The splotchy coat pattern called merle can come from many breeds
A dog’s breed is more than coat deep.
Many assume that dogs with a splotchy, merle coat pattern have ancestry from Australian Shepherds or Catahoula Leopard Dogs. However, this isn’t always true. Merle can be inherited from many breeds, including Collie, Great Dane, Dachshund, and more. Learn how certain coat patterns appear in different breed mixes with Embark’s Chief Science Officer, Adam Boyko.