Ok,

Just a general question here because my curiosity is up. I know that merle X merle is a no-no in Austrailian Shepherds.....but what about the other breeds that have the merle coloration......collies, shelties, dachshunds, corgies, to name a few. It would seem that the rules would be the same...but maybe not?

Sherita

Hi Sherita,
Merle to merle in any breed is a no-no (to my knowledge). It throws up too many health problems.
:)

Hi sherita
When I started in Rough Collies, many years ago, merle to merle was a definite no no. But, how things have changed!!....These days it is all too common, same in Cardigan corgis.

Regards Anna

I think the reason why it's all change Anna is because so many people are breeding these days who barely know which end of a dog gets mated! It's the same as mating Chocolate Labradors to Chocolate Labradors. It's so sad to see what these people are doing to the breeds. Still, I don't suppose it matters because if it's a disaster then the rescue societies will pick up the pieces. :(

Regards, John

Thanks everyone! I was just curious.......I have just helped rescue and re-home a deaf Austrailian Shepherd that was a result of a merle to merle breeding, and it started me to wondering. Thankfully not something I have to worry about since my breed (Borzoi) doesn't come in Merle. I really did figure that it was the same for all merled breeds, but you just never know.

Sherita

Hi John

Why shouldn't you mate chocolate x chocolate Labs?

Christine

Oh Christine...you know how *bad* for you two lots of chocolate is :p :p :-)

Hi,

I would like to know why you should not mate two chocolate Labs, I have been researching this exact subject for two years and have just mated my chocolate with a black, for no other eason than they were more compatable than any available chocolates. I have talked at length with my vet and there is a school of thought that chocolates lose there deep colour but he has said thats tosh. The vet that carried out the eye testing on my Lab also said there is no reason that he knew of why you should not mate two chocolates

regards
sashiwoo

In my experience, choc to choc looses pigmentation, tends towards poor coat (loosing the undercoat) and the choc to choc's I've known are certainly the more scatty, less trainable of any colour or combination of colours. This is born out (In the UK) by the fact that there has never been a Chocolate Labrador Field Trials champion let alone a Choc to Choc FT CH. I know most people do not want to train their dogs to Field Trials standard but they do need a dog capable of being trained to a standard they can live with otherwise it's off to the dog rescue for the poor dog.

Regards, John

Hi John,

This is what I had heard, and as my bitch has no black in her pedigree until great great grandfather, I was a little concerned, but vet said it was rubbish. I am glad I went with the black dog. My girl is a lovely deep chocolate so hopefully if she is in whelp we will get some nice pups, I would like to keep one to show.

She was only mated last week but I have the feeling this is going to be the longest few weeks of my life while I wait. I have waited a long time to be able to have a good enough dog to breed from and have the time and money to do it.

Regards
sashiwoo

Vet's are good at curing dog's ills but are rarely breed experts I'm afraid! If you want good chocolates then putting her to a black who carries the choc gene is the best move. Even that is no guarantee of good pigmentation although it does make it more likely. My Bethany was a yellow product of a choc bitch put to a black and I have to say she had poor pigmentation! She was also a hooligan but I loved her to bits! I must say though, in a lot of homes I could well imagine her being a candidate for the rescue society!

Regards, John

Mearle X mearle in shelties is a definate NO NO.
I have seen what happens when this happens and the result was 1 very bad missmarked puppy and another deaf blind nearly pure white puppy.
Puppies can also be born without eyes from such a mating
emma xxx

Hi,

If you're interested, this is a fairly straightforward genetics bit on merle breeding:

Merle Genetics

M.