We breed Brindle and Merle,
We have bred Merle in the past, and are currently seeking another Merle .
Lot’s of breeders have issues with
adding Merle to the breeding genes
of the French Bulldog.
Many of the same breeders are
breeding Chocolate and Blue.
Chocolate and Blue were
NEVER a color of the French bulldog ,
and have recently been
added to the breeding pool , for color.
Merle is not Lethal as a single gene on its own,
and can be safely bred,
so I ask where is the issue.
Does this sound personal to you?
If so, Do not breed or buy a Merle,
stick to other colors, patterns.
The same goes for Blue and Chocolate ,
if you breed traditional colors,
and do not care for the Blues or the Chocolates
play nice, just do not purchase dogs out of these lineages.
Do not be so quick to throw rocks at glass houses,
yours may be next……. just saying.
M-Locus Merle (Merle / Cryptic Merle)
Merle is a coat pattern found in Australian Shepherds and a number of other dog breeds.
The phenotype is inherited as an autosomal, incompletely dominant trait.
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.
Animals that are “double Merle” a common term used for dogs that are homozygous
for Merle (MM) are predominantly white and prone to several health issues.
Chances of having puppies with health issues is more typical when two Merles are bred together,
so it is recommended that a Merle dog only be bred to a non Merle, non cryptic Merle dog.
Many solid dogs are actually cryptic or phantom merles and can produce both Merle and double merles.
Merle can affect all coat colors. Recessive red dogs can also 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.
Combinations such as brindle Merle exist, but are not typically accepted in breed standards.
In addition to altering base coat color,
Merle also modifies eye color and coloring on the nose and paw pads.
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.
Since Merle causes random modifications, both dark-eyed, blue-eyed, and odd-colored eyes are possible. Color on paw pads and nose may be mottled pink and black.
Genetics:
A mobile genetic unit called a Retrotransposon insertion in premelanosome protein (PMEL17) or silver locus protein homolog (SILV) is responsible for
Merle patterning in a number of domestic dog breeds.
Merle is actually a heterozygote of an incompletely dominant gene.
If two (Mm) dogs are mated, there on average 25% of the puppies will be (MM) homozygous or “double merles”, which is the common term for dogs that are homozygous for Merle. A high percentage of double Merle puppies have vision or hearing deficiencies.
A cryptic or phantom Merle is a dog which phenotypically appears to be a non-merle or very faint of Merle that can go unnoticed. Animals that do not present the Merle phenotype may possess the Merle genotype and subsequently produce Merle offspring.
These animals are known as cryptic Merles.
| M/M | Double Merle | Dog carries two copies of the dominant “M” allele. The dog is considered an affected, “double Merle” because M/M dogs can be affected by deafness and ocular defects. M/M dogs will always pass on a copy of Merle to their offspring. |
| M/m | Merle | Dog has one copy of the “M” Merle allele and one negative “m” copy of Merle allele. The dog can pass either allele on to any offspring. |
| m/m | Negative | Dog has two copies of the recessive “m” allele and is negative for Merle. The dog will always pass on a negative copy of the Merle allele to all offspring. |
| CR/CR | Double Cryptic | Dog carries two copies of the Cryptic “CR” allele. |
| m/CR | Merle | Dog has one copy of the Cryptic “CR” allele and one negative “m” copy of Merle allele. The dog can pass either allele on to any offspring. |
| m/m | Negative | Dog is negative for Cryptic “C” allele. The dog will always pass on a negative copy of the Merle allele to all offspring. |
| M/CR | Merle/Cryptic | Dog carries one copy of the dominant “M” allele and one Cryptic Merle allele. The dog is considered a Merle, and caries Cryptic Merle. The dog can pass either allele on to any offspring |
What does Brindle and Merle look like together?
Look up Brindle/ Merle Great Dane….. Beautiful
Brindlequin is Brindle with Harlequin kbrHhMm
now keep in mind each dog has a color gene prior to this strand as well,
in the case of Fawn, the answer is obvious, however pick a color for the Brindlequin
(H-Locus) Harlequin Pattern In Great Danes
See the Harlequin gene is related to Merle, both genes found in the Great Dane.
The Harlequin pattern is a result of a complex interaction between variances in the Merle (PMEL17) and the Harlequin (PSMB7) genes.
The Harlequin variant acts as a modifier of Merle and all harlequin dogs must have one or two copies of the mutation responsible for Merle.
Harlequin cannot be expressed in dogs that are not Merle, or only have red pigment.
The dominant Merle gene, by itself produces a coat consisting of dark spots on a diluted background.
If a Merle dog also inherits a single copy of the Harlequin gene,
the dark spots increase in size and the background pigment is eliminated.
Harlequin is presumed to be homozygous embryonic lethal as no animals have been observed with 2 copies of the mutated gene.
There for, all Harlequin patterned dogs have 1 copy of the mutated gene.
According to research conducted Dr. Leigh Anne Clark over 59% of Harlequin-bred blacks
or non Merle dogs (includes Mantles) carry the harlequin mutation.
Harlequin Pattern Results:
| H/H | Lethal | Embryonic lethal |
| N/H | Black | Animal tests positive for 1 copy of the PSMB7 mutation. Harlequin mutation is present. In order to express the Harlequin pattern the dog must carry at least one copy of both Merle (M) and on copy of black (E) pigment. When breeding 2 N/H dogs there is a 25% chance of an embryonic lethal offspring. |
| N/N | Brown | Animal tests negative for PSMB7 mutation. No copies of Harlequin mutation are present. |
M-Locus Merle (Merle / Cryptic Merle)
Do some home work.
What does Brindle and Merle look like together?
Look up Brindle/ Merle Great Dane….. Beautiful
Brindle / Merle puppy here, you can find more on your own.
The mixing of the genes is a fascination on mine.
Here is a very beautiful example of the correlation the genetics can cause, by a breeder , . Kay Roush, in Tx.
She was responsible for the Great Dane community evolution of this breed with genetics.
she can be found at www.kissmycoco.com
