THIS IS GOING TO BE EXCITING. THE MERLE IS HERE, AND HERE TO STAY. WE HAVE HAD
OUR FIRST 2 LITTERS OF MERLES AT ROBINS WEE BEARS, AND THERE WERE MANY
SURPRISES. THE SURPRISES WILL BE TALKED ABOUT IN THE WHITE MERLE SECTION. THE
POM COMES IN SUCH BEAUTIFUL COLORS ALREADY, BUT NOW THE MERLE GENE WILL ADD
MANY MORE EXCITING COLORS.
THE MERLE GENE DILUTES BLACK, IN IRREGULAR AREAS, OR PATCHES, OR SPOTS. ANY
AREA ON THE POM THAT IS BLACK CAN BE MERLED. SINCE CHOCOLATE, BLUE, AND
LAVENDERS, ARE DILUTES OF BLACK, THEY CAN BE MERLED. THE HAIRS ON SABLES, AND
BLACK & TANS, ARE BLACK, THEY CAN BE MERLED TOO. THIS LEADS TO ENDLESS
POSSIBILITIES. CHOCOLATE SABLED MERLE? BLUE & TAN MERLE? OR MAYBE LAVENDER &
TAN MERLE?
THE MERLE GENE IS A PATTERN. IT DOES NOT CHANGE THE COLOR OF THE DOG, ONLY
DILUTES AREAS OF THE DOG. THE MERLE GENE IS DOMINANT. THAT MEANS YOU ONLY
NEED 1 DOG TO PRODUCE THE COLOR. IT ALSO MEANS THAT ONE OF THE PARENTS HAS TO
BE A MERLE, TO GET MERLE PUPS. A MERLE GENE CAN NOT STAY HIDDEN FOR
GENERATIONS. ON THE OTHER HAND A RECESSIVE GENE, NEEDS BOTH PARENTS TO
EXPRESS THE GENE AND CAN STAY HIDDEN FOR GENERATIONS.
YOU SHOULD NOT BREED 2 MERLES TOGETHER, AS THIS PRODUCES A FATAL GENE, THAT
CAN KILL THE PUP, OR LEAVE THE PUP BLIND AND DEAF. MORE IMFORMATION ON THIS CAN
BE FOUND ON SHELTY, COLLIES, AND AUSTRALIAN WEB SITES.
THERE IS A GENE IN POMS THAT HIDES THE BLACK ON POMS. THE BLACK IS STILL
GENETICALLY THERE, JUST HIDDEN FROM SIGHT. THIS ONE GENE IS WHAT BREEDERS ARE
MOST WORRIED ABOUT. IT IS POSSIBLE FOR A MERLE TO BE BORN, AND YOU CAN NOT SEE
THE MERLING. ANY DOG THAT IS BORN FROM A MERLE THAT IS CLEAR CREAM, ORANGE, OR
RED, WITH NO SABLING, SHOULD NEVER BE BRED TO A MERLE. ALL SABLE DOGS FROM A
MERLE SHOULD BE CAREFULLY CHECKED FOR MERLING. NO CLEAR CREAMS, ORANGES,
OR REDS, SHOULD EVER BE BRED TO A MERLE. KEEP THIS GENE AND THE MERLING GENE
SEPARATE, IF YOU CAN. WE HAD WHITE MERLES BORN AT ROBINS WEE BEARS. IF YOU ARE
GOING TO HAVE A MERLE WHY NOT SEE IT? IT IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL PATTERN.
SINCE SABLE IS THE MOST COMMON COLOR IN POMS, THEN
SABLE MERLE WILL BE THE MOST COMMON MERLE. IT WILL BE
IMPOSSIBLE TO AVOID THIS COLOR. SABLE MERLES ARE BORN
USUALLY LOOKING JUST LIKE SOLID MERLE, BUT AS THE COAT
GROWS, THE TRUE COLORS SHOW NEXT TO THE SKIN. BY 8
WEEKS OF AGE, IT IS CLEAR THAT THE PUP IS A SABLE. AS THE
PUP MATURES THE MERLING GETS LESS AND LESS, UNTIL YOU
CAN NOT TELL A MERLE SABLE FROM AN ORDINARY ORANGE
POM.
