Would like opinions on blue staffys

[Kazm]

 

My brother currently owns a brindle English staffy who is getting on in years. Still acts like a pup at times and has no health issues but talking with my brother on the weekend he knows when Diesel passes he will get another and has already been looking at breeders. He has his mind set that he would like a blue one next time.  Just wondering if they have any issues. His very first staffy went blind at 4 months of age and on the recommendation of the breeders vet was pts. The breeder did look after my brother and gave him another pup. The current Diesel. He is now 12 years old. 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 4, 2018 by Zena's mum
Posted thread before writing anything

[Pjrt]

Skin & coat issues are very much a problem with the blue colour. 

Others here with more experience will hopefully expand on this. 

I love the blue look but would not choose it in several breeds due to the coat & skin issues so often associated with it. 

Also id be wary of breeders who are breeding specifically for popular in demand colours as they may be doing so with colour taking priority above other frankly more important things. 

[persephone]

there are numerous threads on here about blues and associated problems . no doubt some are great ...sadly though, many are burdened with all sorts of worries .

[RuralPug]

Honestly, if he wants a blue staffy get him to steer clear of breeders who specialise in blues.
He should look for a pedigree breeder who does the recommended health testing - and the best tip I can give is to only buy a blue if neither parent is blue and not more than one of the grandparents is blue (even better if none of the grandparents is blue!) 
That way you are most likely to avoid the health problems that come with double dilutes.

[asal]

rurual pug, you do not understand the the genetics of blue, there is an elle that some blues carry and some dont.

 

the weimarinar for example is an all blue breed that the elle connected to the blue gene alopecia is not present.

 

without genetic testing for that elle you have absolutely no idea if that new blue pup carries it I had two full brothers , one never developed blue gene alopecia, the other did, it can express in a myriad different ways ,  in stringys case he was only short coat along the top of his tail, along his back and to the beginning of his shoulders. so he had a huge ruff and normal long coat everywhere else.

 

I have seen others as bald as a mexican hairless.

 

until there is a dna test for it your best hope is look at dogs that are blue with no sign of it and whose pups do not, I suspect it is a recessive rather than a dominat but I am guessing.  no body knows if the gene is linked to the blue gene or just cannot express unless the puppy is blue, there is much to learn

 

google scids inheritance, its a recessive and can carry for generations before a boy in a plastic bubble baby is born, 

 

good luck with your brothers search

Edited June 4, 2018 by asal

[Kazm]

Thanks everyone for all the useful info so far. I shall let my brother know all of your knowledge. 

[RuralPug]

Thanks for that @asal to be honest with you I wan't trying to lower the risk by Mendelian maths but more by human nature maths on the theory that an accidental blue was less likely to have health problems than from a breeding designed to maximise the amount of blue pups in a litter.

 I am not disputing your statement in any way. In fact my knowledge is genetics is so terribly out of date that I confess that I still the word allele and had to guess at what an elle might be. 

[asal]

Apologies. 

Didn't notice I murdered the spelling interesting article, :-) 

With correct spelling 

 

http://www.differencebetween.net/science/difference-between-gene-and-allele/