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D%2221.7%22%20rx%3D%221.3%22%20ry%3D%221.2%22%20fill%3D%22%231C1C1C%22%2F%3E%3Ccircle%20cx%3D%2210.8%22%20cy%3D%2219.3%22%20r%3D%221.1%22%20fill%3D%22%231C1C1C%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
Cane pattern
Merle
Irregular dark patches on a diluted ground of the same color (blue merle, red merle); the Dachshund calls it dapple.
72 Cane breeds list Merle. It is in a club standard for 27 breeds. At least one club disqualifies it in 27 breeds.
Breeds whose standards accept Merle
| Breed | FCI | AKC | KC | KUSA | UKC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alano Tedesco | Da standard (“Merle (grey-black splashed patches)”) | Da standard (“Merle”) | Non riconosciuto (“Merle”) | Da standard (“Merle (grey-black splashed patches)”) | Da standard (“Merle”) |
| American Leopard Hound | No ruling | Da standard (“Merle Markings”) | No ruling | No ruling | Da standard (“Leopard spotted”) |
| Bassotto | Da standard (“dapple (merle)”) | Da standard (“Dapple”) | Da standard (“dapple pattern”) | Da standard (“dapple pattern”) | Da standard (“dappled”) |
| BassottoLiscio | Da standard (“dapple (merle)”) | Da standard (“Dapple”) | Da standard (“dapple pattern”) | Da standard (“dapple pattern”) | Da standard (“dappled”) |
| BassottoA pelo duro | Da standard (“dapple (merle)”) | Da standard (“Dapple”) | Da standard (“dapple pattern”) | Da standard (“dapple pattern”) | Da standard (“dappled”) |
| BassottoA pelo lungo | Da standard (“dapple (merle)”) | Da standard (“Dapple”) | Da standard (“dapple pattern”) | Da standard (“dapple pattern”) | Da standard (“dappled”) |
| Bobtail | Non riconosciuto | Da standard (“Blue Merle & White”) | Non riconosciuto | Non riconosciuto | Non riconosciuto |
| Border Collie | Da standard (“variety of colours permissible”) | Da standard (“Blue Merle”) | Da standard (“Blue Merle”) | Da standard (“variety of colours permissible”) | Da standard (“merle”) |
| Cane da Pastore Bergamasco | Da standard (“with grey patches of all possible shades”) | Da standard (“gradations of gray (including merle)”) | Da standard (“with patches of all shades of grey through to black”) | Da standard (“with grey patches of all possible shades”) | Da standard (“with gray patches”) |
| Cane da Pastore Polacco della Pianura | Da standard (“all colours and patches are acceptable”) | Da standard (“all coat colors are acceptable”) | Non riconosciuto (“merle, which is unacceptable”) | Da standard (“all colours and patches are acceptable”) | No ruling |
| Catahoula Leopard Dog | No ruling | Da standard (“Blue Merle”) | No ruling | No ruling | Da standard (“The Leopard pattern has a base color, with contrasting spots of one or more other colors”) |
| Chihuahua | Squalificante (“Merle colour”) | Da standard (“Merle Markings”) | Non riconosciuto (“never merle (dapple), which is unacceptable”) | Non riconosciuto (“never merle (dapple), which is unacceptable”) | Squalificante (“Merle color”) |
| Collie | No ruling | Da standard (“Blue Merle”) | No ruling | No ruling | Da standard (“blue merle”) |
| Collie a pelo corto | Da standard (“Blue Merle”) | Da standard (“Blue Merle”) | Da standard (“Blue Merle”) | Da standard (“Blue Merle”) | Da standard (“blue merle”) |
| Collie a pelo lungo | Da standard (“Blue Merle”) | Da standard (“Blue Merle”) | Da standard (“Blue Merle”) | Da standard (“Blue Merle”) | Da standard (“blue merle”) |
| Mastino dei Pirenei | Da standard (“marbled”) | No ruling | Da standard (“marbled”) | No ruling | Da standard (“marbled”) |
| Mudi | Da standard (“Cifra (Merle)”) | Da standard (“Merle Markings”) | Da standard (“merle in these colours”) | Da standard (“Cifra (Merle)”) | Da standard (“Merle”) |
| Pastore Americano in Miniatura | Da standard (“blue merle ... red or liver merle”) | Da standard (“Blue Merle”) | Da standard (“blue merle ... red merle”) | Da standard (“blue merle ... red, or liver merle”) | Da standard (“blue merle ... red merle”) |
