Merle...but what kind? General Chat

Discussion in 'Border Collie' started by ZeldaZulu, Nov 23, 2018.

  1. ZeldaZulu

    ZeldaZulu New Member

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    Merle...but what kind?

    Hello,

    New to the forum, and hoped someone might be able to assist with a question of type of merle.

    Please let me add a caveat though as I know this is a sticky point for many - dog's looks, border collie's looks - as it seems or is, superficial (not for me to ascribe which it is). I understand that and did not breed my girl unknowingly, or without research. She comes from working stock, I had her CAE tested before breeding, sought out various studs and finalised on a wonderful Lilac collie with 2 lines of championship (one side in show, the other in working dogs) and excellent health tests. I do not wish to delve more into this, only to put a statement that there was more work than might be assumed by the question (and I only do this as I read so many forums out there and members getting rather feisty with newbies looking to breed for colours and wish that my question sticks to topic, and not go off on tangents)

    So as mentioned our girl is from working stock,and she is a blue merle. The sire was a Lilac. She just had 5 pups. 2 of which are black and white, 1 is chocolate and white, and another a bit more of a brown and white - some of these are guesses as pups are just born and still trying to work out their colours with the brown/chocolates. The final is a merle, and I cannot figure out the colouring...but that might be due to its young age and changes that will happen, my lack of knowledge of all the types of border collies and how diverse they may be!

    So at the moment, she seems like she had a 'cream' or 'beige' background, with black spots? Certainly has one large black spot, the others are so small I couldn't tell you what they are other than a dark colour. So would this presume a blue merle (or more accurately a black merle, as blue merle is a misnomer as they aren't generally a blue collie underneath). I'll try to photograph it but it may be challenging to capture as pictures are so difficult to capture colour when it's in the grey/beige family and I am by far no photographer!

    Since our girl is a blue merle, it just looks different to her...but granted she is a rather heavily patched merle. But her grey is more silvery versus this ones 'buff'. Is this something that develops differently as they grow up?

    I only ask as I am just curious about our pups and find it interesting to know...
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  3. ZeldaZulu

    ZeldaZulu New Member

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    As mentioned difficult to get a good photo of the colour...

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  4. CaroleC

    CaroleC Member

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    Congratulations on your litter. You could find that some of the colours will change anyway. The majority of tricolour Beagles are black blanketed in the nest, but will end up looking something like my two. Breeders usually guess the colour that Blenheim Cavalier puppies are likely to finish by looking at their ears, and one of the black and white puppies in my Löwchen litter was born white with black and pinky-cream brindle stripes! (It is difficult to know what to put when you register a Löwchen litter as their colours can change so much by the time they are mature).
    Colours are fascinating, but it is too early to make judgements yet. Relax and enjoy watching your puppies grow and change.
  5. ZeldaZulu

    ZeldaZulu New Member

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    Hi Carole,

    Thank you for your response!

    I am very much enjoying watching them - they are truly a delight to watch and to see how well mum is caring for them, as she is obviously our 1st darling! : ) They seem to be thriving - and all of them seemed to have gained weight in their 1st 24 hours, which I understood some lose it in the 1st 24 hours.

    I find the genetics of anything to be an interest. I have other pets and some breed, and how two creatures mix is fascinating to me. I have the basics down of recessive and dominant genes, a little of the incomplete dominants, but that's about it - I'm no geneticist! So my curiosity with this little one is simply academic, as a mild hobby interest (but no I wouldn't breed specifically for this reason, only saying if I was to breed - I would enjoy seeing the blend) - so it's all just enjoyment for me! To see how they'll develop will be fun, exciting and no matter what they turn out like, I'll love them all!
  6. Chris B

    Chris B Member

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    CaroleC likes this.
    At the moment, she looks like a blue merle to me, but I'm definitely no expert :)
  7. ZeldaZulu

    ZeldaZulu New Member

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    Chris B likes this.
    You may be right! She just seemed different to her mum, which is a blue merle. But the babes are doing well and picking up weight each day! I can't wait to see how they develop (but at the same time I want to keep them locked in time right now!) - is that normal? : ) So curious to see what they'll be like as they grow up, but at the same time I want them to stay little babes for as long as possible as it's all been an amazing experience watching her give birth and watching these little munchkins while they can't get up to much trouble!

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