs are partially or completely blind due to a condition called Congenital Blindness of Merle. The condition is caused by a defect in the development of the eyes, which results in improper formation of the retina. The defect blocks the transmission of light to the optic nerve, resulting in blindness. Merle dogs are usually born with normal vision, then later on they lose sight in one or both eyes. The defect is caused by production of too much pigment in the eyes, called heterochromia. A dog with heterochromia may have one eye of one color, and another eye of another color. The condition is usually only seen in dogs, but it does sometimes occur in cats as well..

Is Dapple same as merle?

No, they are not the same. Dapple means that there is a distinct color difference in the coat. The merle gene causes a color difference in merle-factored dogs. Dapple is a coat pattern in which the base color and the overlay color (usually black in most dog breeds) do not mix in the coat, but instead form a pattern where the base color is in the background and the overlay is in the foreground. Dapple is the result of the merle gene interacting with the Agouti gene. The effect is a pattern such as that of a wolf, that is, the base color is in the background and the overlay is in the foreground..

How long do double merle Australian Shepherds live?

If you are asking, “How long do double merle Australian Shepherds live?” , then the answer is that they usually live to be just like their normal colored counterparts. The lifespan of an Australian Shepherd is fairly long. On average, they live up to 15 years. However, there is a possibility that this dog breed may survive up to 18 years. This is a healthy dog breed that has no genetic problems that could shorten their lifespan..

How do you tell if an Aussie is a double merle?

A merle Aussie is a Aussie with a merle gene. The merle gene is a dominant gene, this means that it only needs one copy of the gene to express itself. A dog with one copy of the merle gene (heterozygous) will be merle. A dog with two copies of the merle gene (homozygous) will be a double merle. A double merle is not a true homozygous merle because they will always carry one copy of the non-merle gene. They are not always 100% merle. The double merle dogs can be very variable in their degree of merling and sometimes they can be anywhere from almost all white with some patches of blue to very patchy with white and blue. If a merle dog breeds with another merle, there is a chance of merle puppies even if neither parent is a double merle. This is because one of the dogs may carry the non-merle gene. When this happens you will get some merle puppies and some dogs with no merle gene at all. These dogs will not produce merle puppies if they are bred together..

What is a Phantom Aussie?

Phantom Aussie is a pejorative term used by Australians for a type of Australian expatriate who maintains connections to Australia while living in a foreign country. The term ‘Phantom’ because this type of Australian does not live in Australia but identifies strongly with Australia, and ‘Aussie’ because they are Australians. The term has been used in the Australian media to refer to the former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who was accused of being a ‘Phantom Aussie’ because he holidayed in Australia while Prime Minister 2012-2015. The term is a cross between a ‘Phantom Hungarian’ and a ‘Phantom Brit’. Phantom Hungarians were Hungarians who claimed to be refugees from the communist regime in Hungary, moved to the U.K. and were accused by the British of being expatriates. Phantom Brits are also British expatriates however they claim benefits from the British government and live in Florida, Australia and Spain..