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Online discussions about merle Poodles are full of fear, misinformation, and blanket opinions that aren’t based on genetics or veterinary science.  This page clears things up with calm, factual, heart-centered education.


✔️ 1. “Merle is a red flag.”

➤ Reality: That’s not about health — it’s about politics.  Some people object to merle simply because:

●it wasn’t historically common in the Poodle show ring

●it’s not included in the AKC show standard and the Breed Club

●they confuse “not eligible to compete in conformation” with “unhealthy”


These are aesthetic or club tradition objections — not genetic or medical ones.  A dog’s health cannot be judged by pigment.


✔️ 2. “Merle is dangerous in poodles.”

➤ Reality: Only double merle (MM) is dangerous — in every breed, not just Poodles.

The only medical risk with merle occurs when two merle dogs are bred together, creating double merles.  This risk is:

●well-understood
●easily prevented
●unrelated to whether a dog is a Poodle, Aussie, Border Collie, etc.

Responsible breeders never breed merle × merle pairings.  A single merle gene (M) does not cause blindness, deafness, or health decline.


✔️ 3. “Merle causes health problems in Poodles.”

➤ Reality: Merle is a pattern, not a disease. The merle gene affects pigment, not:

●hips
●elbows
●patellas
●heart
●immune system
●structure
●temperament

Merle itself is simply color dilution and patterning — like brindle stripes or red coat shades.  It does not compromise longevity or health any more than freckles do in humans.

If merle were inherently unsafe in Poodles, then: ●Border Collies ●Catahoulas ●Shelties ●Australian Shepherds ●Cardigan Corgis● Koolies ●Dachshunds ●Great Danes…would all be in crisis. They’re not.


✔️ 4. “Merle isn’t natural in Poodles.”

➤ Reality: Many accepted Poodle colors entered from outcrosses.  Most people don’t realize this: ●parti ●brindle ●sable ●phantom ●red, and ●apricot… ALL entered the breed through outcrosses in the past — long before modern record-keeping.


✔️ 5. “It’s unethical to breed merle Poodles.”

➤ Reality: Ethics come from how you breed, not what color the dog is. This is the piece the loudest voices never mention:

Ethical breeding is about stewardship — ●daily care ●socialization ●temperament ●health testing ●stability, and ●thoughtful pairings.

Ethics is:
●giving dogs a loving home
●raising puppies with intention
●preventing genetic disease
●doing testing
●transparency with families
●lifetime support
●responsible placement
●no breeding rights sold
●stable, safe, enriched environments


✔️ 6. “But they should be fully health tested.”

➤ Reality: They are.  We…

✔ DNA/Health tested (Embark)
✔ OFA structural exams
✔ Eyes, heart, patellas, hips, elbows as breed-appropriate
✔ Transparent results
✔ No merle × merle
✔ Carefully planned pairings
✔ Temperament-forward selection
✔ No breeding rights sold
✔ Puppies placed only in companion homes
✔ Stable, enriched, loving environment

The loudest online critics rarely acknowledge these fundamentals.  They list mechanics—titles, ribbons, shows—as “ethical,” but neglect every piece of daily stewardship that shapes a dog’s wellbeing.


✔️ 7. The Truth is…

Merle is not a health issue.
Merle is not unethical.
Merle is a color pattern — and safe when bred responsibly.


🤎 A Final, Gentle Word.  This is where we stand:

✔️Merle Poodles are not unhealthy because they’re merle.

✔️ Poodles are not mutts, and they are not unethical simply because they carry merle.

✔️They are simply Poodles with a different pigment pattern.

✔️Their wellness depends on responsible pairing, proper testing, and heartfelt care — not the shade of their coat.

Our role is to steward every puppy’s wellbeing, to protect them from harmful pairings, and to raise them with intention, gentleness, and love.

✔️ 8. “Merle can’t be in Poodles because we didn’t SEE it earlier.”

That’s not how genetics works.

Merle can absolutely hide in cream, apricot, white, and champagne Poodles, sometimes for generations. And as soon as color DNA testing became widely available (thanks to Embark, UC Davis, Wisdom, etc.) breeders finally started seeing it.

Before DNA testing, pedigrees were based entirely on observation — which means:

●hidden merle could be misrecorded
●cryptic merle could go unnoticed
●dilute merle could be mistaken for cream
●and cream lines could mask it for decades

So the idea that merle “must” have come from a recent cross is unsupported and unprovable unless there is DNA showing an outside breed. Merle is dominant, yes — but expressivity varies and a hidden pattern can absolutely go unrecognized without genetic tests.

Bottom line:  The existence of Merle does not automatically prove crossbreeding. The existence of DNA testing proves hidden genes exist.

