Are Merle colored dachshunds sicker?

[vizzla]

Ive read in an article somewhere (cant remeber where) that the color of merle comes with genetic diseases? Does anyone know if this is true? (more exposed to PRA eye disease and other diseases)

In sweden only black and tan, red and merle dachshunds are recognized. No other color. Ive seen on pictures other colors on dachs. What other colors are there?

 

[Steph]

Merle or dapple coloured dachshunds are just as healthy as the other colours. I'm wondering though if you are referring to what's known as a double dapple.

http://www.dachshund.org/georgiademo.jpg

These guys can have a lot more health issues than regular dapples. (vision problems, hearing problems, etc)

As for other colours, there's a wide variety of them.
Colors

Description

Black & Cream
Black & Tan
Blue & Cream
Blue & Tan
Chocolate & Cream
Chocolate & Tan
Cream
Fawn (Isabella) & Cream
Fawn (Isabella) & Tan
Red
Wheaten
Wild Boar
Black
Chocolate
Fawn

Markings

Description

Brindle
Dapple
Sable
Brindle Piebald
Double Dapple
Piebald

 

[vizzla]

I only find this in Swedish but I try to translate:

The Merle gene cause, exept just the color of the coat, different defekts on for exampel eyes and ears. It leads to an inhibition of the groth and a change in the brain and body so the wheight resulting in the brain becoming smaler in proportion to the body wheight. The nervesystem underdevelops which leads to eyes and ear problems. Even abnormaties in the brain and skeleton has been detected.


Most of what I read is about australien shepherds or collies but merle gen should be the same in doxies?

Thank you for your answer.

 

[DeafDogs]

I only find this in Swedish but I try to translate:

The Merle gene cause, exept just the color of the coat, different defekts on for exampel eyes and ears. It leads to an inhibition of the groth and a change in the brain and body so the wheight resulting in the brain becoming smaler in proportion to the body wheight. The nervesystem underdevelops which leads to eyes and ear problems. Even abnormaties in the brain and skeleton has been detected.


Most of what I read is about australien shepherds or collies but merle gen should be the same in doxies?

Thank you for your answer.

These problems only happen in Double Merles, when both parents are Merle and the pup ends up with 2 merle genes. I have 2 of these, both are deaf, one is nearsighted, the other is nearly blind. However, there are no other health problems in my babies... well, except Mouse has some allergies, and Sleep Apnea.

 

[vizzla]

These problems only happen in Double Merles, when both parents are Merle and the pup ends up with 2 merle genes. I have 2 of these, both are deaf, one is nearsighted, the other is nearly blind. However, there are no other health problems in my babies... well, except Mouse has some allergies, and Sleep Apnea.

Ok thank you for your answer. This is however important to think about for breeders.... We want helthy dogs.

 

[DeafDogs]

Absolutely!!!

I prefer deaf dogs, so I'll always have double merle's, so this is stuff I spend alot of time researching. Epilepsy's common in Double's as well.

 

[vizzla]

Absolutely!!!

I prefer deaf dogs, so I'll always have double merle's, so this is stuff I spend alot of time researching. Epilepsy's common in Double's as well.

Why do you want deaf dogs?

 

[DeafDogs]

Easier to train (less distractions), follow me everywhere, quieter, and will never have a noise phobia, I can be sneaky coming home, before the dogs know I'm home, I can have the groceries put away and my clothes changed before waking them up LOL. I have a very paranoid dog and a reactive dog who can both hear, and I wish constantly that they were deaf... but never once have I wished my deaf dogs could hear!

 

[vizzla]

Easier to train (less distractions), follow me everywhere, quieter, and will never have a noise phobia, I can be sneaky coming home, before the dogs know I'm home, I can have the groceries put away and my clothes changed before waking them up LOL. I have a very paranoid dog and a reactive dog who can both hear, and I wish constantly that they were deaf... but never once have I wished my deaf dogs could hear!

Ok so its convenient for you. Dont the dogs risk accident if they cant hear noice? (Cars, bikers, someone coming from behind). I would be scared for my dogs safty.

 

[DeafDogs]

Ok so its convenient for you. Dont the dogs risk accident if they cant hear noice? (Cars, bikers, someone coming from behind). I would be scared for my dogs safty.

No they dont, that's a myth. Deaf dogs aren't at any greater risk of being hit by a car than hearing dogs, as hearing dogs get hit all the time, and deaf dogs dont. Mostly it's because owners of deaf dogs are much more careful about where they let their dogs off leash. But deaf dogs can feel vibrations of oncoming traffic.

It's easy to train a deaf dog for recall, it's called a vibrating collar (NOT a shock collar!!!) SO they "feel" you call them.

Here's a short video of my deaf dogs, though Mouse and Boo just have a short cameo.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNexJY1Q8OE]Give us a Chance! - YouTube[/ame]

Deaf dogs can do anything a hearing dog can. They do very well at agility, rally-o, Trebball, canine freestyle, HTM, and retrieving. and anything else you can think of. I know of someone with a deaf pitbull as a service dog, I know people who do herding with their deaf dogs, and of course, tricks

 

[vizzla]

Nice video.

