 |
 About
Breeding Merle Cockers Safely
First, Some general information..to read more indepth on the merle
gene, click on the About Merles Button
There is no such thing as a sable merle gene or a red, brown or blue
merle gene.
There is only a merle gene. Merle is an INCOMPLETE DOMINATE gene,
which means
this gene will show up in it's offspring. Merle is also a dilution
gene,
that is, it lightens whatever the coat color would otherwise
have been.
The lightening is not spread evenly over the coat, but leaves patches
of
undiluted color scattered over the dog's body. Also, the lightening
seems to
work primarily on the dark pigment in the coat, so any tan on the face
stays even.
One dose of the merle gene on an otherwise black dog produces
a
blue merle - a more or less bluish gray dog dappled with
black spots.
On a brown cocker, you would have a light grayish tan with normal
colored brown spots or marking in it.
The same with a RED cocker, only this could be harder to see.You would
see a light buff color with plotches of the darker red in it.
Tan points - the tan spots over the eyes, on the sides of the muzzle,
on
the legs
and under the tail of a tricolor dog - will still be there in the merled
cocker that has tan points..
One dose of the merle gene on an otherwise sable dog produces a sable
merle.
Sable merles are less predictable in color than blue merles, and may
range anywhere
from an apparent sable, often with a pinkish or orange cast to its
coat, to something
that looks like a very rusty blue merle. White markings remain on the
merled dog,
and may even be slightly more prominant.
There is also a form of merling that is a combination of different patches
of color spread thoughout the coat.
Looking much like a calico cat appearance.
Merle also can act on the dark pigment in the iris of the eye just
as it does on the
coat, so merle dogs often have part or all of the eye blue.
(This does not affect their
vision, though since it happens to some extent in the retina as well
it may
make it harder to diagnose certain eye problems.)
Breeding Merle to other colors
There are many different colors
and patterns the merle gene can produce and this is why people like them.
The main idea when breeding
for merle is to produce the merle pattern, and not to hide it.
In order to produce a merle
that will look merle and not be hidden
or disappear as the dog ages,
it is best to follow the guidelines listed below.
,See our page on cocker
merle colors..
|
Ok to breed merle to:
|
DO NOT breed merle to:
|
Reasoning Not to breed to these colors:
|
| Blacks |
Buffs and Silvers |
Buff and silver HIDES the merle pattern |
| Black & Tans |
Sables |
Sable often HIDES the merle pattern, often eventually the sable blends
over the merle as the dog ages and the merling fades out or disappears |
| Browns & Brown & Tans |
Merle |
Breeding merle to merle can produce a lethal gene and you can end up
with dead, deformed or pups with tiny or missing eyes, or possibly other
problems |
| Black or Brown Partis |
Roans |
Roans often mix with the merling and it will hide the merle |
| Black Tricolors |
Very open marked (mostly white) Partis |
White hides all merling. The excess white can also possibly lead to
deafness |
| Brown Tricolors |
Red & White or Buff & White Partis |
Buff and red hide the merling as does white |
Registering Merles With AKC
Because the parent club, American
Spaniel Club is responsible for what colors and patterns are allowed to
be listed with AKC, merle owners have been told in the past by AKC to register
their merles as roans. THIS IS INCORRECT!
DO NOT register a merle as a roan. They are not roans. And this is
becoming a very upsetting situation for roan breeders as well as most all
breeders and fanciers.
This website has attempted to educate merle owners to the differences
between roan and merle.
It would be like somebody registering a buff cocker as a black.
A lot of breeders have realized this, but there are still many, many
merle breeders and owners who still insist on registering their merles
as roans.
PLEASE stop this!
Until merle can be listed as a pattern for American Cocker Spaniels,
it is best to register your merle as the color it would have been if it
did not have the merling pattern.
For example:
A brown merle is simply a brown cocker with the merling pattern. it
should be registered as a brown cocker
A "blue merle" is a black cocker with the merling pattern-Register
it as a black cocker
A Black, White and Tan Cocker (also known as a Tri or a black tri)
with the merling pattern should be registered as a tri
A black & tan cocker with the merling pattern should be registered
as a black & tan cocker
Many breeders and owners are wanting to add something to designate their
cocker as a merle, and they can do this by adding the word, "merle" as
part of the registered name or some are spelling it backwards as Elrem,
or just adding "M" to the name.
This alerts other breeders that there is a merle cocker in the pedigree.
|
FAQ on breeding merles
Q: I just bought a cocker that the breeder said was a roan. How do
I know if it really IS a roan or a merle?
A:Please look at this website and compare your
cocker with the merle and roan cockers on the Differences Pages.
Look at the pedigree or get one if you don't
have one and see if you can trace it to known merle cockers on this website.
If still confused, please send a photo and/or the pedigree to the websmaster
at this site. You can also join the Merle Cocker Discussion list. There
are many on there who can help you. Instructions to join is on the home
page of this website.
Q: Are merle cockers purebred?
A:
1..Yes
2. No
3.Maybe
The jury is still out on this one.
1. Yes because IF the merle gene was introduced,
it was back in May of 1988.Genetic experts say that a dog is considered
purebred after 4 or 5 generations. Most merles now are at 12 generations
or more from this breeding.
Yes, the merle gene is an ancient gene and is
present in all dogs although not activated in all breeds, unless it mutated,
which could be a possibility in the merle cocker.
2.No-Others say a dog of another breed was introduced
to the cocker gene pool in 1988 and they feel the merle cocker is not purebred
even after almost 20 years.
3. Maybe-Again, it could be a genetic mutation
that happened
Q:How did merle cockers come about?
