Harlequin/Black and White/Merle/Double Merle in Danes???

[noludoru]

Someone please explain this to me. I must have it all wrong, but the gist I have gotten from dane sites is that if you breed a Harle (which I thought was black and white spotted, but is apparently merle?) to a black and white dog you will get what they call "merles" but appear to be double merles... I'm really confused.

Please explain this to me. You cannot get a merle from two non-merle parents.. but that is what I have gotten the impression of.

Simple terms for nolu's fried brain, please..

 

[Beanie]

Harlequins have lots of colours to their genetics, and merle is part of it. Color isn't as simple as they make it in biology, but if we were to make it that simple, think of it as Mm - Merle is dominant (M) to solid (m).
When you say black & white I think you're referring to the Boston danes - they do not have merle in them, so it's safe to breed a Harle dane to a Boston dane. You'll get Bostons, harle, mismarked whites (I think is what they call them) and merles.

I don't totally understand the question but I hope this helps.

 

[Danegirl2208]

If you breed a Harlequin (all harls do carry at least one copy of the merle gene) and a Mantle (which is what i assume you mean by black and white)- you will get Mantles, Harlequins and a few Merles. You can get recessive white dogs which includes piebalds (white with the only color being on the head and tail). But the breeding can not produce a dominant/defective white.

 

[Cheza]

Cheza is piebald harlequin; both her parents were Harles. I -think- that harlequin is actually a 'white merle' in terms of genetics, but I could be wrong on that. Harle to harle is a no-no in terms of breeding because of the high potential to produce whites (blind/deaf) and piebald (typically less prone to blind/deaf, but still not a desired result for obvious reasons).