Does anyone own or breed Isabella dobies. I would be very interested in any infomation regarding problems relating to this colour. Can you show them? Does anyone have a litter due? Is there any really good Isabella stud dogs and would it be advisable to breed to a Black/Tan bitch? Any info greatly appreciated.

This may be of interest to you: White Dobes

There are only two or three people in this country who breed for Isabella's.

They are generally not popular because their coats are so poor - fine when a pup but by the time they reach two years old they generally have only an undercoat if anything at all. You are unlikely to do well in the showring with a fawn because of the coat quality unless you are very, very lucky.

The blacks have the best coats although in recent years the browns have been equalling them.

Blues and fawns are not really favoured or bred for because of their coat problems. To give you some idea of numbers last year there were
2562 blacks registered
556 browns
33 blues (some of these were a complete litter produced from two blacks and must have been a shock to the breeders as there were no blue ancestors for at least 4 generations)
12 fawns

If you are interested in the colour combinations and what produces what visit
Dobermann Colour Chart .

To answer your question, yes you can mate a fawn to a black (it is of course best if you have carried out hip, eye and vWD tests first and choose any potential parents accordingly :-))

Christine

The Isabellas that I have seen also seem to have skin problems and weepy eyes. Is that your experience also, Chris?

Hi Sierra

You posted your's while I was still trying to get those links to work!

I have only seen a couple and they were bald except for parts of their faces. I wonder if the skin problems you have seen could be caused by not having a protective coat? No idea about the eyes - lack of care by owners?

Christine

Could well have been due to not having a protective coat, but I think that most of them also have very sensitive skin and are subject to allergies and bumps that don't affect the reds or blacks. As to the eyes, I would have assumed that it could be partly caused by the little pigmentation that an Isabella has -- creating a more photosensitive eyesight.

I'm not sure how others feel about it, but I am adamently against breeding any dog for color alone and firmly believe that one should always take genetics into consideration; i.e., breeding a black lab to a chocolate for example, in order not to lose coat, substance, etc. characteristics. If one breeds for color exclusively, I believe that they fail to look at the overall picture. Just my opinion.

The colour charts a great help Thanks alot. Also does anyone know the owner of 'Zarosa Tayler Made' he is my bitches Sire. Would love to contact them for a chat???

Welcome to the forum Jewel :-) Leigh

Hi Jewel,

If you email me with your phone number I will pass it on to Zarosa Taylor Made's owner if you wish?

Christine
kerioakdobes@btinternet.com

Thanks Christine, I've managed to trace her and phoned for a chat (what a lovely lady) Thanks anyway

Hi Jewel,
Just curious - are you still interested in Isabella's after talking to Chris or will you stick to the main rather than dilutes?

Hi Sierra,
I know that the albinos have lack of pigment problems and therefore are more prone to sun damage but did not realise that the same applied to the fawns. It is recommended that they don't live in hot countries but with the weather we have here you would not expect it to be too much of a problem <g>

Christine

Hello again, After everybodys advice I have decided to stick with Black/Tan or Brown/Tan , although I'll always love all dobies including blues,fawns and whites. Hopefully I'll find the right puppy for me and be showing her in no time.