Intervertebral disc disease: You'll need to take care to protect your dachshund's back.This may include covering your dog with a lightweight shirt when he’s outside or avoiding outdoor time during the sunniest parts of the day.Īlso, understand that deaf piebald dogs require special handling and training, but medically, they should be just as healthy as other canines. However, if your piebald pup has large areas of white, special care should be taken in the sun to avoid sunburns. So, they can be just as suitable for first-time dog owners as canines with any other coat color (assuming the dog breed itself is good for beginners). ![]() Do Piebald Dogs Require Special Care?įor the most part, piebald dogs are healthy and require no special care. ![]() Responsible breeders can typically notify you of this as they track their breeding stock, but you can also seek the testing yourself online. The only way to know for sure your dog has a piebald gene is to get your dog’s genes tested via a blood or saliva sample (aside, that is, from breeding him to a known gene carrier - if you get piebald babies, he clearly had the gene). It’s easy to look at piebald dogs and tell they have the piebald gene - that’s pretty obvious! But it obviously isn’t possible to tell if a dog with a single copy of a recessive version of the gene is present by just looking at him. ![]() Some of the breeds that occasionally carry the piebald gene include: More than 25 breeds can carry the piebald gene, meaning you’ve most likely seen a piebald dog and haven’t even realized it. While it may be a possibility in many cases, it isn’t a guarantee.Īdditionally, in breeds where the gene is inherited in recessive fashion, two normal-looking doggos may produce a piebald pup, if they both had one copy of the gene. The piebald gene’s mode of inheritance varies from incomplete dominance to autosomal recessive, depending on breed, meaning breeding a piebald dog doesn’t always mean you’ll wind up with piebald puppies in a litter. The white coloring in piebalds correlates with the S locus allele, with dogs inheriting one copy of the S locus showing less white markings than those with two copies of the S locus. In canines, a mutation of the Microphthalmia Associated Transcription Factor (MATF) gene causes a random deletion of color, leading to the white spotting seen in piebald pups. A mutation of the MATF gene creates the striking absence of color seen in piebald dogs, who still feature some areas of color.Īs with other coat patterns, piebald coats are directly linked to a dog’s genetic makeup. Unlike rarer coat patterns, such as roan, piebald coats occur in many dog breeds, including bulldogs, chihuahuas, whippets, and more. Like harlequin, ticked, spotted, and more, piebald is a specific coat coloring featuring white - generally asymmetrical - spotting throughout the body. ![]() Piebald is a term that refers to a specific canine coat pattern.Piebald isn’t a coat term as well-known as others, but we’re willing to bet you’ve seen a piebald pup or two around.ĭiscover the ins and outs of the piebald coat pattern and learn which breeds carry the gene with us below! Key Takeaways: What Is a Piebald Dog? Canine coats come in a rainbow of colors and patterns, including brindle, merle, and - the subject of our discussion today - a particularly striking color combo called piebald.
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