Blackdawgs Posted September 16, 2016 Report Share Posted September 16, 2016 I'm looking at litter in which there is one white headed pup with colored ears. I live in the deep south. Would I have to worry about sunburn and light sensitivity of the eyes in such a dog? At this point, I only have photos of very young pups and can't tell if there is pigment around the eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted September 17, 2016 Report Share Posted September 17, 2016 Are the eyes blue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted September 17, 2016 Report Share Posted September 17, 2016 It's been my experience that the white headed dogs do have a bit of a harder time with vision in full sun. Not horribly so, noticeable but subtle. They also will sunburn more easily, just like pale skinned humans. Do make sure ALL the pups are hearing tested prior to sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane allen Posted September 17, 2016 Report Share Posted September 17, 2016 And many pups start out with blue eyes, which change over time. This one may or may not. diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Elle Posted September 17, 2016 Report Share Posted September 17, 2016 My first border collie was almost all white and had red ears. The only problem that she had was that her nose was mottled, pink and black, and the pink part tended to sunburn. We lived on the beach in Mexico and were in the sun constantly, so I actually took a magic marker and colored in the pink parts of her nose so that they were black. Prior to my doing that, her nose would burn and crack and bleed and I was worried she would get skin cancer. Once I started coloring her nose it became moist and normal. Probably the ink wasn't the best thing. But I figured better than the alternative in that case. Just my preference, but if I were deciding between two puppies, all else being equal (which of course it never really is), I would choose the one that had the black nose over the one with a mottled nose. Although sometimes a mottled nose in a pup will turn out to be all black in the adult so you can't be certain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riika Posted September 18, 2016 Report Share Posted September 18, 2016 I never noticed any sight problems, or had any sunburn problems with the dog on my avatar..m Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted September 18, 2016 Report Share Posted September 18, 2016 Well, being a fair skinned, light haired and light eyed person, I do find vision in full sunlight a bit diminished as compared to softer light. I've seen my white headed dog squint a bit in bright light. He still finds his sheep, though I know he air scents too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawgirl Posted September 26, 2016 Report Share Posted September 26, 2016 I live in Australia (admittedly in one of the cooler areas) and have never noticed any particular issues with my boy Oscar. He has a white head, black ears and one blue eye. I do use doggy sunscreen on his muzzle when we will be outside a lot but I do on all my dogs who have white muzzles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraV Posted September 27, 2016 Report Share Posted September 27, 2016 From what I know, the rims of the eyes are a factor. Pink rims are more sensitive than black rims. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted October 1, 2016 Report Share Posted October 1, 2016 From what I know, the rims of the eyes are a factor. Pink rims are more sensitive than black rims. A factor in what? Yes, it would be a factor in susceptibility to sunburn, but I'm not so sure it would affect light sensitivity in any way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraV Posted October 4, 2016 Report Share Posted October 4, 2016 A factor in what? Yes, it would be a factor in susceptibility to sunburn, but I'm not so sure it would affect light sensitivity in any way. In regards to sensitivity in sunlight. I've seen a few who need to wear special sunglasses on sunny days. The way the light gets filtered or something is what I've read before. I could definitely be wrong. It's like when athletes where eye black. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraV Posted October 4, 2016 Report Share Posted October 4, 2016 Some squint like Liz said. It's due to the filtering of light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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