BAER testing

Breeders

Breeders are able to test their breeding stock for deafness before the dogs are bred from. Testing all potential breeding stock, where relevant, allows breeders to better understand the kind of genes a dog may pass on to its offspring, giving them information which may be useful to help avoid producing clinically affected puppies. Having dogs BAER tested is currently the best option for reduction of risk but it does not completely ensure the hearing of resulting puppies.

Owners

• Bilaterally deaf dogs can prove difficult to manage (e.g. training) and identifying this early allows for targeted training, improving the comfort and safety for both the dog and the owner
• Once owners find out the hearing status of their dog, they can develop appropriate communication and training techniques (e.g. exaggerated body language and sign signals)
• Deaf dogs are often put down due to decreased awareness of dangers (e.g. vehicles and animal predators) and possibly aggressiveness (easily startled) – if owners know the hearing status of their dog, they can take necessary precautions to prevent this

All

• Data generated from these tests would improve our understanding of the degree of inheritance and the familial relationships contributing to this disorder

Dogs with the extreme piebald gene

Congenital deafness is recognised as a problem in many dog breeds that mostly have a white coat (i.e. those that carry the extreme piebald gene). Such breeds include, but are not limited to:

• Australian Cattle Dogs
• Australian Shepherds
• Border Collies
• Boxers that are white
• Bull Terriers that are white
• Dalmatians
• English Setters

It has been suggested that this could be due to a fault in the movement of pigment cells, or their interaction with other structures in the inner ear during embryo development. Unpigmented skin in the inner ear causes the nerve endings to break down and die in the first few weeks of a puppy’s life.

Deafness associated with merle dogs

Deafness has also been reported to be associated with the gene that causes the merle coat colour (mottled patches of colour in a solid or piebald coat, blue or odd-coloured eyes, and also possible effects of skin pigment). Examples of breeds with the merle coat are:

• Australian Shepherds
• Border Collies
• Dachshunds that are dapple
• Old English Sheepdogs

Absence of pigment in one or both irises resulting in blue eye colouration may also be present in merle dogs. Blue iris colour is caused by a lack of pigment in the iris, and it is thought that this may reflect a lack of pigment cells in the inner ear and so may be linked to deafness. Deafness can also occur independently of coat colour, so can arise in dogs with coat colours not linked to deafness.

If you’re a BAER test provider and wish to be added to our website, please email Health (The Kennel Club).

Please see here for our best practice testing protocol.

• All participating dogs will need to be registered with The Kennel Club and microchipped (prior to screening)
• The microchip of individual dogs will be scanned prior to screening to verify that the correct dog is being screened
• Signature of the veterinary surgeon on the BAER certificate
• Owners are encouraged to submit copies of the certificates themselves, directly to The Kennel Club, if the testing centre does not automatically do so