Merle Chihuahua

The new and popular "type" of chihuahua these days is the merle chihuahua. It seems like almost everyone is looking for one of these dogs. With this new found popularity, there has come some controversy. The main issues with the merle chihuahuas are: are they actually pure bred chihuahuas, and the health problems that are common in merles. If you are interested in buying a merle chihuahua, please read on.

What is does Merle mean?

Merle is a gene that controls the color pattern of a dog's coat, eyes and paw pads, it is NOT a color. There is a solid base color, which is either red/brown or black with lighter blue/gray or reddish patches. This gives the dog an uneven speckled effect.


The merle gene modifies the dark pigment in the eyes. It can sometimes change dark eyes to blue, or part of the eye to be colored blue. This is random, and can result in a dog having both dark eyes, both blue eyes, or one dark eye with one blue eye. The color on the dog's paw pads and nose may be mottled pink and black.

Not all dog breeds carry the merle gene.


What is a Merle Chihuahua?

A merle chihuahua is a chihuahua that has the merle gene, as described above. The controversy is that many experts claim that the merle gene was not found in the chihuahua breed, until a few years ago. Many believe that some chihuahuas were bred with either dachshunds or Pomeranians, which are smaller breeds that carry the merle gene. The result is actually a mix breed being passed off as merle chihuahuas. So please take note that if you buy a merle chihuahua, you might not be getting a pure breed dog.

Health Problems in Merle Chihuahuas

Merle chihuahuas have been linked with specific health problems. These dogs can be more prone to ear and eye defects, like blindness and deafness.