MERLING IS SABLE DOTS, THAT WENT AWAY
QUICKLY, BOTH PUPS HAD 1 BLUE EYE
MERLE, IS BORN WITH NORMAL MERLING. BY 6 WEEKS OF AGE
THE MERLING IS STARTING TO FADE. AT 4 MONTHS THE ONLY
MERLING LEFT, IS A FEW SPOTS ON HIS NOSE. THIS BOY DOES
NOT HAVE THE LIGHT SKY BLUE EYES OF A MERLE, SO ONCE
THE SPOTS FADE, THERE WILL BE NO WAY TO TELL IF HE IS A
MERLE.
STARTING TO OVER WHELM THE
COAT COLOR. THE DANGER OF
BREEDING THIS PUP, IS THAT
SHE MIGHT PRODUCE A PUP
THAT WOULD BE SOLID BLACK
WITH ONE SPOT OR TWO. SHE
WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PRODUCE
A MERLE PATTERN LIKE THE
CHOCOLATES PATTERN.
THIS CHOCOLATE MERLE'S
PATTERN WOULD BE LOST IN THE
LONG HAIR OF A POM. MERLING
SHOWS UP BEST AROUND THE
FACE. THIS MERLE IS CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING ALL OTHER TYPE
PATTERNS.
SILVER MERLE.
THE SPOTS ARE
BLUE, THE
BACKGROUND
WILL BE SILVER
MONTHS, AND AN ADULT AT ONE
YEAR. THE BACKGROUND GETS BLUER
AFTER THE SHED AROUND 5 MONTHS
SABLING. SHE HAS ONLY A COUPLE OF
MERLE SPOTS THAT CAN BE SEEN. BUT
PROOF THAT SHE IS A MERLE IS HER 1
BLUE EYE.
MERLES ARE SO MUCH FUN. THEY COME IN
MANY COLORS, AND PATTERNS. EACH LITTER IS
LIKE OPENING A SURPRISE PACKAGE. THERE
ARE 4 PUPS,IN THIS ONE DAY OLD LITTER.
THE FIRST ON THE LEFT, IS A SILVER MERLE.
SOME PEOPLE CALL THEM PLATINUIM MERLE,
OR BLUE DILUTE MERLE. THE MERLING IS ON A
BLUE DOG. SO THE SPOTS ARE BLUE ON A
LIGHTER BLUE BACKGROUND.SPOTS ARE
MEDUIM SIZE.
THE NEXT PUP IS A CRYPTIC MERLE. THE PUP IS
90% BLACK. THE MERLING SPOTS ARE A LIKE A
LIGHT DUSTING OF SNOW FLAKES. SHE HAS A
COUPLE OF LARGER MERLE SPOTS ON HER
STOMACH.
THE 3rd PUP IS A CHOCOLATE MERLE. SHE IS
CHOCOLATE SPOTTED ON A LIGHTER
CHOCOLATE BACKGROUND. WHAT IS
INTERESTING ABOUT HER IS THAT SOME OF HER
CHOCOLATE SPOTS ARE DIFFERENT SHADES.
THE LAST PUP IS JUST A REGULAR BLUE MERLE.
OR IS SHE? SHE HAS A LARGE SPOT ON HER
SHOULDERS, THE REST OF HER ARE SMALL
SPOTS, AND THE BACKGROUND IS VERY LIGHT
COLOR, ALMOST WHITE.
NO MATTER WHAT NO 2 MERLES ALIKE. THEY
VARY IN SHADE AND COLOR, THE SIZE, AND
AMOUNT OF SPOTS OR MERLING. HOW CAN YOU
HAVE MORE FUN THAT IS LEGAL?
