Tag: bad breeders

12 Things You Didn’t Know About White Great Danes: Are White Great Danes Deaf and Blind?
Did you know that if your Great Dane has a solid white coat color it could have genetic health problems? Great Danes with white coats are known as Double Merles.

WHAT IS A DOUBLE MERLE GREAT DANE?

A Double Merle Great Dane is a Great Dane that has been bred by two dogs who both carry the dominant merle gene.

White Danes are produced from doubling up on the Merling gene, as happens in Harlequin x Harlequin breeding, Harlequin x Merle breeding or Merle x Merle breeding.

When two dogs with the merle gene are bred together, there is a one in four chance that the puppies will be born as a white coated dog. These white dogs are called Double Merle.

Their white coat color is indicative of multiple congenital defects.

DO ALL WHITE GREAT DANES HAVE HEALTH ISSUES?

Not all Double Merle dogs will have health issues.

Although a Great Dane’s coat is a great indicator of their overall health, some DM Great Danes can be healthy dogs.

Not every Great Dane that is born with a white coat color will experience blindness or be deaf.

However, a great majority of DM Great Danes will have health issues including sensory issues (blindness and deafness).

WHAT CAUSES HEALTH ISSUES IN A DOUBLE MERLE GREAT DANE?

The merle gene should not be bred with another merle gene.

Great Danes require extensive health testing to check for colors that each dog carries for prior to breeding. Otherwise, a breeder might end up with an albino dog.

Just because a dog does not have a merle coat, does not mean that it does not carry for the merle gene. All Great Dane dogs can carry for merle, which is why health testing is so important.

Reputable breeders will not breed their giant breed dog without ensuring that only one carries for a dominant gene of Merle.

BACKYARD BREEDING WHITE GREAT DANES

Unfortunately, bad breeding practices have plagued Great Dane dogs as well as other breeds.

Double Merle Great Danes have become more and more prevalent as breeding practices have become more lax.

Pure white Great Dane coat color is even being stated as a ‘rare Great Dane color‘.

This is a huge red flag. If you notice white puppies in a litter- know that these Great Danes are not ethically bred.

Although you might think that a breeder producing white Danes can still produce puppies that could make a great family pet, the heartbreak involved is not worth it.

The Great Dane breed is already predisposed to too many health concerns. Adding in merle deafness, blindness, and the other associated risks of a white coat is just not worth it.

Do not support any breeder who creates white Great Danes.

ADDITIONAL HEALTH CONCERNS FOR WHITE GREAT DANES

White Great Danes are not only normally blind and deaf, but they also have additional concerns.
1. Hip Dysplasia- This is a common health concern for all Great Danes but can be especially painful for aDouble Merle. Deafness and blindness can make it difficult to treat.
2. Elbow Dysplasia- This is another common orthopedic concern for Great Danes.
3. Cherry Eye- A third eyelid that becomes prolapsed and irritated.
4. Autoimmune Thyroiditis- Affects the thyroid gland and can cause weight gain, hair loss, and lethargy.
5. Skin Allergies/Sensitivities- White Great Danes are especially susceptible to skin allergies and sensitivities.
6. Skin Cancer- The risk of developing skin cancer is also increased in Great Danes with a white coat.
Double Merle Great Danes are beautiful dogs but come with a lot of risks. Before you decide to bring one home, please do your research and be prepared for a lifetime of special care. These dogs are not for everyone and their needs should be carefully considered.

ARE ALL WHITE DOGS CONSIDERED UNHEALTHY?

Not all white puppers are the same.

White Great Danes are the product of a dominant gene, resulting in a Double Merle. Alternatively, normal dog breeds with white coat colors are the result of a double recessive gene.

The difference? One of these can make your dog blind, while the other dogs remain healthy.

If you have a Great Dane puppy who is pure white, they are probably a product of a Double Merle breeding. You should be proactive about their health.

DOUBLE MERLE GREAT DANES AND BLINDNESS

Not all Great Danes who are white will be blind while they are puppies.

A white Great Dane puppy can develop blindness at birth, or they might develop blindness as they age.

Depending on the dog’s age, you can determine their eyesight by either taking them to the veterinarian or conducting at home tests.

If you notice that your White Great Dane has a harder time with obedience training, following you with their eyes, tracking toys or treats, or if they seem to be bumping into things- it is time for a vet visit.

These are all early signs of vision problems in Great Danes.

CATARACTS IN WHITE GREAT DANES

One of the most common eye problems in a Great Dane with vision problems, regardless of coat color, is cataracts.

Cataracts are a cloudy film that forms over the eye and can eventually lead to blindness.

The only way to remove cataracts is through surgery.

This surgery is expensive but can help improve your dog’s quality of life. Not treating cataracts can leave your dog blind.

If you notice that your White Great Dane is having trouble seeing, take them to the vet. Your vet can do an eye exam on your Great Dane to check for cataracs.

WHY ARE WHITE GREAT DANES DEAF?

Very commonly, a white Great Dane will have either partial or complete hearing loss.

This can be developed when your Great Dane is born, or develop over the lifetime of your Great Dane.

There are a few tests that can be conducted to test your Great Dane’s hearing.

