Hi , I have just purchased a beautiful dobermann puppy. I told the breeders that I would like to show her. After travelling for 5 hours and picking a brown and tan bitch puppy we returned home. I've had her for 2 weeks, all is well but I am a bit worried because she has white hairs appearing on her chest. The weren't there when I bought her and she seems to be getting more every day. Will I still be able to show her? Are they allowed to have white hairs and if so how many? She was 8 weeks old when I got her Shouldn't she have had them by then?

If this site is correct as far as showing your dog goes, it doesnt look to good. Look here

Is it possible that they were plucked out.

Hi Guest,

Our breed standard reads - white markings of any kind highly undesirable.

As Heelerkay says if they are just coming through then it is highly likely that the breeder plucked them out. Dobe pups are often born with a few white hairs on their chests, and one or more white toenails. These generally disappear within the first few months/weeks.

Would you like to contact me privately - click on the Kerioak at the top of this mail to find my email address

Christine

Hello Again, Surely no-one would pluck out hairs,especially when they know that I was looking to show her, would they??? But they definately weren't there when I collected her. It looks as if the white patch is eventually going to be about 1 inch square but that is on a very small puppy. HELP!!!

It is also a fault in my breed lancashire heelers.
The white may disapear again with age. In heelers they are
born with it or the white grows within first 3-4 weeks.
It seems very sus to me. Was she forom a very reputable breeder?
Do you think you should ring them and did you pay show price for her.
Is the patch mixed with black hair or has she lost all the black there.

The white hairs are appearing through the brown coat. I really don't want to have to contact the breeder as I am new to all this and I will either get fobbed off or start an argument neither of which I want to do.(I'm a bit of a wimp) They seemed to be reputable breeders with some good bloodlines and some beautiful dogs but how can you really be sure???

Jewel

Unless you are prepared to talk to the breeder about this there's not really a lot your going to be able to do. At the end of the day a breeder sells a pup that will "hopefully" be of show quality. There are no guarantees. The only guarantee is if you buy a fully grown proven dog.

If you have white hairs growing through then the breeder may have plucked them out or it may just be that they are just starting to come through and the breeder knew nothing about them. However, you are never going to be able to prove anything either way.

Nevertheless the fact is you have white hairs that are undesirable it seems in your breed, although the link provided earlier is to an American site and their standard could be different to the UK. You have to decide I think whether you are prepared to front it out with the breeder and ask for your money back and go elsewhere for a pup, go back to the breeder and she if she will offer some money back or just put it behind you and enjoy your pup as a wonderful pet.

Sorry - but buying a pup for show is a gamble. An experienced breeder I know recently bought two pups from different breeders and neither has come up to the mark. It's a living creature and just like babies - they change day by day - you just hope that the final version is what you were looking for.

Pam n the boys

I have to say i no next to nothing about dog breeding, but i do happen to know quite a bit about genetics. I would presume the white hair would be cause by a recessive allele. Which must mean that there would be a histroy of the condition in the blood line, i think? LOL as i said i dont know much about breeding but i dont see how the genetics can differ that greatly.

Spot on Pam - no breeder can sell an 8 week old puppy & say it will be show quality, it just ain't possible :-) I sell all puppies this age on the basis that they will be pets only & wouldn't actually sell a pup this age to someone that wanted to show unless they fully understood that there are no guarantees that the pup will end up good enough to show (they have to demonstrate this acceptance in writing). As a point of interest, if a buyer states to a breeder (seller) that they want to show their puppy & the breeder sells a pup on this basis, then under the Sale of Goods Act, the pup must be good enough to show ("fit for the purpose"). If it isn't, then the buyer can in theory claim a full refund. That's why adverts & websites advertising v young puppies as suitable for show or pet make me cringe :-)

Jane

Hi there,
I used to have a Dobe with a tiny white patch on his chest. He already had his by the time that he was eight weeks old. I think that your pup probably went under the tweezers. We payed a reduced price for ours as it was a pet home.
Naomi.