redborder Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 Hi, I have a foster dog at the moment, from ISDS lines. He is 1 year old and has amazing light blue eyes. I know quite a few merle collies with blue eyes, but don't think I ever saw them in a solid coloured dog. Now my questions, what is the genetic make up of them, as it is unlikely to be there merle gene, and are there any health implications??? (deafness etc??) This young boy is very quiet at the moment, but I think he is still shell shocked, having lived in a stable all his life and now living indoors. He is not very responsive on walks, but then he is too busy marking So I was just wondering if any of you knows anything about blue eyes in general. Thanks P.S. When I get a proper photo of him, I will post one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 No issues with blue eyes at all. Any body colored dog can have them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 Thank you for being part of changing this dog's life from being in a stable to being part of a family! Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mona Howard Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 I knew someone once who had a traditionally marked black and white smooth coat with striking blue eyes. His name was Ice. Unfortunately he died quite young from an accident if I remember correctly. Another lady I knew has a long coat with blue eyes. Also striking. Mona in Virginia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 Shoshone is a classically marked mahogany red/white dog, with blue eyes. She's 13 or so, and is just now beginning to show some minor signs of age related deafness. She's got some chronic health stuff - allergies and arthritis - that really don't slow her down at all. I never did much agility or flyball training with her because of the arthritis, but the severity of both conditions hasn't worsened over the years. She's still sharp as a tack and loves to do anything at all with me, except get a bath. Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted October 18, 2009 Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 I had a rescue that has one ice blue eye, he is a split face b/w reg bc. I own his littermate sister and she is a reg b/w bc with brown eyes. They are going on 13 and fine. No eye issues what so ever. I think it's a lot of ol wives tales especially in border collies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geonni banner Posted October 18, 2009 Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 For what it's worth, the whole blue-eyes-are-a-problem thing probably got started with double-dilution merles. I don't know about BCs, but in Rough/Smooth Collies there is a problem with blindness, deafness and sometimes eyelessness w/ double dilution merles. Self-colored white Collies don't have the problem. (And then there are the albinos... White collies in 3 varieties!) White GSD are self-colored and usually have brown eyes. But the AKC won't register them because they are thought to be "defective." They show up in colored litters from time to time and everybody tiptoes out and slips them into a bucket. "Not in MY breeding program! Oh No! More superstition from the time before the double-dilution factor was understood and white dogs were given the "fish-eye" by breeders of all kinds of dogs. Siberian Huskies don't seem to have a problem - but then they don't come in merle, as far as I know. Dalmations are so screwed up genetically that who knows why they're so often deaf. Also there seems to be a link between deafness and blue-eyed whites in cats. (Babble, babble) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redborder Posted October 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 Thanks for your replies Here is a badly taken picture, but because he is so worried about things, it is not easy to get a good one of him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sea4th Posted October 18, 2009 Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 Here's Pete, the same dog who's in my avatar. He had one brown eye and the other was half brown and half blue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjk05 Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Here's Pete, the same dog who's in my avatar. He had one brown eye and the other was half brown and half blue. When did you first notice Pete's half-blue eye? I was recently told that part-blue eyes only occur in merles, but I'm pretty sure I know a couple of dogs with split eyes and they aren't merle. And one of our pups has one eye that seems to be getting lighter in the lower half of the iris- it's like there's a blue section of the iris directly under the pupil, and it's getting bigger. With previous blue eyed pups it's been pretty obvious by 3 or 4 weeks, but this is Gem at 6 weeks: I'll be interested to see if she ends up with a part-blue eye... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 I too always thought that partial blue eyes were the result of a merle gene. I suppose it's possible for a dog to be a hidden merle, but ISTM you'd know about a merle ancestor somewhere in the pedigree. The only dogs I've seen with partially colored eyes were all merles. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 I met Stella, a clasic B&W with ice blue eyes Unfortunately, despite her being only 5 years old, this gorgeous face is stuck on this body Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Cressa Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Cressa had a blue eye and she can see just fine and hear just fine. Troy had those weird murky color eyes as a baby. I was told he was just hadn't maturer yet. I have met a couple blue eye border collie and none of them have any health concerns. BTW He is HANDSOME!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenajo Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 I too always thought that partial blue eyes were the result of a merle gene. I suppose it's possible for a dog to be a hidden merle, but ISTM you'd know about a merle ancestor somewhere in the pedigree. The only dogs I've seen with partially colored eyes were all merles. J. I know it's not merle, but nor do I know what exactly causes it either. I've seen people with marble eyes, and some with each eye a different color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sea4th Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 When did you first notice Pete's half-blue eye? I didn't lay eyes on Pete until he was 7 months old, so I couldn't tell you what they looked like when he was a few weeks of age. I did have him CERF'd. Nothing wrong with his vision. And to my knowledge, he had no blue merle ancestors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMSBORDERCOLLIES Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 I didn't lay eyes on Pete until he was 7 months old, so I couldn't tell you what they looked like when he was a few weeks of age. I did have him CERF'd. Nothing wrong with his vision. And to my knowledge, he had no blue merle ancestors. Blue eyes are quite common in Border Collies and, according to Dr. Ackland, are not and never have been a problem of any kind health wise. The only problem lies in the eyes of the beholder and, if you are looking at the eyes when the dog is working you are missing the rest of the picture. Some don't like them for their appearance but, personally, I don't have a problem with them because I'm more interested in the way the dog works than whether he has a blue eye or not. