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We decided to spruce things up and fix some things under the hood. If you notice any issues, feel free to contact us as we're sure there are a few things here or there that we might have missed in our upgrade.
I was talking to a breeder and he told me that DDBs with No marking are rare, and that breeders normally hold them back. He said they all need to be checked at 1 years of age for there hearts, but especially 1s with marking! Any one ever hear of this??
Are you thinking of getting one? For showing/breeding or as a pet? If so, you might want ask the breeder what health checks they can show you for it's lines. I don't know the answers to your questions. I do know that some markings are perfectly acceptable for breed standards.
What markings? I'm assuming you mean color or mask, and not the habit of hiking legs. In either case, what does "hold them back" mean in this context?
Some heart issues need to be checked from a very young age, like at or before 8 weeks old. Heart murmurs are not uncommon in large breed puppies and need to be monitored carefully to figure out whether they are structural or temporary.
Hmmm... I have never heard of this. I do know that the breed standard favors little to no white markings on the feet or toes (although not technically a fault); almost all DDBs have the standard "splash" of white on their chests.
They may hold them back because they want to keep them, with or without regard to heart issues which, again, I have never heard about (the correlation with heart issues.)
Our boy Wilson has a smallish white patch on his chest similar to an upside down triangle shape. He is 18 months old now and doesn't have any heart problems. The vets always have a listen when he goes for check ups etc but they say he has a strong heart. I've never heard of DDB's with markings tending to have more heart problems, to be honest most DDB's have the white mark on their chest. NYDDB is right that for show dogs they should only have a patch on the chest and not any markings on the feet etc. Sounds an odd thing for a breeder to say.