✔️ Claim: “Merle has only existed for 20 years.”

Fact:  Merle has existed in domestic dogs for hundreds of years. The only thing that is recent is the technology to detect it in cream/white dogs.

Merle hides especially well in Poodles because:

●they commonly produce cream, apricot, champagne, silver, and white
●these colors visually mask the merle pattern
●“cryptic merle” exists and carries faint or no visible markings

No scientific source anywhere verifies a “20-year timeline.”

✔️ Claim: “If merle had been in Poodles, we would have seen it earlier.”

Fact:  We would not have — because merle is masked in:

●cream
●apricot
●white
●silver beige
●champagne

And guess what Poodles produce constantly…cream, white, and apricot. This is why DNA testing changed everything.

✔️ Claim: “Merle could not spontaneously appear more than once.”

Fact: Spontaneous mutations happen constantly in domestic animals. This claim is scientifically false. But even more importantly:  You do not need spontaneous mutation to explain merle in Poodles.  Hidden inheritance explains it perfectly.

✔️ Claim: “Merle has to come from herding breeds.”

Fact: There is no scientific proof that merle originally came from herding breeds.

The gene is ancient — older than modern dog breeds — and predates the formation of every modern purebred registry. Every breed today, including the Poodle, started as a mixture of older landrace dogs. Merle could have been present long before breeds were divided and standardized.

✔️ Claim: “Double merle is dangerous.”

Fact: Correct. But:

➡️ Responsible breeders do not pair merle × merle.
➡️ Ethical Poodle programs test for merle.
➡️ Risk only exists when breeding irresponsibly.

A merle Poodle raised with DNA testing is not at greater risk simply for being merle. This is the same rule used in Aussies, Collies, Danes, Catahoulas, Shelties, and dozens of other merle breeds.

✔️ Claim: “Merle Poodles aren’t ethical.”

Fact: Color ≠ ethics. There has never been a scientific, veterinary, genetic, or welfare-based reason to declare ●merle ●parti ●brindle ●abstract ●phantom as “unethical.” These are simply colors, nothing more.

✔️ Claim: “AKC doesn’t recognize merle so it must be bad.”

Fact: AKC does not decide which colors are “ethical.”  AKC only decides which colors can compete in the show ring. They exclude many colors across breeds that are perfectly healthy, including:

●liver in Dobermans
●parti in Poodles
●white Boxers
●brindle Great Danes (in some lines)
●merle Frenchies
●Irish coat patterns in several breeds

A color being excluded from conformation does not mean it’s unhealthy or impure.

✔️ Claim: “If merle existed, pedigrees would show it.”

Fact:  Before DNA testing, pedigrees were visual only, and merle often leaves no visible pattern in cream or very light dogs. Pedigrees were never genetic records.
They were guesses based on coat color at the time. Now we have actual DNA to check what was invisible before.

⭐ Why Online AI Results Can Mislead Dog Buyers

And how to find real, evidence-based information about your puppy

Today, families often search Google, TikTok, or other AI-powered tools when researching a breeder. These systems can be helpful — but it’s important to understand how they work.

AI does not check for scientific accuracy.
AI does not verify whether information is current.
AI does not separate genetics research from breeder gossip.

Instead, AI systems learn by reading what is posted the most online, not what is true.

That means:

If a belief is repeated thousands of times (even if incorrect)

If a few loud groups push an opinion across social media

If old forum posts or outdated club politics are widely shared


…AI will treat it as “fact,” because its job is to reflect what is common, not what is correct.

✔️ For example:

“Merle Poodles only existed 20 years” — repeated online, but not supported genetically.

“Embark tests aren’t real paperwork” — repeated online, despite Embark being one of the largest canine DNA labs in the world.

“You must show dogs to be ethical” — repeated online, but not biologically tied to health or temperament.


These statements get repeated enough that AI systems simply echo them — even when science says otherwise.


⭐ So how do you find reliable information?

Look for sources rooted in science and transparency, not popularity:

✔ peer-reviewed genetics
✔ OFA and CHIC guidelines
✔ population data
✔ documented inheritance patterns
✔ veterinary consensus
✔ breeders who openly publish testing and educate families
✔ programs that focus on temperament, health, and lifelong care

These are things that truly shape the wellbeing of a dog — not internet volume.


❤️ Our Promise to You

We do not make decisions based on trends, drama, or social-media politics. We make decisions based on:

●health
●temperament
●ethics
●transparency
●lifelong stewardship
●and the wellbeing of the dogs entrusted to us

We encourage every family to learn, ask questions, and use resources grounded in science — not algorithms.

Because your puppy deserves truth, not internet noise.