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Please tell me Stella is mixed with some sort of dog that is supposed to look like that! She's darling but whoa...that's one little hefty girl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Nope.. pure bred, pure stuffed She is enormous! At least 70lbs. Shorter than Ouzo (who's about 23 inches). A very, very sad sight. We've met her a couple of times, she has an elderly owner who probably spoils her rotten and doesn't get her enough exercise - though we met her on some park trails around our neighbourhood, so walking she gets, but probably nothing more than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Oh My....how sad for little Stella I guess it's her fluff making her look so short legged. I thought maybe corgi or someother rounder breed. She reminds me of the lady staring in the show...diva something. a skinny model dies and comes back to life as a large beautiful lawyer woman. Don't know why but she does! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenajo Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Blue eyes are quite common in Border Collies and, according to Dr. Ackland, are not and never have been a problem of any kind health wise. The only problem lies in the eyes of the beholder and, if you are looking at the eyes when the dog is working you are missing the rest of the picture. Some don't like them for their appearance but, personally, I don't have a problem with them because I'm more interested in the way the dog works than whether he has a blue eye or not. Bob A long, long time ago I got to help with CERF exams at an event. The opthamologist was from Auburn University and he took the time to show me with the dual view equipment how many blue eyes lacked fundal pigment. He said thse dogs were night blind, or at least signficantly limited in low light conditions. Now the relevence of this may be not to most stockwork, but I can say that I've not had a blue eyed dog that a good night dog. I've also noticed that the very light blue eye dogs are very light sensitive in the summer - often squinting and seeking shade when the darker eyed dogs were unbothered. Since this is commen problem for blue eyed humans I didn't think it was anything unexpected... Currently I have a light blue eyed Aussie Shep. I'm quite positive by behavior that she has poor night vision, and she hates direct sunlight in the summer. Frankly she has the same pained expression my blue eyed sister does before she finds her sunglasses. Coincidentally, my sister says she has poor night vision as well LOL. It's fortunate neither are needed for summer stockwork night or day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnLloydJones Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Oh My....how sad for little Stella I guess it's her fluff making her look so short legged. I thought maybe corgi or someother rounder breed. I met a similar case -- also female -- a short while back. She was a smooth coat, so there was no fluff to cover over the fact that she was obese. Not enough exercise and way too many treats, I'm guessing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMSBORDERCOLLIES Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 A long, long time ago I got to help with CERF exams at an event. The opthamologist was from Auburn University and he took the time to show me with the dual view equipment how many blue eyes lacked fundal pigment. He said thse dogs were night blind, or at least signficantly limited in low light conditions. Now the relevence of this may be not to most stockwork, but I can say that I've not had a blue eyed dog that a good night dog. I've also noticed that the very light blue eye dogs are very light sensitive in the summer - often squinting and seeking shade when the darker eyed dogs were unbothered. Since this is commen problem for blue eyed humans I didn't think it was anything unexpected... Currently I have a light blue eyed Aussie Shep. I'm quite positive by behavior that she has poor night vision, and she hates direct sunlight in the summer. Frankly she has the same pained expression my blue eyed sister does before she finds her sunglasses. Coincidentally, my sister says she has poor night vision as well LOL. It's fortunate neither are needed for summer stockwork night or day As Dr. Greg Ackland is the world's foremost expert on Border Collies and those eye tests that are done on them, I think I will stick to what he has personally told me about blue eyes. As far as "night vision" is concerned, I have a real problem myself seeing in the dark and I have brown eyes. I have experienced this discussion on "night vision" for many years, more than I wish to remember, and still haven't been able to find that very special dog that sees better than others at night. Just gathered my flock off the neighbour's field last night with my one blue eyed dog and he didn't have any problem finding and gathering them and it was pitch black with no moon or stars. I'll stick to what I've seen over the last 50 some years and what the experts have shown and told me. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura L Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 This is Twinkie, she's got one blue eye and one eye that is 1/4 blue. She doesn't seem to have any problems rounding up sheep at night, but she does get kind of squinty in the sun. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenajo Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Bob, Nobody said they didn't like your blue eyed dogs, or that you'd have to find your way out of the dark. I commented on what a boarded opthamologist vet from a vet school told and showed me. It was a fascinating and educational experience. And I did say he said "many", not "all". And a lot of herding is by scent they've shown, as blind dogs in known environments have been known to be good stockdogs. 50 years? Are you that old now? I'm hearing country songs about old shepherds and one eyed dog now. Sheesh Bob, that little tune is going to aggravate me the rest of the day now. Thanks a bunch. Not to mention I'm going to have to check my b-day now...I've retired 2 vet opthamologists Can this be possible? Where did the time go? As Dr. Greg Ackland is the world's foremost expert on Border Collies and those eye tests that are done on them, I think I will stick to what he has personally told me about blue eyes. As far as "night vision" is concerned, I have a real problem myself seeing in the dark and I have brown eyes. I have experienced this discussion on "night vision" for many years, more than I wish to remember, and still haven't been able to find that very special dog that sees better than others at night. Just gathered my flock off the neighbour's field last night with my one blue eyed dog and he didn't have any problem finding and gathering them and it was pitch black with no moon or stars. I'll stick to what I've seen over the last 50 some years and what the experts have shown and told me. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katilea Posted April 28, 2016 Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 This is interesting cos someone I know has been looking at a dog recently and was told it was a husky x collie cos it was a mostly black dog with blue eyes and in collies only merles have blue eyes! The person had been looking for a Husky or Husky cross but I've seen pic and I can't see a Sibe in there! (Usually if google husky x collie most of pics you can see a bit of each breed in there) Person selling told them its cos its maybe got more collie genes but the dogs blue eyes (without it being a merle) is cos of the Husky in it! I felt it was 'too much' collie to be a cross if you get what I mean and some collies do have shorter coats and more pointy ears, some of my (border) collies siblings have, even though he has a longer coat and his ears are more half folded over at the tips. I guess it if it was 3/4 collie and 1/4 sibe or something it would more strongly resemble a collie anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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