| Pastore Australiano | Da standard (“blue merle, red merle”) | Da standard (“Blue Merle”) | Da standard (“blue merle, red merle”) | Da standard (“blue merle, red merle”) | Da standard (“blue merle, red merle”) |
| Pastore dei Pirenei | Da standard (“blue with black mottling (harlequin or slate blue)”) | Da standard (“Blue Merle”) | Da standard (“blue merle”) | Da standard (“blue with black mottling (harlequin or slate blue)”) | No ruling |
| Pastore dell'Anatolia | No ruling | Da standard (“All color patterns and markings are equally acceptable”) | Non riconosciuto (“Merle unacceptable”) | No ruling | Da standard (“All colors are acceptable”) |
| Perro sin Pelo del Perú | Squalificante (“Merle coat colour in the coated variety”) | Da standard (“In the coated variety all colors are accepted”) | No ruling | Squalificante (“Merle coat colour in the coated variety”) | No ruling |
| Shetland Sheepdog | Da standard (“Blue Merle”) | Da standard (“Blue Merle & White”) | Da standard (“Blue Merle”) | Da standard (“Blue Merle”) | Da standard (“blue merle, sable, sable merle”) |
| Volpino di Pomerania | No ruling | Da standard (“Merle Markings”) | Non riconosciuto (“including merle, unacceptable”) | Non riconosciuto (“merles not permissible”) | No ruling |
| Welsh Corgi Cardigan | Da standard (“blue merle”) | Da standard (“Blue Merle & White”) | Da standard (“blue merle”) | Da standard (“blue merle”) | Da standard (“blue merle (black and gray marbled)”) |
| Xoloitzcuintle | Squalificante (“Merle colour”) | Alternativo (“Merle”) | Non riconosciuto (“Merle unacceptable”) | Squalificante (“Merle colour”) | Da standard (“Any color combination is allowed”) |
| XoloitzcuintleCon pelo | Squalificante (“Merle colour”) | Alternativo (“Merle”) | Non riconosciuto (“Merle unacceptable”) | Squalificante (“Merle colour”) | Da standard (“Any color combination is allowed”) |
Breeds where Merle is a fault
| Breed | FCI | KUSA |
|---|---|---|
| Cocker Spaniel Inglese | Difetto | Non riconosciuto |
Breeds where Merle is disqualified or not accepted
| Breed | FCI | AKC | KC | KUSA | UKC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AkitaAmericano | Squalificante (“merle marking pattern”) | Squalificante (“merle marking pattern”) | Non riconosciuto (“merle which is unacceptable”) | Squalificante (“merle marking pattern”) | No ruling |
| American Hairless Terrier | No ruling | Squalificante (“merle”) | No ruling | No ruling | Squalificante (“Merle (Coated variety)”) |
| American Pit Bull Terrier | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | Squalificante (“merle”) |
| Barboncino Grande | Non riconosciuto | Squalificante | Non riconosciuto | Non riconosciuto | Squalificante (“merle coloring”) |
| Barboncino Nano | Non riconosciuto | Squalificante | Non riconosciuto | Non riconosciuto | Squalificante (“merle coloring”) |
| Barboncino Toy | Non riconosciuto | Squalificante | Non riconosciuto | Non riconosciuto | Squalificante (“merle coloring”) |
| Beagle | No ruling | Squalificante (“Merle and Brindle Color Patterns”) | Non riconosciuto | Non riconosciuto | Squalificante (“Merle”) |
| Bolonka Russa | No ruling | Squalificante (“merle”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
| Bulldog | No ruling | Squalificante (“The merle pattern”) | Non riconosciuto | Non riconosciuto | Squalificante (“Merle color”) |
| Bulldog Francese | No ruling | Squalificante (“merle”) | Non riconosciuto | No ruling | No ruling |
| Carolina Dog | No ruling | Squalificante (“merle/roan/mottling/dappling”) | No ruling | No ruling | Squalificante (“merle, roan, mottling, dappling”) |
| Cocker Spaniel Americano | Squalificante | Squalificante (“Merle Markings”) | Non riconosciuto | Squalificante | Squalificante (“Merle color”) |
| Drever | Squalificante (“merle”) | Squalificante (“merle”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
| English Shepherd | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | Squalificante (“Blue merles”) |
| Fila Brasileiro | Squalificante (“dappled”) | No ruling | No ruling | Squalificante (“dappled”) | No ruling |
| Piccolo Levriero Italiano | Squalificante | No ruling | Non riconosciuto (“Merle”) | Non riconosciuto (“Merle”) | No ruling |
