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For those of you that have merles or that may eventually have a merle, it's important to mark the coat colors of newborn merle pups.  As older puppies or adults, their coat may not exhibit the merle patterning, but they are still genetic merles.  This is true of sable/merle pups too.  It's EXTREMELY important for the health of future generations that all merle dogs are properly identified and (when possible) registered with the correct AKC color codes.   For the proper codes to register these dogs, check out my    page.

Registering merles incorrectly can lead to health risks for unborn puppies if two merles should accidentally be bred to each other.    There is a defect associated with this color that occurs when 2 merles are bred to each other.  This can cause blind, deaf or dead puppies.  Because sable can mask the merle coloring, it's important that sables are properly identified too. 

The puppy pictured below is a red sable merle & white.   Ilsa's base coat color is red & white, but because she's a sable, she has a cream colored undercoat with an overlay of red. 

Ilsa is what is known as a "clear sable".  This is because she basically looks like a normal red/white unless you know to look for her sable and merle characteristics. 

In the picture to the right, you can see Ilsa's lighter colored sable "eyebrows" (the lighter colored spots over the outside corners of the eyes). 

Ilsa is also a "phantom" merle.  This is because she is a merle but doesn't exhibit her merle markings.  Her merle markings are hidden by her sable coloring.  The reason we know she's a merle is because her eyes are blue and when she was born there were visible merle spots on one ear.  (pictures below).  The blue eyes are a result of the eye being lightened by the merle gene.  (picture below right)  For more pictures of blue-eyed merles and information on this trait, visit my page.

Did you notice the other color gene characteristic that Ilsa  exhibits?  Look carefully at her nose and see if you can figure it out.

That's right, Ilsa is also brown (chocolate) factored.  She has liver pigment on her nose and eye-rims.   The fact that she's brown factored isn't a surprise as her dam is a brown/tri.  We would, of course, prefer that she had black pigment, but she's such a pretty girl that we consider this a minor fault.

When you look at Ilsa, it's easy to see that if I hadn't learned what to look for and hadn't checked her color closely at birth and as she grew, it would have been easy to overlook her subtle sable and merle coat characteristics.  If I hadn't correctly identified her color and markings and had sold her, I might have accidentally mis-represented her color to a new owner.  This could cause serious health consequences for future puppies if she was accidentally bred to another merle. 

If you have merles, please help to properly identify these dogs.  Contact the American Spaniel Club and the AKC to voice your concern over the proper color registration of these dogs.   It's vital to the health of Cocker Spaniels that our national breed club and registry association recognize and support the correct color registration of ALL colors known to exist within the AKC Cocker Spaniel gene pool.  Since merles are being bred and registered by the AKC, all breed enthusiasts must come together to insist that these dogs be properly identified.  This has already been done for sables and there is no reason why the same cannot be done for merles. 

Merles can be properly identified and registered within the normal breed registry and potential health risks can be completely eliminated with appropriate breeder and owner education.  Identifying each dog's correct color could be accomplished by providing simple, complete and easily understood color identification explanations and choices on registration applications.  The health risk of breeding merle to merle could be explained and such breedings could be discouraged by including appropriate breed literature with registration papers.    Breed information is already distributed in this fashion, so the inclusion of relevant information on merles could be easily incorporated into existing practices. 

It is the responsibility of the ASC and the AKC to protect this breed and this includes doing everything possible to assure that each and every dog is properly identified and registered.  Knowingly accepting the registration of merle dogs as roans, tri-colors, browns, blacks, buffs or any other color, throws suspicion and doubt on the integrity of our breed.  We must insist that the color of each and every registered dog, regardless of whether that color is acceptable for show purposes, is properly identified.        

Please do not misunderstand my wish to see merles properly identified as support for efforts to segregate merle colored Cockers, their ancestors and relatives into a "Z" list.    (Some breeders have suggested a separate registration code, a "Z" list, for merles and ALL of their relatives.)   While I fully support proper color identification and registration of all dogs, I DO NOT support a "Z" list for merles!! 

Supporters say a "Z" list would allow all breeders and owners that do not want these bloodlines to identify and avoid dogs with merle breeding.   While this is true, the other side of this story is that some of these same breeders are also suggesting that breeding and registration restrictions should be placed on some or all dogs on a "Z" list!! 

If merles and their relatives are segregated on to a "Z" list, I believe they could lose the right to reproduce and the merle color could be eliminated from the breed!!  Which is actually the hidden agenda of many show breeders and enthusiasts.  I do not believe a "Z" list is in the best interest of merle Cockers.  I believe that the registration of merle colored dogs must be maintained within the regular registry.  I believe that breeders and owners of this color must let AKC and the ASC know that, while they insist on getting their animals registered with the correct color, they will not support the segregation of these dogs from the regular registry. 

Unfortunately, since the ASC is run by a very tight clique of show enthusiasts, and since the majority of those in power within ASC are well-known to be anti-color, I'm afraid merles cannot expect to be treated fairly by the ASC.   (In August of 2004 the then-president of the ASC, Al Grossman,  referred to merles as "purebred mutts"!!)  Merle owners and breeders must stand up and be heard on this issue.  Do not expect others within the breed to promote your viewpoint.  If you want merles to be properly registered and recognized as being worthy of inclusion within the Cocker Spaniel breed, then you should contact AKC and the ASC and make your position clear!