Blue merle ACD?

[Squishy22]

This is my friends dog. She says that her dog is an ACD, but I didnt think they can come in blue merle?? I was thinking maybe there is some australian shepherd in her. Her face is a little thin like a collie and she isnt DA like a lot of ACDs I know. She has a short tail, not sure if it was docked or not.

She is blue merle right? What do you think she is?

 

[Buddy'sParents]

That's blue merle? I always thought this coloring was. And red merle. Are there other merles? I'm confused now.

 

[Squishy22]

That's blue merle? I always thought this coloring was.

I figured it was blue merle with a lot of black in there. She has a blue eye which could be a characteristic of blue merles. All though I could be very wrong, I dont know.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

Someone should come along soon and educate us. lol

 

[Zoom]

That's not blue merle, that looks more like ticking that went haywire. It could be an Aussie/ACD mix, but it's probably just an oddly colored ACD.

 

[Squishy22]

Someone should come along soon and educate us. lol

Yes!! I am very interested about this. lol.

 

[Squishy22]

That's not blue merle, that looks more like ticking that went haywire. It could be an Aussie/ACD mix, but it's probably just an oddly colored ACD.

Weird, lol. I figured it was blue merle because of the marbling in her coat and her blue eye. Interesting! Maybe I can find another pic of her...

 

[Zoom]

No, see, blue merle is a masking factor. If the dog didn't have the merle gene, it would be a black bi- or tri-color. The merling is patches of grey on an otherwise black background. Your friend's dog has a tan base with some black spots on it, mixed with ticking.

I've seen blue eyes/partial blue eyes in dogs before that had no merling to them...I mean it's always possible the dog has some really odd expression of the merle gene, but...it's confusing. Go to www.ashgi.org for some good articles and pictures on Merle.

 

[Squishy22]

Here are a couple more pics of Sadie. She looks too dark to be blue merle, but in some places her coat is a light grayish/blue? She has a lot of brown in her too.

 

[Zoom]

Ok those pictures are better and do show her to be a merle. Flashes can screw up coloration so badly...she's a wierdly marked merle though, since she's got the tan on her neck and shoulders. Aussie/ACD mix I guess...ACD's have thier own colorations that can react oddly.

 

[Squishy22]

No, see, blue merle is a masking factor. If the dog didn't have the merle gene, it would be a black bi- or tri-color. The merling is patches of grey on an otherwise black background. Your friend's dog has a tan base with some black spots on it, mixed with ticking.

I've seen blue eyes/partial blue eyes in dogs before that had no merling to them...I mean it's always possible the dog has some really odd expression of the merle gene, but...it's confusing. Go to www.ashgi.org for some good articles and pictures on Merle.

Thanks for the link. Its very confusing, lol. I've always thought Sawyer was a blue merle, but I guess not?

 

[Squishy22]

Ok those pictures are better and do show her to be a merle. Flashes can screw up coloration so badly...she's a wierdly marked merle though, since she's got the tan on her neck and shoulders. Aussie/ACD mix I guess...ACD's have thier own colorations that can react oddly.

Yeah, she looks way more merle in person. Her coloring is very odd.

 

[Zoom]

Sawyer is a blue merle. Why would you think he wasn't?

 

[Zoom]

Here's the link I was after: http://www.ashgi.org/color/index.htm

 

[Squishy22]

Sawyer is a blue merle. Why would you think he wasn't?

Just because his coat is so dark looking in some places. I was thinking that merles were lighter. But now that I know sadie is a blue merle.... I'm not as confused. I really should go research it. I've never looked into it.

 

[Squishy22]

Here's the link I was after: http://www.ashgi.org/color/index.htm

Oh, ok. Now it makes sense to me, lol. I have a way better understanding of merle now. lol. I never realized how much black pigment a blue merle can have. Blue marle can vary a lot. I love the pics in that link.

 

[mrose_s]

Actually on the sunject of merle, Bodhi dog on here was a merle puppy, but no longer. So when talking genetics and breeding, hypothtically, could Bodhi pass on merle genes despite not being able to see them now? I imagine so becaquse they're a genetic thing right?

Heres a couple of interesting dogs around here atm
Dark Blue merle (I think)
http://petrescue.com.au/view/22601

Red Merle
http://petrescue.com.au/view/24598

 

[Squishy22]

Actually on the sunject of merle, Bodhi dog on here was a merle puppy, but no longer. So when talking genetics and breeding, hypothtically, could Bodhi pass on merle genes despite not being able to see them now? I imagine so becaquse they're a genetic thing right?

Heres a couple of interesting dogs around here atm
Dark Blue merle (I think)
http://petrescue.com.au/view/22601

Red Merle
http://petrescue.com.au/view/24598

Sounds like a cryptic merle. You should check out zooms link.

 

[Zoom]

Sometimes a coat will darken with age and obscure the markings, which is kind of what happened with Bodhi. She was a lot lighter as a pup. You can still see she has merling to her coat, she's just a very, very dark dog.

ETA: Yeah, the show lines (at least with Aussies) tend to be a LOT lighter in color.

 

[ihartgonzo]

She looks like a blue sable merle, to me.

http://www.ashgi.org/color/sable_aussies.htm

She must be mixed with something, to get that merling. She could be just 1/4 Aussie or Catahoula or something... but, one of the parents had to have been merle, and ACDs are never merle. They get their color from the ticking gene, not merling.