WHAT YOU SAY?? THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS WHITE
MERLES. UNFORTUNATELY THERE IS. WE AT ROBINS
WEE BEARS, HAVE HAD 2 VERY UNEXPECTED WHITE
MERLES BORN FROM 2 BITCHES, THAT HAVE NEVER
PRODUCED WHITE PUPS BEFORE. THE CHANCE OF
WHITE WAS 12 1/2%. BUT THESE GALS BROKE THE
ODDS, AND PRODUCED NOT ONLY WHITE, BUT WHITE
MERLES. THEY HAD 1 WHITE MERLE MALE PUP EACH,
OUT OF A LITTER 4 PUPS EACH.
THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY LARGE PROBLEM IN THE
POMERANIAN BREED. THESE PUPS MUST BE SOLD AS
PETS, OR SOLD TO PEOPLE WHO COMPLETELY
UNDERSTAND THE GENETICS, OF HOW THE MERLE
GENE WORKS. WE WERE LUCKY, HERE AT ROBINS
WEE BEARS, IN THAT BOTH PUPS HAVE THE LIGHT SKY
BLUE EYES, OF A MERLE, SO THERE IS NO DOUBT AS
TO THERE TRUE COLOR. ALSO THERE IS SPOTTING ON
THEIR NOSE LEATHERS. THIS IS A CLUE, BUT BY NO
MEANS A SURE THING, AS SOME PARTIS, HAVE
SPOTTED NOSE LEATHERS.
NOW THE CONFUSING, GENETIC PART. THERE IS A
GENE THAT HIDES BLACK (CHOCOLATE & BLUE TOO).
THE DOG IS STILL BLACK, BLUE OR CHOCOLATE, BUT
THESE COLORS ARE HIDDEN BY THE "NO BLACK
GENE". THIS IS A GENE WE HAVE WORKED WITH AT
ROBINS WEE BEARS, QUITE A LOT. IT IS THE GENE
THAT PRODUCES WONDERFUL WHITES AND CREAMS.
IT IS A GREAT GENE TO WORK WITH, TO GET INKY
BLACK PIGMENT ON MY SHOW WHITES.
BUT IT IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THE MERLES.
EVERY PUPPY THAT COMES OUT OF A MERLE
BREEDING, THAT IS WHITE, CREAM, OR ORANGE,
COULD BE A HIDDEN MERLE. THESE PUPPIES SHOULD
NEVER BE BRED, OR MERLE, SHOULD BE INSERTED
IN THE NAME OF THE DOG, SO THAT OTHERS CAN
LOOK AT THE PEDIGREE, AND KNOW THERE IS MERLE
IN THE BACKGROUND. SINCE AKC ONLY RECOGNIZES
THE COLOR THE DOG LOOKS LIKE, AND NOT IT'S
GENETICS, IT IS THE ONLY SAFE WAY TO LET FUTURE
BREEDERS KNOW THE GENETICS OF YOUR DOG.
I URGE ALL BREEDERS OF MERLE POMS, TO INSERT
THE NAME MERLE IN THE NAMES OF ALL PUPS FROM
MERLE PARENTS. LETS MAKE OUR POMERANIAN
BREED AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE.
NOW MEET
ROBEARS WHITE MERLED WIZARD
&
ROBEARS SNOWY BLIZZARD MERLE
JUST GOTTEN OUR FIRST 2
LITTERS OF MERLES. SOON WE
WILL HAVE PUPS FOR THE PUBLIC.
SOME OF THESES PHOTOS
BELONG TO TO OTHER PEOPLE,
AND ARE USED WITH PERMISSION.
IF YOU WANT A MERLE POM
E-MAIL ME AT
ROBINSWEEBEARS@AOL.COM
OR KATHY GODWIN AT, E-MAIL
KATSKIX@AOL.COM, OR KAREN
BODNAR AT,
SWTKSS@AOL.COM
TO SEE WHAT IS AVAILABLE
I LOVE THE MERLES.
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