A:No one knows for sure, and no one will probably
ever know for sure. It could have been a mutation from 1988, actually the
dog in question was born in 1979, 28 years ago. Whether this was a mutation,
or something jumped the fence, no one will ever know for 100% certainty.All
merles go back to this breeding. If it does not, then it is a fudged pedigree.There
has been a case of somebody attempting to say that their merle does not
go back to this breeding. This breeding was done with fake papers from
another female, and not the female that was actually the dam and who did
go back to Rusty Butch.
Q:I have a pedigree on my merle. How do I find out if it goes back
to Rusty Butch?
A:You can check the pedigrees on this website
and many should be able to help you trace your dog back to Rusty Butch.
If not, contact the webmaster and we'll see if we can trace it for you.
Q:If I have a cocker that is a normal color, but after looking at the
pedigree, I see that there is a merle in there a few generations back.
Can it be safe to breed my cocker even though it isn't merle? What are
my chances a merle will pop up?
A:If your dog is not a merle nor are it's parents,
your dog is as safe as any dog without merle in the pedigree. The lethal
gene is only carried on the merle gene,if your dog is not merle, then there
is no lethal gene nor will your dog ever produce merle, unless it is bred
to a merle.
Q:My dog isn't a merle but it's mother was. Can I breed/show this dog?
A: If your dog is not a merle cocker, and it
is an allowed color and quality for conformation, then yes, it is perfectly
fine to show your dog or breed it. If your dog is not merle, then it does
not carry for merle and is as normal as any cocker whose parents are any
other color.
Q:I have a cocker but it's a normal color but it has 2 blue eyes. Is
this normal? Is this a merle?
A:It is not the norm for a cocker to have blue
eyes. Chances are it is probably a merle cocker. Sometimes the only place
merle will show up much is the eye color.
There is also a dilute gene in cockers than can
also turn a cocker's eyes blue or lighten them significantly. The best
thing to do to know for sure is to look at the pedigree or ask the breeder
of your dog if one of it's parents were merle.If still uncertain, you can
have your dog tested to see if it is a merle at Genmark
Q:I have a cocker that has double merles behind it. I thought all double
merles would die when born?
A:No, this is not true. Some double merle pups
can die soon after they are born or be born dead. But we are finding that
double merle cockers seem to be fairly healthy and have not really presented
with any unusual problems when bred together. It is still not a good
idea to breed 2 merle cockers together because of the lethal gene when
2 are bred, there is still a chance problems could happen.
Q:If I bred 2 merles together, would I have all merles in the litter?
A:No, from research, you can have as many merles
from a merle to non merle breeding as you can from merle to merle and without
the potential health problems.
Q:Are there any health problems associated with merle cockers?
A: There have been occasions of some merle cockers
having iris coloboma, which is a basicly a misshapen pupil, which generally
cause no eye problems.
Other than that, there could be a possibilty
of deafness when breeding merle to merle or merle to very white open marked
cockers. Any other genetic problem is a problem that could be considered
normal to any color cocker.
Q:How do I know if my dog is a hidden merle? I want to breed it.
A: You can get a genetic test now to see if your
dog is a merle.Genmark
Another thing to do, is test breed your merle
to a non merle dog. If no merles appear in the litter, your dog is not
merle.
Q:How many merles are in a normal merle to non-merle cocker litter?
A: It varies. Some
have had only 1 or 2 merles in a normal (5-6 pup) litter, some have had
70-80% merles.
Q: If the non-merle cockers in a merle litter are bred, will they produce
merles?
A: NO. Only merles can produce merles. The only
way a non merle can produce merle is to breed it to a merle.
Q: Because merles can carry a lethal gene, I am terrified that I may
get or breed to a dog that has a merle in it's pedigree.How can I feel
safe?
A: The only way merle can carry and produce the
lethal gene is to breed it to another merle. If there is no merle to merle
breeding, there IS NO LETHAL GENE.
It takes 2 to tango, so to say. If your dog is
not merle, you do not have the lethal gene nor do you have to worry about
it. The gene stops with the merle.
If you have a dog who has a merle 3 generations
back, but the offspring of that merle in your pedigree is not merle, then
there is no lethal gene. That gene stopped 3 generations back. It is NOT
recessive and cannot be carried and then produced. Even if this was a double
merle breeding, if your dog is not merle, there is NO LETHAL GENE and you
are safe. |
Word of advice to merle breeders
Merle is a very hot topic right now, not only in Cockers , but it's
cropping up in many other breeds as well.
There has been a lot of controversy about the lethal gene associated
with the merle pattern.
Merle is and can be very striking, unusual and often very pretty.
But it should be bred by responsible breeders who understand the merling
pattern, are ready to accept any consequenses both health wise and from
the public.
Merle breeders need to learn to understand color genetics, even the
basics, to be able to breed healthy and correct cockers.
They should also be able to read and understand pedigrees and what
is involved to breed safely.
Merle breeding shouldn't be undertaken just for the money aspect. These
are warm loving caring dogs that depend on us to make the right decisions
for them, and this also includes breeding healthy and correctly.
No one should be breeding strictly for color or just the money. Health
, temperament, and conformation/quality should be the top priorities.
Color is just the icing on the cake, but with merles, there is a lethal
gene associated with it, so breeders need to be careful and knowledgable
about what they are doing.
It's just as easy to breed a quality merle cocker that is both lovely
in appearance as well as temperament and function, than it is to just throw
2 dogs together.
People who breed merles love the unusual colors and markings, so they
need to strive to produce the best quality they can. Especially if we want
to be able to register these dogs correctly.
Having a bad attitude towards the parent club and not caring about
health and quality will never get your dogs registered and they will always
be considered outcasts. Showing the fancy that merles can be as nice or
nicer than other colors will be a huge plus in the merle breeders and owners
favor.
Lets breed these merles as something we all can be proud of.:-) |
|