The most common is the BAER (Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response) test.

This test is painless and only takes a few minutes. It will determine if your Great Dane can hear low, medium, or high-pitched sounds.

If you are concerned about your Great Dane’s hearing, talk to your veterinarian.

USING AN E COLLAR TO TRAIN A BLIND OR DEAF GREAT DANE

One of the most powerful methods of training a Great Dane with vision or hearing impairments is through the use of an e collar.

Since a blind or deaf Great Dane cannot hear or see, they will rely heavily on their sense of smell and their sense of touch.

Using an e collar can help your Great Dane feel the communication through stimulation (not shock!)

This form of training will not only help your Great Dane navigate through the world appropriately, but also keep them safe.

You will NEED a means of communicating with your Great Dane, and being able to use an e collar to do so is the most ethical and effective way of doing so.

WHITE GREAT DANES AND ALLERGIES

White Great Danes are especially susceptible to skin allergies and sensitivities.

The most common allergies are environmental, such as dust, pollen, and grass.

GREAT DANE SKIN ISSUES

Environmental allergies can cause your Great Dane to have itchy skin, hot spots, and hair loss.

Diet plays a huge role in allergies of any Great Danes. Choose a food that is appropriate for a growing or adult Great Dane that will help ease their itchy or dry skin.

Great Dane: Puppy vs. Adult Food
A Tasty Top: The Top 11 Foods to Feed a Great Dane
Should I Feed Grain Free?
Adding CBD Into Your Great Dane’s Diet
Supplements for Great Danes
Fish Oil for Great Danes
Great Dane Not Eating- What to Do

EAR INFECTIONS IN A WHITE GREAT DANE

If you have a Great Dane that is prone to ear infections, you know what a hassle they can be.

Not only are they painful for your dog, but they can also be difficult to treat.

Ear Infections in Great Danes

There are a few things you can do to help prevent ear infections in your Great Dane.

First, make sure you are cleaning their ears regularly. This will help remove any dirt or debris that could cause an infection.

Second, try using an ear cleaner that is specifically designed for dogs. We swear by the product called Xymox, which has proven time and time again to clear up any ear infection.

Xymox is our absolute FAVORITE cleanser if your Great Dane has yeast or inflammation in its ears.

Third, if your Great Dane is going swimming, make sure you dry their ears out completely afterwards.

If you are doing all of these things and your Great Dane STILL gets ear infections, talk to your vet. They may prescribe a special medication to help prevent future problems.

ARE HARLEQUIN GREAT DANES THE SAME AS A DOUBLE MERLE GREAT DANE?

Many people assume that a white Great Dane is the same as a Harlequin Great Dane.

This is not true!

A Harlequin Great Dane does not carry the same health issues that a white Great Dane does.

In fact, Harlequin Great Danes are one of the 7 breed standard colors approved by the National Breed Club.

Blue Great Danes
Mantle Great Danes
Black Great Danes
Harlequin Great Danes
Colors of Great Danes

The Great Dane Club of America shares standards for the Great Dane breed, which can be very fun to examine. In these standards, the Great Dane Club discusses the American Kennel Club ‘standard’ for a Harlequin Great Dane.

The Issue with the AKC

If you are considering Great Dane rescue of a white Great Dane, know that every gentle giant deserves a loving home. These dogs can make for a best friend, loving companion and great family member. But, be prepared for the health issues and associated fees that your pup might bring with it. Preparation is always key to success.

READ MORE ABOUT DOUBLE MERLE GREAT DANES: 12 Things You Didn’t Know About White Great Danes: Are White Great Danes Deaf and Blind?

READ MORE:

Is My Great Dane Being Aggressive or Playing?
June 16, 2022
Great Dane Breeder Scams & Shady Business
Unfortunately, there are a lot of shady breeders and Great Dane breeder scams in the world of Great Danes. These unethical breeding practices are harming our beloved breed and making it hard for pet parents to navigate their search for a well-bred Great Dane puppy.

We see a lot of this. The unethical breeders prey on people who are new to Great Danes or don’t know much about ethical breeding practices. What’s worse, is that they know how to appear ethical, friendly, and reputable.

The dogs and the owners end up suffering for it. Backyard breeding practices are almost solely responsible for the reason that so many purebred Great Danes are in rescue.

We are on a mission to shut these shady, scammy, unethical breeders down, and make room for breeders that are operating with the best interest of every dog in mind.

This post will dig into some favorite shady tactics that unethical Great Dane breeders may use to get your business!

Shady Breeder Tactic #1: Bare Minimum Health Testing

One way that backyard breeders will attempt to appear reputable and legitimate is by doing a ‘vet check’ or genetic screening so they can claim that their dogs have been health tested.

Note: a breeder who only completes a ‘veterinary clearance’ or genetic screening is NOT properly health testing their dogs! There is no exception to this. When you hear these things from a breeder, you are hearing about their corner-cutting practices.

