Chickentrain's Dog Q&A

[RiverOtter]

is this not double merle?

View attachment 2556983

Not even a little bit. It is just a white collie. Notice how the face is fully colored?

Even on a double merle (and not saying they should ever be bred) if the dog has color over it's eyes and ears, it won't have issues.

 

[RiverOtter]

White collies also come in sable and tri



And, the aforementioned high-white border collie. Not preferred, but totally healthy

 

[chickentrains]

my mind is currently blown

they arent deaf??

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

I feel like someone who did school courses on hamsters their whole life then took a college course on fish. I have no idea what’s happening. I’m so lost.

X2

 

[chickentrains]

X2

I have no idea whats going on either

my mind just got blown

and I thought I knew alot

 

[RiverOtter]

my mind is currently blown

they arent deaf??

Nope.

And even in double merles, the issue with deafness and blindness is due to lack of embryonic development in complex areas with lack of pigment. If a double merle dog has a colored eye or ear, that eye or ear is fine. If they have piebald instead of irish white spotting, they are far less likely to have issues. If they have no spotting gene (look into Catahoula Leopard dog breeding) then it's very, very rare for them to have issues. There are definitely linked genes involved that are not understood and since we don't even know all the ones, how they interact and which ones cause complications, we can't even genetically test for them, even if we HAD tests for all the genes!!

It's actually a really complex issue that boils down to "don't breed merles together". But it's also necessary to know that not every high-white merle IS a double merle, or even if it is, that they are guaranteed to have issues. Highly likely to have issues, yes. A certainty ...not so much, and we don't know all the reasons why.

 

[chickentrains]

Nope.

And even in double merles, the issue with deafness and blindness is due to lack of embryonic development in complex areas with lack of pigment. If a double merle dog has a colored eye or ear, that eye or ear is fine. If they have piebald instead of irish white spotting, they are far less likely to have issues. If they have no spotting gene (look into Catahoula Leopard dog breeding) then it's very, very rare for them to have issues. There are definitely linked genes involved that are not understood and since we don't even know all the ones, how they interact and which ones cause complications, we can't even genetically test for them, even if we HAD tests for all the genes!!

It's actually a really complex issue that boils down to "don't breed merles together". But it's also necessary to know that not every high-white merle IS a double merle, or even if it is, that they are guaranteed to have issues. Highly likely to have issues, yes. A certainty ...not so much, and we don't know all the reasons why.

interesting. thanks!

 

[black_cat]

Nope.

And even in double merles, the issue with deafness and blindness is due to lack of embryonic development in complex areas with lack of pigment. If a double merle dog has a colored eye or ear, that eye or ear is fine. If they have piebald instead of irish white spotting, they are far less likely to have issues. If they have no spotting gene (look into Catahoula Leopard dog breeding) then it's very, very rare for them to have issues. There are definitely linked genes involved that are not understood and since we don't even know all the ones, how they interact and which ones cause complications, we can't even genetically test for them, even if we HAD tests for all the genes!!

It's actually a really complex issue that boils down to "don't breed merles together". But it's also necessary to know that not every high-white merle IS a double merle, or even if it is, that they are guaranteed to have issues. Highly likely to have issues, yes. A certainty ...not so much, and we don't know all the reasons why.

H e l p so what do I look for as a buyer?

 

[chickentrains]

when i was playing DBG, a realistic breeding game, alot of my extreme piebalds where deaf.. thats where I based my knowlage

 

[RiverOtter]

H e l p so what do I look for as a buyer?

You look for a breeder that health tests. That doesn't advertise "rare" colors. And that a merle puppy has one solid colored parent.