| Rat Terrier | No ruling | Squalificante (“Brindle or merle color patterns”) | No ruling | No ruling | Squalificante (“merle”) |
| Siberian Husky | Squalificante (“merle ... patterns are not allowable and are to be disqualified”) | Squalificante (“merle ... patterns are not allowable and are to be disqualified”) | Non riconosciuto (“except merle which is unacceptable”) | Squalificante (“merle ... patterns are not allowable and are to be disqualified”) | No ruling |
| Spitz Tedesco | No ruling | Squalificante (“merle”) | Non riconosciuto (“with the exception of merle, which is unacceptable”) | No ruling | No ruling |
| Spitz TedescoGrande | No ruling | Squalificante (“merle”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
| Staffordshire Bull Terrier | No ruling | Squalificante (“merle pattern”) | Non riconosciuto | Non riconosciuto | No ruling |
| Teddy Roosevelt Terrier | No ruling | Squalificante (“Merle Markings”) | No ruling | No ruling | Squalificante (“merle”) |
| Yorkshire Terrier | No ruling | Squalificante | Non riconosciuto | Non riconosciuto | No ruling |
| Akita | Non riconosciuto | Non riconosciuto | Non riconosciuto (“merle which is unacceptable (Akita)”) | Non riconosciuto | No ruling |
| Barzoi | No ruling | No ruling | Non riconosciuto (“merle which is unacceptable”) | No ruling | No ruling |
| Bearded Collie | Non riconosciuto (“never merle/dapple”) | No ruling | Non riconosciuto (“merle unacceptable”) | Non riconosciuto (“never merle/dapple”) | No ruling |
| Bichon Havanais | No ruling | No ruling | Non riconosciuto (“except merle which is unacceptable”) | No ruling | No ruling |
| Boston Terrier | No ruling | No ruling | Non riconosciuto | No ruling | No ruling |
| Canaan Dog | Non riconosciuto | Non riconosciuto | Non riconosciuto (“Blue Merle”) | Non riconosciuto | No ruling |
| Cane Finlandese di Lapponia | No ruling | No ruling | Non riconosciuto (“except merle, which is unacceptable”) | No ruling | No ruling |
| Crestato Cinese | No ruling | No ruling | Non riconosciuto (“except merle, which is unacceptable”) | Non riconosciuto (“except merle, which is unacceptable”) | No ruling |
| Eurasier | No ruling | No ruling | Non riconosciuto (“merle, which are unacceptable”) | No ruling | No ruling |
| Levriero Afgano | No ruling | No ruling | Non riconosciuto (“merle which is unacceptable”) | Non riconosciuto (“merle which is unacceptable”) | No ruling |
| Lhasa Apso | Non riconosciuto | No ruling | Non riconosciuto (“merle, which is unacceptable”) | Non riconosciuto | No ruling |
| Löwchen | No ruling | No ruling | Non riconosciuto (“merle which is unacceptable”) | No ruling | No ruling |
| Pechinese | No ruling | No ruling | Non riconosciuto (“Albino, liver or merle unacceptable”) | Non riconosciuto (“Albino, liver or merle unacceptable”) | No ruling |
| Saluki | No ruling | Non riconosciuto | Non riconosciuto (“brindle, blue or merle which are unacceptable”) | Non riconosciuto (“brindle, blue or merle which are unacceptable”) | No ruling |
| Shih Tzu | No ruling | No ruling | Non riconosciuto (“except merle, which is unacceptable”) | Non riconosciuto (“except merle, which is unacceptable”) | No ruling |
| Spaniel Tibetano | No ruling | No ruling | Non riconosciuto (“merle which is unacceptable”) | No ruling | No ruling |
| Terrier Tibetano | Non riconosciuto (“any colour except chocolate, liver or merle permissible”) | No ruling | Non riconosciuto (“chocolate, liver or merle, which are unacceptable”) | Non riconosciuto (“any colour except chocolate, liver or merle permissible”) | No ruling |
| Welsh Corgi Pembroke | Non riconosciuto | No ruling | Non riconosciuto | Non riconosciuto | No ruling |
| Whippet | Non riconosciuto (“Any colour or mixture of colours, except merle”) | No ruling | Non riconosciuto (“Merle unacceptable”) | Non riconosciuto (“Merle unacceptable”) | No ruling |
| American Staffordshire Terrier | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
| Welsh Sheepdog | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |