What Does a Blue Merle Look Like?
Dogs with blue merle markings were once classified as mottled, brindle, or spotted. Blue merle is not a color, but rather a coloring pattern, as canine geneticists have begun to unravel the secret of this gorgeous and unusual coat, which is desired by many dog breeders and owners.
The Dog in Black and Blue
Blue merle is not a blue dog, but rather a black dog whose coloration has been genetically diluted, much as bleach has been thrown on him in the washing machine. Parts of his black coat are unblemished, while others have been softened to a bluish-grey hue. Solid-color patches are usually uneven in shape and can appear anywhere on the dog's body.
Painting with Genetic Code
There are nine loci on a dog's chromosomes that combine to determine the dog's final coat colors. Alleles are found at each chromosome location, and each dog inherits two chromosomes, one from each parent. Alleles can be dominant or recessive, and how they're combined defines a dog's appearance. The merle color pattern alleles are found at the M locus on the chromosome. Non-merle coloration is recessive (R), and merle coloring is dominant (M) (m). The merle color pattern is inherited when a dog inherits a heterozygous pair (Mm or mM). Double merle dogs have a homozygous pair of dominant genes (MM) and are usually solid white. Because the merle gene exclusively affects the eumelanin pigments, any black, liver, blue, or Isabella coloring can be mistaken for merle. The merle gene has no effect on phaeomelanin pigments like red, therefore they will seem solid.
Various Shades of Blue
Blue merles have a wide variety of coat markings. The coat of certain blue merle dogs is primarily gray-blue with a few little black patches. A coat with approximately 50% merle, or gray-blue, and 50% black patches is the most prevalent merle pattern and the one described in most breed standards. Large black patches and merle color can be found on blanketed blue merles. Finally, cryptic merles are canines that are mainly black with little or no obvious merle coloring.
reeds in the color blue
Merle coloring does not appear in every breed. Australian shepherds, border collies, old English sheepdogs, mudis, Cardigan Welsh corgis, rough and smooth-coated collie, Shetland sheepdogs, Pyrenean shepherds, dunkers, and Catahoula leopard dogs all carry the gene. The Chihuahua, American Staffordshire terrier, American cocker spaniel, and Pomeranian have all recently been bred with the merle gene. The merle gene is also responsible for the dappling seen in dachshunds and the Great Dane's harlequin pattern.
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