Chihuahuas are one of the most popular dog breeds in the UK. The Chihuahua is the world’s smallest breed, which helps to contribute to their popularity. Chihuahuas can be found in both long and short haired variants. They are intelligent, loyal, friendly and affectionate dogs. They have different head shapes, some may even be blue. They are a wide range of different colors, which offers a lot of options for puppy buyers. One of these colors is Merle, and Merle Chihuahua is an unusual sight in the United kingdom, and quite distinctive in terms of their coat colors and patterns.
A Merle Chihuahua is a very appealing bred to dog enthusiasts. Merle is not a rare coat pattern for a Chihuahua, but they are also not easy to find in the market. It is not surprising that they are quite popular, knowing that this small dog already has a charming personality. They are loving and very cute with the people they trust. The Chihuahua is number 33 out of 196 breeds in the American Kennel Club. Getting a Merle Chihuahua is a happy thing. Today in this article, we will look at Merle Chihuahuas in more detail.
What Is A Merle Chihuahua
Merle Chihuahuas are not an official type recognized by the American Kennel Club for Chihuahuas. Merle is a special coating type for dogs. The Merle is a gene modifier that affects the pigmentations in dogs that can change the color of their coat and also affects the colors of their eyes, resulting normally in blue and more colors.
In the last 20 years, the popularity of Merle in Chihuahuas has risen. Researchers suggest that this coating type in Chihuahua has been around about half the century. The Merle gene in Chihuahua, which is evidence of cross breeding somewhere, is not a natural occurrence.
Overview Of The Merle Gene
A mutation that took place many decades ago made the Merle pattern possible. The Chihuahua’s Merle color pattern is caused by a gene known as the “Merle Allele.” Different forms of a certain gene are called alleles. Some genes come in different forms such as Merle Allele and the Non-Merle Allele.
The Merle allele is an incomplete dominant gene, while the Non-merle allele is a recessive gene. The merle allele does not override its recessive counterpart entirely. When paired together, both genes will be partially expressed.
Like humans, Chihuahuas are also prepared with pairs of genes. They inherit one gene from each other, (the merle gene from one parent and the recessive gene from the other) resulting in the Mm genotype. A team of geneticists and students discovered the merle gene in 2006 at Flagship University.
The Breeding Of Merle And Non-Merle Chihuahuas
A sire or dam offspring will be identified by the presence or absence of the Merle gene. The Chihuahua puppies are not born without Merle gene, if at least one of their parents have Merle genes.
How To Merle Gene Affects The Chihuahuas Coat
The Merle gene affects the color of Chihuahuas and is governed by two pigments : Eumelanin and Pheomelanin. Pheomelanin governs red in Chihuahua’s coat and Eumelanin governs a black in Chihuahua’s coat. Chihuahuas have a wide range of coat colors with these two pigments.
The Merle gene affects the distribution of Eumelanin, which are responsible for the black color in Chihuahuahua’s coat. It essentially dilutes those coat areas that are colorful with eumelanin. Merle Chihuahuas can further be classified as blue or red because of pheomelanin. The blue or red depends on the particular shade of their dark-colored fur. Blue Merle are the most common type of Chihuahuas coat, and have patches of black fur. Red Merle chihuahuas have patches of brown and copper-colored fur. Blue Merle and red merle are genetically different but have the same Merle gene.
There are many other breeds that can be born with the Merle gene such as;
What Makes A Merle Chihuahua Different From Other Chihuahua
One of the reasons why some dog owners want to get a Merle Chihuahua, because they can have blue eyes among the other Chihuahuas. Sometimes they have only one blue eye, this is because of the Merle gene. Aside from their beautiful coat, they have beautiful crystal blue eyes that make it unique.
Many Chihuahuas blue eyes do not last forever, they start to change after about 9 to 16 weeks into a permanent color after birth. But the Merle Chihuahua blue eyes could stay throughout their entire life. Merle Chihuahuas have dark or ruby or light eyes. It is much more expensive than other dog breeds because of their genes.
In 2007, the Merle coat pattern was considered part of the dog breed. It all started when the Kennel Club of the UK decided not to register any puppies with a Merle gene due to the health risks. In 2008, the Chihuahua club of America voted and allowed Merle owners to register in American Kennel Club events under few conditions.
What Is The Controversy About Merle Pattern
Merle should never be bred with another Merle to avoid double Merle puppies, according to the Chihuahuas Club of America. Due to this gene, the double Merle puppies usually suffer from hearing and vision impairments. There are also many health issues that occur in Double Merle Puppies such as skin cancer, follicular dysplasia and many more.
Merle Chihuahua Allowed To Compete The Show Ring
It is a common misconception that the Merle Chihuahua are stopped to compete in the Show Ring. Many canine organizations stop owners from competing their Chihuahuas in the Show Ring. In 2007, The Kennel Club banned the registration of Merle Chihuahuas, after a few years they banned the registration of all Chihuahuas even if they don’t have the Merle coat. These Chihuahuas can not register with the UK official canine organization if one or both of his parents are Merle, but the American Kennel Club allows Merle Chihuahuas to compete in the Show Ring.
Do Kennel Club Like AKC Recognize The Merle Coloring?
Merle is not a color that naturally occurs in the Chihuahuas dog breed, and there is no specific proof when it started. But many believe that it is the outcrossing of specific Chihuahuas and other dog breeds who have Merle gene. Since it is not found naturally in the Chihuahuas, many Kennel Club did not recognize the Merle color, unlike in other breeds. It is recognized as standard making for Chihuahuas by the American Kennel Club. You can register your Merle Chihuahuas and join formal breed-specific dog shows. There are many dog shows that are not under the Kennel Club’s umbrella where you can participate.
Merle Chihuahua Health
Breeding of Merle Chihuahua is controversial whichever way you look at it, and the health implications of Merle coloration within the dogs.
In terms of the health of the Chihuahuas breed as a whole, their lifespan is ranging from 10 to 18 years. There are many health issues in the Merle Chihuahuas breed that can affect their health. Some health issues are given below;
- Hydrocephalus
- Build-up of fluid within the skull
- Hypoglycemia
- Patellar luxation
- Epilepsy
- Vision Problem
- Eye Infection
- Ear Infection
As well as the hearing and vision problems that may occur in the Merle Chihuahua. The Merle color can also affect the pigmentation of the dog’s skin, which can increase the chance of the dog suffering from sunburn like skin cancer.
CONCLUSION
The Chihuahua is the world’s smallest breed, which helps to contribute to their popularity. Chihuahuas can be found in both long and short haired variants.They are intelligent, loyal, friendly and polite dog breeds. The Chihuahua is number 33 out of 196 breeds of the American Kennel Club.
They have a wide range of different colors, which offers a lot of options for puppy buyers. One of these colors is Merle, and Merle Chihuahua is an unusual sight in the United kingdom, and quite distinctive in terms of their coat colors and patterns. In the last 20 years, the popularity of Merle in Chihuahua has risen.
The Kennel Club does not allow the Merle Chihuahua to join the formal breed-specific dog shows. If you have a Merle Chihuahua and want to register your dog in the dog shows. Don’t worry, there are many dog shows that are not under the Kennel Club’s umbrella where you can participate.
There are also many health issues of Merle coloration such as hydrocephalus, epilepsy, hearing problems, vision problems, skin cancer, patellar luxation, hypoglycemia etc. While Merle is not exclusive to Chihuahuas, it adds a distinctive charm to this already beautiful and captivating breed.
FAQs
Latest Post