Diligent health testing must include at minimum:
- Veterinary check, ideally with a reproductive veterinarian
- A full study of the pedigree of both parents to include information about health conditions seen in the genetic lineage
- Genetic screening for known genetic conditions and coat color
- OFA screening by the breed’s parent club recommendations.
For example, in Great Danes, OFA health screening for each parent in the pairing must include:

OFA Heart – an echocardiogram of the heart

OFA Thyroid – Thyroid panel/blood test

OFA Eyes – Exam with a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist

OFA Hips – X-rays read and graded by orthopedic specialists

Reputable breeders will log their OFA health testing at www.ofa.org

You should be able to see the screening results for BOTH parents on that website. If any OFA tests are missing, find a different breeder.

Ethical breeders will fully OFA health test both dogs being bred, and they will not breed if one or both of the dogs doesn’t pass those tests with good or excellent results. For more information, read our blog post on OFA Health testing here.

If you are outside of the U.S., your breeder probably doesn’t use OFA, but they will still check their breeding stock for quality hips, eyes, heart, and thyroid.

Don’t just take their word for any of this! Ask for proof. Ask them why it matters.

Sketchy Dog Breeders Red Flag: Puppies, Puppies Everywhere!

Tread cautiously with any breeder that always seems to have puppies, especially if they have a regular habit of maintaining multiple litters and pregnant dams at the same time, all year round.

These breeders may appear ‘popular’ and reputable because they have so much ‘business’, but in the world of ethical breeding, this is one of the worst offenses.

Many of these same breeders may keep adult dogs in outdoor runs all day, require the purchase of ‘Life’s Abundance’ or ‘Nuvet’ (MLM commission schemes), and/or have a huge network of ‘guardian homes’ through which they can always have litters available.

Running a breeding business like a puppy factory isn’t fair to the dogs, owners, or puppies.

It implies that each life is worth only the cash it generates.

Breeders that are overrun with dogs and puppies are less likely to be able to offer proper puppy socialization and care, robust breeder support, and appropriate attention, affection, training and accommodations for the dogs being used in their breeding program.

Many breeders that operate this way are keeping dogs in runs or barns outdoors, not as loved pets that are trained in obedience, shown in dog shows, socialized, and kept as part of the family.

Do not mistake high volume for popularity.

Ask yourself if a ‘high volume’ breeder is doing this because they care about maintaining and enhancing the breed, or if they are in it for ego and cash.

Breeder Red Flag: Will Ship Anywhere

Some ethical breeders are willing to ship puppies to highly qualified, well-considered buyers.

We are very leary of any breeder that always seems to have puppies and is willing and able to ship them almost anywhere to anyone, however.

Great Danes are NOT an item that you order online. They are living beings that should be bred and raised with care and love.

They should not be bred by volume and shipped all over the Country like bags of dog food.

Ethical breeders typically have waitlists of local buyers and don’t need to do this to sell puppies.

Any breeder with a habit of regularly shipping or ‘delivering’ dogs to multiple different states is a breeder who does not likely have a good name in their local community.

As before, don’t mistake even expensive high-volume shipping operations with ethics, ‘popularity’, and desirability.

The Ethical vs. Shady Breeder Showdown

Ethical:

The ethical breeder will have OFA and genetic screening results to show you for both parents. They will be able to speak to the pedigree, with information about common health disorders in the breed such as heart disease, cancer, and GDV Bloat.

Shady:

The shady breeder will say their dogs are health tested and healthy. They might do OFA Hips or thyroid (but not all of them) so they can use the word ‘OFA’ in their marketing.

Ethical:

These breeders can tell you about the breed standard if you ask about angulation, top lines, eyes, head shape, croup, feet, color, temperament, and health problems.

Shady:

Unethical breeders will attempt to sell you on their puppies by mentioning that their dogs are “Euro” and come in “rare colors”.

Ethical

Exceptional breeders have a robust early socialization program that they are very proud of. It should include early exposure to people, children, animals, textures, touch, sounds, crates, handling, leashes, and potty training.

Shady:

Corner-cutting breeders will say they raise the puppies ‘indoors’ and ‘around children’.

Ethical:

Breeders that care want to know a lot about you as a buyer, including your experience, desires, etc. They will often have a long waitlist of buyers who understand the reasons for waiting to support an ethical breeder.

Shady:

Unethical breeders often have to do a sales pitch to sell dogs and will sell them to nearly anybody willing to buy. They may even encourage puppy buyers to take home multiples and will often be seen on social media trying to sell the puppies.

All Dogs Need Good Homes

It’s hard to turn your back on a dog that is already here, waiting to be purchased.

The problem, however, is an endless loop. When you intentionally purchase a dog from a backyard breeder, puppy mill, or pet store you are also funding the production of more unethically bred puppies.

So while it feels good at the time to give THAT dog a home, the money rewards a breeder that doesn’t truly care about that dog or any others that follow.

Make it a point to seek out and purchase ONLY from ethical breeders.

If you see sick, unhealthy, unkempt puppies and dogs report them to your local animal control. Multiple reports may eventually warrant a visit from the authorities. Many bad breeders have been shut down this way.

A backyard breeder with a litter of poorly bred, unhealthy, or sick puppies that don’t sell may eventually give up and surrender those dogs to rescue. The rescue can find great homes for them, and the backyard breeder may think twice before breeding again.
January 20, 2021