Deafness in white dogs

[Aussie Whip 4,092]

Does anyone know if deafness in white or nearly all white dogs is inherited or is it just a colour related problem in individual animals.

[neil cooney 10,416]

No, it tends to be black terriers that deaf you out when they're on a line.

It's the breeders of white terriers that are deaf when you tell them that if they don't get their house in order the good proper working Jack Russell will be gone forever .

JMHO.

[forest of dean redneck 11,541]

Dunno used to be years ago lot of pure white dogs could be deaf, boxer dogs etc

i don't think I would breed of a deaf dog .

[peterhunter86 8,627]

22 minutes ago, forest of dean redneck said:

Dunno used to be years ago lot of pure white dogs could be deaf, boxer dogs etc

i don't think I would breed of a deaf dog .

I think that's just a myth about White boxers.

[forest of dean redneck 11,541]

2 minutes ago, peterhunter86 said:

I think that's just a myth about White boxers.

Was spate of deaf white boxer dogs in the 90s?

[peterhunter86 8,627]

23 minutes ago, forest of dean redneck said:

Was spate of deaf white boxer dogs in the 90s?

Bloke next door has one and there's not a bother on it, and I googled it and it said there was no truth in it.

[forest of dean redneck 11,541]

26 minutes ago, peterhunter86 said:

Bloke next door has one and there's not a bother on it, and I googled it and it said there was no truth in it.

http://www.boxer-rescue-la.com/Library/stories/deaf_white_boxers.htm

[Hands of Stone 154]

I have a Russell (tri colour) that's deaf he works ok, when I bred off him one of the litter was deaf too. I won't breed off him again, which is a shame as he works well.

[Aussie Whip 4,092]

13 hours ago, neil cooney said:

No, it tends to be black terriers that deaf you out when they're on a line.

It's the breeders of white terriers that are deaf when you tell them that if they don't get their house in order the good proper working Jack Russell will be gone forever .

JMHO.

That's like the puppy peddling black terrier breeders here.

[neil cooney 10,416]

8 hours ago, Aussie Whip said:

That's like the puppy peddling black terrier breeders here.

We might hunt different quarry in different terrains all over the world but it looks like the poor old working terrier will always have the cancer within of the puppy peddler. Such is life.

[max_wood 161]

My parents had boxers for years and years.not all white ones are deaf but I'd say more than half of the ones we had anything to do with.never had or seen a deaf coloured one though

[eastcoast 4,115]

It is a definite "thing". A genetic thing, obviously. Something to do with the gene that produces pigment in an animal is the same gene, or is intrinsically linked, to the gene that develops hearing. Lack of pigment could = lack of hearing. A piss poor explanation I know but not something that I have ever had the need to become more educated in. The only working bred  deaf dog that I have known was a white dog born from black and tan working type Lakelands. Never came across it in Jack Russells or whippets.

[FerretNick 1]

Many white ferrets (that aren't albinos) are also deaf. I believe it is the result of failure of a certain type of cell to move to the proper location during development. These cells normally would develop into cells that produce the pigment and also cells involved in hearing.