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white boxers

3K views 16 replies 9 participants last post by  Drayken 
#1 ·
I read that other than making sure the whites have good eyes and ears, there is nothing else to worry about, when choosing one for a pet, correct? Do they need sunscreen in the summer?
 
#2 ·
Yes their skin is light and would have to have some sunscreen on them because they will burn if in strong sunlight.   However on the eyes and ears - the breeder should have them all checked prior to placement to make sure everything is a-ok.  Its the lack of pigment in whites that can cause deafness and maybe a light colored (blue) eye.
 
#4 ·
I do think its early stages of life - I found this on the ABC website -

The cause of the deafness associated with the white colour is the absence of pigment cells in the inner ear resulting in a loss of sensory hair cells at about 6 - 8 weeks of age. The shortage/absence of pigment cells is also the cause of the white coat and unpigmented third eyelids (haw). Generally speaking, the more pigment in the coat the lower will be the risk of deafness, but all predominantly white dogs are at risk of being deaf.
 
#6 ·
Heather, you know my situation with my breeder, so you know why I am doing the answer seeking on my own. (rather be safe than sorry) I asked if ANY of the pups had hearing problems, and of course they said no. It was my first visit, and 10, yes 10 pups were all running around. I did not feel right about trying to clap loud or anything, to get ones attention, besides, with so many, they all feed off each other's reactions anyways. I hope to have pics up later today :)
 
#7 ·
Were there a lot of whites?   Deafness It can be in one ear or both-depending on the color (lack of pigment) in the inner ear.  A professional test -BAER- is the only true way to tell if a dog is deaf- and which ear if not both. It cost money but if they have any indication they are deaf then I would test them before placement.

Try to jingle keys behind the dog - see if it turns around.  If a dog is deaf in one ear - they will hear the noise but may be confused where it is coming from. Ring a doorbell whistle or bang something see if they respond.   I would think one on one time with the pup should give you an indication.  However I do not think the breeder of the male would allow the pups to be placed without proper testing in order to make sure they are 100% healthy.
 
#9 ·
Only two whites, then 4 fawn and 4 brindle? I cannot remember if they were both 4. ALL looked real good. One of the whites has patches of brindle, the other is all white. We are going back next week, and I told him that he needs to keep the pups that are already chosen, inside. (He brought them outside for us to play with them) That will bring the number to about 5 for us to look at. It should be ALOT easier then, lol. I told my wife that we will take one at a time, to the side, and do a little 1-on-1. I didn't think of that until after we had left, besides, it is the first time any of us had been in the middle of a stampeding litter of pups!
 
#10 ·
I read somewhere that only 18% of whites are deaf.  40% sounds way too high to me too, I've known a lot of people with white boxers and none of them are deaf.  I agree with your speculation that the percentage is higher in the rescues because people give away deaf dogs.

I worry about sunburn on my dog too, I don't let him stay in the sun too long.  But he actually is pretty good about finding shade, I think the key is to make shade available and they usually know when enough sun is enough.
 
#11 ·
You will see lot more white in NA litters due to the fact that a majority of the confirmation dogs that are being bred tend to have more flash.  When breeding flashy to flashy you increase your odds of having white pups in a litter.   There are tons more whites in this day in age (again IMO) because a majority of the dogs in conformation are flashy.   Hence once they past their health testing they go on to bred, they carry more of that white Gene than a classic dog would.

In Europe many favor the Plain/Classic boxers, hence why you do not see as many white boxers overseas as you do here in the US.  However times are changing, and seeing more classics in the US Confirmation ring and Flash in Europe.
 
#13 ·
we all know isis is white lol and deaf with 2 blue eyes..

i would think a good breeder wouldnt mind you checking at all..since the pup being deaf isnt going to effect their life as far as quality but it does effect yours..there are things that are much more important when they are deaf...simply getting out of the door would be horrible...compared to a pup thaats learning voice recall..we taught Isis to constantly look for us..and she does...i can now leave my gate open even and she will not cross that threshold unless i call her to ...i still dont leave it open of course....but those off chances..

as for sunscreen...yes the whites DO burn..and Isis has .. but it was at the beach ..i had totally forgot and its when we first got her..i saw it happening so we left but she was red for a few days..i felt so so badly..she was hot and red

we dont use it anywhere except the beach b/c of the reflection off the water...same as people..she finds her own shade other wise and is never out in the beating sun for too long..we dont take them to hike or run when its noon we either do it in the morning or early evening..

we use waterbabies coppertone...works great..
 
#15 ·
If anything the breeder should be happy that you are "aware" of possible issues with whites, shows that you are responsible parents. Points in your favor..Definitely a little one on one time will be helpful to evealuate the pups better..10 pups at one time, that's puppy overload :lol:
 
#17 ·
UPDATE

Well, my wife really, really likes the spotted white. I am 99% sure they did not, nor plan to do a BAER test. If I stand behind the pup, as someone else is facing and playing with him, and jungle keys to it's right side, and it turns to that side, then later I do it to the left, and it turns to the left, could I be fairly confident that it can hear out of both sides? I don't think my kids could handle a deaf or half deaf pup. :( And I read that they may tend to get spooked more than most, and would hate that for the pup too :(

I live in crappy weather Ohio, so the sun shouldn't be that big of a deal. We have plenty of shade where ever we are, including our yard, unless our pup decides to go golfing with me :)
 
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