Merles ...

[brodysmom]

pet people over here LOVE merle's. They think they are RARE. I haven't seen many typey ones. They are usually HUGE with long muzzles and long bodies. I've yet to see a really nice well bred one that I'd take home.

[jesuschick]

Jan 26, 2012 20:43:31 GMT brodysmom said:

pet people over here LOVE merle's. They think they are RARE. I haven't seen many typey ones. They are usually HUGE with long muzzles and long bodies. I've yet to see a really nice well bred one that I'd take home.

True. Every word.

[Kelly]

My breeder does merles, but her dogs are stunning. I agree that it's the PEOPLE who breed just for the pretty colours, not concerned about the type/health that make merles bad. Not ALL merles are horrid.

I hate that places have banned them from showing. It's rediculous, IMO. Why not just ban any dog with LP in it's lines too?

I don't really like the look of merles at all, personally. I just don't think they should all be painted with the same brush.

[mchis]

I tend to think like Kelly. I just think the careless people who create sick dogs because of their lack of knowledge/caring are giving them a bad name. I do also agree that finding a merle Chi that fits the standard is really difficult. Here are a couple pages I found interesting.

www.thedogpress.com/ClubNews/Merle-Rebuttal-Curran-0802.asp

www.rarechihuahuas.com/AmazingMerles.html (one here is the same as above)

Granted that is only a few merle Chi's & while not "perfect" I think at least 2 I'd bring home if they were healthy (w/o taking color into consideration). I'd also seen/heard of a merle LC Chi from NH maybe? That was really nice looking on the cover of a magazine a few years back. I tend to like a merle better in a LC I think...that was doing well in the ring.

Saying all that I'm sort of relieved that Lulu is from merle free lines just because of the hype on the subject. LOL I think merles are interesting to look at but I'm not particularly fond of the markings. For the same reason I'm not crazy about brindles (love u maya!) or heavily sabled dogs...the scattered colors make me think they look "dirty".

I understand why people feel as strongly as they do. But if they're bred carefully AND they're pure Chi's (proven by DNA testing) then I don't see a problem.

On a random note I know (or should I say knew) a person who breeds merles & when she had a litter that happened to be all small she hiked the price from her usual $800 to $2500 or was it $3500...I don't even remember it was so outrageous!!! That was when the litter was a few days old!! I guess she figured since they were merle AND tiny (at a few days old LMAO!) they were worth soooo much more. I literally had to pick my jaw up off the floor when I saw that.

[rebhhh]

thanks for the comms guys is quite interesting putting it out there and seeing everyones perceptions on it it all ... thanks you so very much for the valid points ... x

[Sarah]

Dont get me wrong i DO think that LP etc should be banned from the rings!!!

But the thing with Merles is they aren't purebred.. The merle gene is not a natural occurance in chihuahuas (as far as i am aware) it has only appeared in the last 10-15 years i think maybe less.. so the only way it could of come about is by crossing with another breed (daxies which have merles/dapples) to get a very type standard size merle would take years of tight line breeding.. i think.. idk im just chatting off the top of my head.

Heather those dogs are nice.. i dont like the merle pattern myself not something i would want even if it wasn't banned... but they are the nicest chis ive seen..

The rare thing Pees me right off.. ive been stalking puppy ads recently i go through phases of looking.. and trust me i am not buying a puppy i just like to look and oh my god the state of some of these that people are selling for thousands and thousands of pounds and people are just getting ripped off.. the new thing is 'from show champion lines' WTF show champion lines so you are telling me if they have 1 champ in their 5th generation thats a show champion line yeah ok.. oh and 'show quality' is the new thing from pet breeders.. it does my nut in! rarrrrrr

Merles are v v v expensive here

[Sarah]

just reading that link.. i dont believe that DNA testing would come up 'pure' its not very conclusive apparently... but yeah i dont believe it!

[mchis]

See I dunno much about it but IF it did come up as pure Chi than? Why not if breeding was done carefully. I'd never touch breeding a merle myself, pure, healthy or not...but if someone knows their stuff I mean.

LOL I honestly think people read waaaay too much into the "champion bloodlines" comment. People have to have something to pick about. It makes sense! If a dog has champions (I'm talking about more than 1 in as far as you can tell) in it's history I see no problem with saying a pup has champion bloodlines when you compare it to a dog that came about from generations & generations of nothing but pets from nothing but pet breeders. I dunno, I find that a valid comment.

Using "show quality" in a puppy is a little ridiculous. Show PROSPECT possibly but it's got to come from someone who knows what they're talking about. LOL But yeah, I do get you...people who are trying to get more $ by using these terms are definitely irritating! I love when I read "toy sized Chihuahua". WTH is that suppose to mean? As opposed to a standard sized Chihuahua or Cracks me up!