# Colors?



## Mel (Apr 4, 2012)

More than color you need to look at the parents to see how their conformation is and you need to look at what health testing that has been done. If the breeders own Merle’s I would run away . She has a brown nose which isn’t ideal but is ok for a pet. Most good breeders do try to avoid having brown nosed puppies (unless brown) unless they have a certain goal in mind. Will more than likely be solid as an adult. Since she has so much white on her head you might want to have her hearing checked by a vet.


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## Mr.B (Jan 22, 2020)

Mel,

Thank you so much for your information. It is really appreciated. 

Regards,
Mr.B


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## Mr.B (Jan 22, 2020)

Mel,

Parents are both Parti, which is how they describe her. I have been researching the brown nose and am still not 100% sure of what it means. I have not come across the white hair leading to deafness, I wonder why but, that is good to know. Is a brown nose linked to other health problems? Or is it just a preference? Thank you so much.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Does she have blue eyes, too? Could just be puppy thing, and they'll darken with age. But blue eyes and a white coat make me worry about genetic issues.

I found this with a google search, but there are some super knowledgable folks here who can probably better advise:









What is the link between white dogs and deafness?


What is the link between white dogs and deafness?




www.fetchfind.com





"*What does a white coat have to do with hearing loss?* The ability to hear is made possible by a special layer of cells within the inner ear. This specialized layer of cells, and the cells that determine hair color, come from the same stem cell source. Without this stem cell, the dog’s body won’t be able to make this specialized layer of hearing cells and will likely be white in coloration.

Dogs that carry the piebald gene are often affected by deafness. Piebaldism results from the absence of melanocytes, the cells that create the pigment melanin. These melanocytes are the part a dog’s DNA that determines coloration, such as brown or black hair, or blue or brown eyes. (Blue eyes are not a true eye color, but rather result from the lack of color-producing pigment within the iris.) When a dog is born without melanocytes, a predominantly white coat (and often blue eyes) is the result."


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## Mel (Apr 4, 2012)

Like what was posted before both extreme white on the head caused by either parti or Merle (which is the cause of blue eyes) could cause potentially deafness . So parti breeders try not to breed for extreme white on the head. Even if they do have extreme white does not mean that they are deaf but it would something I would have checked out and have in contract . I believe the hearing test is called the Baer test.
Paw print genetics will have the list of dna health testing that a standard should have along with OFA hips, heart, eyes test. You want to see a proof of test.

There is nothing wrong with brown nose if you are buying as a pet. If you are buying to show Ukc it’s a fault. You can’t show a parti AKC but brown nose is a fault unless it’s on a brown or apricot.
I wouldn’t buy puppy without seeing parents. Some are really ugly if they aren’t well bred.


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