Gun Dog Forum

Hi all, I have a quick question. I have a puppy buyer from Florida who is concerned that if she gets a pup that has a lot of white in its coat (GSP), that its skin will be too sensitive for the FL sun...I am from WI, so have never thought much about it, and have not seen a problem in the lighter haired dogs. She also wants one with a solid liver head for this reason. I would think that the lighter coat might be better in the sun as far as reflecting light and keeping the dog cooler vs. a darker coat. Any thoughts? TIA

Think about how popular white Pointers are in the South.

Brittguy wrote:Think about how popular white Pointers are in the South.

BaBing!

That's what I thought Thanks guys, she wouldn't believe me...figured I wouldn't know I guess.

White refects light waves and heat while Black absorbs it.....Pure physics problem here, but she may be worried about sunburn on the skin? White dogs do have a issue with sunburn if they are Lemons.

You might want to get a vets opinion along with the opinion of some other owners that live in similar conditions then draw your conclusion from there. Because my EP is lemon/white my vet says I should be putting sunscreen on her belly and nose for the rest of her life. I tried but it ain't easy.
The parents of my dog had pretty much solid white coats with some lemon. However due to the part of the island that I live, my little Kiki is starting to look like a yellow dalmation. I'm guessing due to the more intense sunlight I receive here compared to where her parents are. I'm curious to see what others have to say about this topic too.

timberhill wrote:Hi all, I have a quick question. I have a puppy buyer from Florida who is concerned that if she gets a pup that has a lot of white in its coat (GSP), that its skin will be too sensitive for the FL sun...I am from WI, so have never thought much about it, and have not seen a problem in the lighter haired dogs. She also wants one with a solid liver head for this reason. I would think that the lighter coat might be better in the sun as far as reflecting light and keeping the dog cooler vs. a darker coat. Any thoughts? TIA

Some truth to it but is not a problem if you don't clip them short. Actually the white helps them stay cooler which is one of the reasons we have seen white pointers become popular over the past century.

But pink skin will sunburn on most animals especially if they get wet.

Ezzy

I have always heard you want a dog with some coloring on the head especially around the eyes to avoid blindness at an early age. Something about white hair reflecting sun into the dogs eyes. Not sure if it is true or not. 3 of my pointers have colored heads and one of my newest pups is all white everywhere except some ticking on the ears. Guess I will find out later in her life if this is true or not.

Millers Online just competed at the national at age 11 +

only thing Ive noticed is their muzzle/nose will pink up and get a little sun burn, the top of the muzzle the hair is usually thinner.....of no real consequence far as I can tell.

As I understand it, if a pointer is totally white, pure white, with no coloring whatsoever and a pink nose and pads, that is a visible signal that the dog is at significant risk for a genetic vision defect that can result in blindness and I think indicates a predisposition to a deafness issue as well. Again, as I understand it, even a small amount of ticking is an indicator that the dog is NOT at significant risk.

I do not think GSP's share these particular genetic predipostions and would assume that, all things being equal, a GSP with more white on it's body would be more comfortable in hot climates than one that was heavily ticked or liver... strictly on the basis of reflectance, as noted above.

RayG

My dog has a softball-sized black patch one her (otherwise white) back. The area is significantly hotter to the touch in the sun than the rest of her back. Physics!

ezzy333 wrote:

timberhill wrote:Hi all, I have a quick question. I have a puppy buyer from Florida who is concerned that if she gets a pup that has a lot of white in its coat (GSP), that its skin will be too sensitive for the FL sun...I am from WI, so have never thought much about it, and have not seen a problem in the lighter haired dogs. She also wants one with a solid liver head for this reason. I would think that the lighter coat might be better in the sun as far as reflecting light and keeping the dog cooler vs. a darker coat. Any thoughts? TIA

Some truth to it but is not a problem if you don't clip them short. Actually the white helps them stay cooler which is one of the reasons we have seen white pointers become popular over the past century.

But pink skin will sunburn on most animals especially if they get wet.

Ezzy

Do people clip GSPs?

I visited my pro this weekend, I have a majority ticked up pointer. However, all he has is millers I asked him if he ever noticed a dog getting sunburned, he laughed. Not sure if it was becasue I asked the question or he just does not care.

ben33127 wrote:I visited my pro this weekend, I have a majority ticked up pointer. However, all he has is millers I asked him if he ever noticed a dog getting sunburned, he laughed. Not sure if it was becasue I asked the question or he just does not care.

They won't sunburn if they have a normaal coat. The skin has to be exposed to burn.

Ezzy

My last Weim had very thin covering on top of his head and around the base of his ears and did get burned.

Wasn't the Great Fieldacres Kennel's based in Florida?? Ehm...White dog's