Oh so cute! They dont "suffer" from deafness. People use way to many spoken words in dog training. We teach our dog tricks with hand signals. We and he like that better. And he can hear us perfectly! We still have to train recall more... He wont come imediately, but he just has to do one thing first...

We have finnished a rally course this fall. He´s really good at listening when he wants.

 

[michebai]

Are my dogs Double Dapple??

I'm not sure how it is possible because I saw both parents and the Mom is a dapple and the Dad is a black and tan, but the more I read about dapples, the more I am nervous that they could be double dapples.

Neither one of them have any health issues other than a couple of baby teeth that did not fall out and have to be removed but I also heard that as they get older they could develop more health issues if they are indeed double dapple.

I hope the pictures I've attached are sufficient to give an answer!

Thanks
Michebai

 

[DeafDogs]

Yes, I do believe they're doubles. but if I could see some better pics, and some clear, close up pics of their eyes, it'll be easier to tell. If they are, Dad must have been a cryptic, or they showed you the wrong male.

Dont worry though, other than the deafness and blindness issues, they aren't unhealthier (well, there's some thought that doubles have a higher rate of epilepsy) so you'll be fine.

 

[michebai]

Are my dogs Double Dapple?

Thank you for getting back to me! Well neither of them have issues seeing and they definitely aren't deaf!! They hear when I put the car alarm on from across the yard and are waiting at the front door everytime I come home, lol. So far the only issue I've had health wise is with the few baby teeth not falling out.

The woman I bought them from only has one breeding pair that I am aware of, however I only saw the Mom when I went to pick up my boy (supposed Dapple Piebald).

Although I am a little upset at the possibility of being misinformed, I love my babies more than anything and wouldn't change them for the world now!

I will get better pics today and post them after I get up.

Thanks!
Michebai

 

[Ilovemylily]

My lily is deaf too and she is a handful!!! She is more energetic and smarted than any dog I have owned! the only thing is that I always find myself talking to her as if she could hear me lol she just stares at me proly wondering what I'm talking about.lol there is not a doubt in my mind that she is one happy puppy!!! Even tho she can't hear.

 

[Steph]

There are many double dapples mismarked as dapple piebald, but to be honest, those little guys look dapple pie to me. We had the same discussion in another group that I frequent over a puppy that most of the people there screamed he was a dapple piebald and it turned out that he was a double dapple. A mistake for sure on the breeder's part because her parent dogs were mismarked. Mom is a brindle dapple, but registered as a brindle and Dad is a "hidden" dapple. The woman was so heartbroken that she had unintentionally had a DD pup that she kept him. She's also having the parents fixed and is never breeding again.

 

[michebai]

I really do hope they aren't Double Dapple, but either way I will love them just the same I am actually looking into adopting a little Double Dapple girl from the Canadian Dachshund Rescue now (after doing all of this research and learning so much already). She is 3 months old and was born missing one eye, partially blind in the other eye and is deaf. She is adorable and I hope I am approved for her, I am sure she would fit in perfectly with my guys too since they are all so close in age.

I'm attaching the other pictures I took the other night of my guys - one is a close up of my girl's eyes - one of them is blue, the other one is blue on top and brown on the bottom. I couldn't get a great close up of my guys eyes, as soon as I get too close, he is all over me for kisses, lol. The other one is trying to show the markings a bit better.

Thank you for looking and helping me figure out if my babies are DD or not!

 

[Steph]

Are you looking at Darby or Poppy? They are both VERY cute girls! My kids and I were contemplating applying, but with school starting soon it wouldn't be a really great time to get a pup with vision/ hearing impairments.

Now for your babies. These pictures are better to see what's going on here. It looks like you have one normal dapple piebald and a DD. The way I've learned to tell the difference is that DD's marking are very irregular whereas a piebald's marking are more...symmetrical. BUT from what I can see is that you may have dodged the proverbial bullet. Your DD looks like he can see and hear just fine - which does happen in a very small percentage of DD's. A breeder once told me that breeding for double dapples is like playing Russian Roulette - sometimes you get the lethal genetic deformities, sometimes you don't, you just don't know when or if they will happen. Do you have pictures of Mom and/ or Dad?

Oh btw, your girl has eyes just like my boy does He has a single crystal blue eye and the other is 3/4 blue 1/4 brown.

 

[DeafDogs]

I've been looking at Poppy too. she's too far away, but she reminds me soooo much of Mouse! I want her in the worst way!!! I actually posted her in the rescue section on here

again, if your dogs can see and hear just fine now, they wont have other health issues. later on.

The pupils look a little starburst on the one pic, so I do believe you do have a double dapple, but again, it's not an issue if the dog is fine now. except in the case of breeder integrity.

 

[Steph]

Darby's profile is now with Poppy's