Glass Eye-Cull or Not?

[norcalkemmer]

hello Chawn. how is that female that big bred to doing? she should be getting ready to pop. Gary

[calblu]

Hi Gary! She didn't take. I guess she missed on a previous breeding too. Might be breeding a younger sister to that female to him next year. He's looking good and hunting good!

[liontracker]

Calblu, I was wondering if you know, if it has been definately proven, if the deafness and the blue eyes are directly linked, or is there a possibility that they could be separate.

[calblu]

Liontracker, AFAIK there is no proof in blueticks that there's a direct link between deafness and blue eyes. Blueticks aren't even listed anywhere I've found as a breed prone to congenital deafness.
I believe this is still the best resource for information on deafness in dogs:
http://www.lsu.edu/deafness/deaf.htm

Seems there was a lab offering a DNA test for the merle gene(s) a few years ago, but for some reason they don't do it anymore. I haven't yet located any other lab that does.

Here are the bare basics of my personal experience:
I've had litters with pups with 1 blue eye, 2 blue eyes, and 2 brown eyes that were affected. I've also had a litter with a pup with one blue eye where no pups in the litter had any kind of deafness.
My husband had the Hammer dogs before we met. A friend raised a litter that had at least 1 blue eyed pup (and some liver ticked as well) and they weren't aware of any deafness, though they never had a reason to suspect it and didn't BAER test anything either.

I'm happy to dig out my litter records and pedigree info and discuss this more in depth directly through email if you'd like. I believe I also posted a while back a more detailed description on the Bluetick Hunters/Breeders board, if you're a member there.
Chawn
chisum-trail@earthlink.net

[liontracker]

So it seems to all boil down to personal preference.

[LCK]

This is a great post. The old time Bob Gaither, Buzz Anderson, Guy Ormiston type of Blue dogs do have a higher than average showing of the glass or chalk eye typically. Having spent a great deal of time discussing this issue with Buzz Anderson and having inbred this line of dogs for a good many years myself, I have seen it on occasion with my pups. I have yet to have a deaf dog as a result. Buzz told me, he strongly suspects the fox hound influence from years gone by. He and some others have bred exceptionally tight to the old lines and have had it as an acceptable and expected part of their dogs. The old Smokey River Jim dog, who is a Buzz Bred dog, was used extensively as a stud as we all know, his offspring, if bred back to the closely related Mountain Music dogs would throw a higher than average chalk eyed pups. He did not seem to throw it if bred to other not so closely related femals of other Bluetick lines.

If a dog from these lines is otherwise a great dog as far as track drifting and treeing ability is concerned I would have no second thoughts about using it in a breeding program if it had a chalk eye.

I just had a healthy litter of 10 from a father/daughter Buzz Anderson line breeding. No chalk eyes and no "sports" or Buckskins even though several of their relatives do have the chalk eye.

[Majestic Tree Hound]

I don't think you need to line breed then to get them "Blue Eyes" I only did one Cross that the Only known relation between the Dam(Englishcoon Hound) and the Sire(75% Old Blue Lines 25% Bloodhound) was Mountain Music Blue and in that litter I got 1 with 2 blue eyes and 1 with 1 blue eye.. I just bred a Male out of that litter that did'nt have Blue Eyes in a 4 way out cross and in this litter I got 1 with 2 blue eyes and 1 with 1 blue eye.. Only thing I can come up with is that this Genetic Trait is Very Dominate !!!!

Blue Frosty (2) blue Eyes .. 31% Bloodhound X 25% Treeing Walker X 19% Dominate Bluetick X 25% English Coonhound with roots thru Vanzants Sam to Mountain Music Blue..



Jackie Blue (1) Blue Eye .. Brother to the Above



It going to turn out that I will never be able to get this Trait out of my line now ..

Boo Shown here is Doninate Mountain Music Blue.. The Sire to the Pups Above



Hammer Shown Here is the Grand Sire to the Pups and Father to Boo
Hammer has Mountain Music Blue 8 times in his Pedegree , Once again He is Doninate in Smokie River and Mountain Music Blue



I know what I'm Seeing in Style of Hunt and Ability .. I just wish that the DNA Testing to Prove it was afordable.. The Test of 168 Marker would cost well over $3000

I' just Keep Wishing that I'am on the Right Genetics ... LOL

[LCK]

Very cool pic of the top pup! I for one don't think you can go wrong breeding the blood your breeding.

[Moonlight Bay Kennel]

I have one who is already a champion on the bench in UKC (has one win towards grand champion) and only needs 45 more points in AKC to be a champion, He is NOT deaf in the least bit, and can see perfectly. He runs with our other hounds and is an all in all a great hound.

[Henefer-hound-hunter]

This is my UKC registered treeing walker pup she is nance/wild clover cross she has full vision in her blue eye and is really turning into a great hound. I have owned a double glass eyed catahoula, double glass eyed husky, and a walker catahoula cross that had one glass eye and the other was half glass half brown. Not one of these dogs hunting, or abilities were affected by their eyes and all had full vision. I say if their great hunting dogs use them for breeding, if there not then don't. Plus it's cool to have something different Pop up every now and then, and why keep possibly one of your best dogs out of your breeding program if it doesn't affect the use of the dog in a negative way?

Cameron