White Toe Genetics - Page 1

I have seen several beautiful litters of pups, where one pup has a white toe or two. I read the earlier posts about white toes that may or may not fade being seen in the WL shepherds. This was noted to be an inherited quality. My question is: how this is passed on? Should a sibling pup be avoided as a possible carrier or are only the pups with white toes at risk for producing more?

I'm not sure how it is passed on, but I do know that the last 3 all showline bitches I imported from Europe were imported bred to top males, and there were one or two pups in each of the litters with white toes.  But none of the dams had a white hair on them!  go figure!

you only need one parent to carry the white to get it , i know cause i have a female that never produce a single white air till i bred her to a male that only had a very small amout but its still there and one of the parents have to have it, i will also say its not a fault unless it looks like socks or white tip on tail. a little on chest is ok too. there are so many lines that have it so finding a dog that does not is very rare these days, i am always looking for lines that dont have it.i will also say in most  the white will go away. so if you only have a little on the pups , more than likely he will disapear over time.

I say "move on"............

Yogie

Should a sibling be avoided as a possible carrier of WHITE TOES??? Is this a serious question? 

No wonder the gene pool is screwed, if good dogs are being passed over because they throw puppies with white-tipped toes or white splashes on their chests. 

Haha Yogie, I agree. I mean, a white toe really shouldn't be considered an issue to me with WL dogs. If you're showing the dog, yea you'll be counted off for the spots. But I know a ton of dogs who carry the gene, including top producers. Should we then focus on lesser dogs who don't carry the gene?

What about a litter were all the puppies have multiple white toes/paws and or chests?  I've seen a litter recently advertised where this was true.

Toes and small spots might fade. My 20 month old has two white tips on her back toes, and two pin like spots under her jaw. She had a small patch of white hair on her chest when I got her at 7 weeks, and it's no longer there. The toes were also a lot larger when I got her, and are now barely visable.

What age are you talking about, mfh? I've had little pups with white that is gone by the time they are walking and have their eyes open. 

I can understand the concern for white if they are showline dogs, as that is a distraction.   If two perfectly equal dogs were being judged that maybe the deciding factor for the judge to point to the one without the white.  With that said, how in the world can white on the toes or chest affect the working ability of a dog?  Just baffles me to no end.  Our boy has a white spot on his chest. Considering he is a blk sable, yes it does kinda stick jump at ya. But we just recently had a litter out of him and guess what? NOT ONE WHITE FUR anyplace on the puppies.  JMO