Merlsheimer dog - Facts and Information

The Merlsheimer is a new crossbreed hailing from Germany with loving, friendly and sociable temperament. It was developed in 2008 by Kerstin Wiehage-Mürmann by crossing various herding dogs, Poodles and a relatively unknown German dog breed known as Elo.

On average, the Merlsheimer is around 43 cm tall and 10 kg heavy, which is 17 inch and 22 lbs. The dog should not be much bigger than that, because one of the reasons why these dogs were developed was to create the best possible companion dog for families and even for seniors. And indeed, the Merlsheimer is perfect for both groups.

The coat of Merlsheimer is most often similar to Poodle coat, but they can have longer and straighter hair like Elo dog as well. But the typical coat is slightly wavy and curly just like the Poodles coat and the great benefit of this coat is, that it does not shed, or it sheds only minimally. This type of a coat will need some grooming and maintenance and it should be cut few times a year to keep it in manageable length. Regular brushing is also very beneficial to keep the coat in good condition and to redistribute natural oils all over the coat.

The coat should be in solid light color or in piebald color. The coat is light and the dog can be easily seen in dark.

The Merlsheimer has perfect temperament for living with family or seniors. Most often it is relatively calm, gentle and affectionate dog breed. They do like cuddling, but it is not a total coach potatoe and it is recommended to provide the Merlsheimer with at least two good hours of daily exercise. It can be longer walks, vigorous playtime or fun training sessions.

These dogs are pretty playful and can be good partners for kids, but of course, you should never leave any dog breed with very young child unsupervised. Most Merlsheimers are able to be socialized with other dogs or other pets in the family as well. But some Merlsheimers might show herding, do not forget, that this is still a crossbreed in development and its temperament is not completely predictable. But most likely, the Merlsheimer will be perfect companion dog with balanced temperament that will love its whole family.

​The Merlsheimer is typically quite healthy dog breed with average lifespan around 14 years. It should not suffer much from any serious health issues, but of course, it can still suffer from the typical doggy issue, like allergies, infections, some eye problems or joint problems. But overall, this is pretty healthy and hardy dog breed.