Thanks Jen!!!
W

you some of mine and you could return some coloureds lol

I occasionally print out info off our board for future reference and this one is going in the file.

not just my bulldogs, but my heart & soul!!

is a bit complicated. Normal hearing parents can produce a deaf pup. Deafness associated with the genes that control pigment in this case can produce deafness in a non-white offspring of normal hearing parents.

Here's the skinny.

First. let's talk about white.

In bulldogs, white is the absence of color. The expression of color is masked by the piebald gene. So a "white" bulldog is actually a red or fawn or brindle whose color is masked by the piebald gene, which can express in a wide variety of forms depending on the specific location of the gene and modifiers (a geneticist could explain it better) so you will have from solid white to barely pied, almost a solid with white markings.

Some solid white dogs have tremendous pigment, others hardly any. Skin pigment is not irrevocably linked to the amount of solid color spots on the dog.

It's complicated but let's just break it down to two types of white in bulldogs; dirty and clean


Clean dogs look like the driven snow. They have few "tick" (little color) spots. Their skin is mostly white/pink with freckles or spots of pigment. Their pigment on noses and eyes may range from full to spotty but will almost always have clearly defined edges, as if it was painted on. If they have ticking on ears, it may only be a few spots. Most pads will be white, nails will only rarely be black

Dirty white dogs will have a good amount of ticking, some will have A LOT. While some people compare it to dalmatians, it's closer to the patterning in english setters, which are white dogs with heavy ticking. Same goes for german shorthairs. Some of these dogs are nearly white, others look grey or roan. Like dirty white bulldogs, they are born solid white then tick out later.

Dirty white dogs have more black pigment on their skin. Unlike their clean white counterparts, they may be mostly black or grey skinned as adults, they also may have more black pads on their feet and may have black nails. They will almost always have a full complement of pigment on their faces, to the point of a full mask under their white facial hair, there will rarely be clean borders between black and pink skinned areas.

So why does this matter?

The "white dog deafness" we worry about is due to the failure for dogs to form the microscopic hairs in the middle ear that actually allow hearing to occur.

These hairs arise from PIGMENT cells.

No pigment, no hairs. No hairs, no hearing..

Even a solid head and dark ears does not guarantee pigment in the deep recesses of the ear. Large or discreet areas of absent pigment are more common on pied or white dogs. Even more so on CLEAN white dogs.

So, putting two and two together, you can see why breeding two white dogs together, and doubling up on the genes which inhibit pigment, will increase the risk of a dog being born with pigment missing in the inner parts of one or both ears.

Personally, I don't worry about breeding dirty white or dirty piebalds together. Dirty white dogs, the ones with boatloads of ticking and predominantly black skin usually produce excellent pigment on both white and solid offspring. But it does require that you not mind ticking. Some people don't mind it, some can't stand it.


Now, why don't westies and other all white breeds have the same issue? Answer; they are not genetically white! West highland terriers, pyrenees dogs etc... are actually red or fawn that has genetic modifiers that produce creams so pale they look white (their skin and nails is grey/black). So this particular form of congenital deafness is not an issue for them. Unlike boxers, bulldogs, dals, pointers, english setters, etc...for whom white-dog deafness is a problem as they are white due to an absence of pigment.

It is interesting to note that in some breeds, toy fox being one, where white with spots is a desired color, that white touching the eye or ear is a disqualification in the ring. The reason being that they were originally hunting dogs, and a deaf dog is little use in the field.

pigment...I guess I just really like the whities and I will have to give this deafness thing abit of thought!!!
thanks



not just my bulldogs, but my heart & soul!!

As long as pigment is good on both dogs, it will not be a problem.

Poor facial pigment can happen with any body color.

If you are worried about deafness, get them BAER tested first. Deafness can happen in all colors of bulldogs.

e

deafness when breeding 2 white dogs.

Sue

so no it wouldn't affect pigment and I wouldn't be concerned about deafness either unless you already know its in the lines.

I found it very helpful. Thank you.

Mary and Otto, Maisy & Apple
Marby Bulldogs