Dog breeds with merle coats
Merle is a mottled coat pattern with patches of diluted color, often with blue or odd eyes. These are the breeds in our data with merle, dapple or harlequin among their colors.
13 of 162 breeds in our database
Australian Shepherd
Large, 40–65 lb
Merle: blue merle, red merle
- Coat
- Medium, double
- Nature
- Smart, Work-oriented, Exuberant
- Lifespan
- 12–15 years
Beauceron
Large, 70–110 lb
Merle: harlequin
- Coat
- Short, double
- Nature
- Faithful, Gentle, Obedient
- Lifespan
- 10–12 years
Border Collie
Medium, 30–55 lb
Merle: blue merle, red merle
- Coat
- Medium, double
- Nature
- Energetic, Affectionate, Smart
- Lifespan
- 12–15 years
Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Medium, 25–38 lb
Merle: blue merle
- Coat
- Medium, double
- Nature
- Loyal, Affectionate, Smart
- Lifespan
- 12–15 years
Catahoula Leopard Dog
Large, 50–95 lb
Merle: blue merle, red merle
- Coat
- Short, smooth
- Nature
- Independent, Loyal, Watchful
- Lifespan
- 10–14 years
Collie
Large, 50–75 lb
Merle: blue merle
- Coat
- Long, rough
- Nature
- Devoted, Proud, Graceful
- Lifespan
- 12–14 years
Dachshund
Medium, 16–32 lb
Merle: dapple
- Coat
- Short, smooth
- Nature
- Curious, Friendly, Spunky
- Lifespan
- 12–16 years
Great Dane
Giant, 110–175 lb
Merle: harlequin, merle
- Coat
- Short, smooth
- Nature
- Friendly, Patient, Dependable
- Lifespan
- 7–10 years
Miniature American Shepherd
Medium, 20–40 lb
Merle: blue merle, red merle
- Coat
- Medium, double
- Nature
- Intelligent, Good-natured, Devoted
- Lifespan
- 12–13 years
Miniature Dachshund
Toy, 8–11 lb
Merle: dapple
- Coat
- Short, smooth
- Nature
- Curious, Friendly, Spunky
- Lifespan
- 12–16 years
Mudi
Medium, 18–29 lb
Merle: merle
- Coat
- Medium, curly
- Nature
- Loyal, Intelligent, Active
- Lifespan
- 12–14 years
Old English Sheepdog
Large, 60–100 lb
Merle: blue merle and white
- Coat
- Long, double
- Nature
- Smart, Gentle, Adaptable
- Lifespan
- 10–12 years
Shetland Sheepdog
Small, 15–25 lb
Merle: blue merle, sable merle
- Coat
- Long, double
- Nature
- Playful, Energetic, Bright
- Lifespan
- 12–14 years
Good to know
The AKC glossary describes merle as "a marbling effect of dark patches against a lighter background," always seen with another base color. The pattern is controlled by the PMEL gene. Merle can also change eye color, which is why many merle breeds show up on the blue eyes page.
The health risk comes from breeding two merle dogs together. A puppy can get two copies of the gene, called a double merle. In a 2009 study, 2.7% of dogs with one copy were deaf in one ear and 0.9% in both, against 10% and 15% of dogs with two copies.
Two copies come from pairing two merle dogs, so ask any breeder whether they ever do that. 13 of the 13 breeds above can also have different colored eyes.
Sources
- Strain GM, et al. Prevalence of deafness in dogs heterozygous or homozygous for the merle allele. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2009
- Deane-Coe PE, et al. Direct-to-consumer DNA testing of 6,000 dogs reveals 98.6-kb duplication associated with blue eyes and heterochromia in Siberian Huskies. PLOS Genetics, 2018
- American Kennel Club: Glossary of breed standard terms
Breed traits come from AKC breed standards and trait ratings. Individual dogs, and especially mixes, can differ from their breed.