Ive heard that expression used more in conjunction with collies - something to do with the double merle gene - someone will correct me if I am wrong -

Ive heard so many times white boxers being called albinos because they are white which is completely not the case, they are simply a white dog. Albinos lack pigmentation white boxers have pigmentation

Interesting. All the deaf dogs I've met have been Australian Shepherds. It's sadly common in the breed.

Is that to do with a merle gene?

It is an interesting thread in as much as we are learning about each others dog breeds\types where deafness may occur

....well i am on the understanding its a wall eye(no pigment) as opposed to a 'blue' eye like the siberan husky has...hence you dont get deaf blue eyed white sibes

I have Australian Cattle Dogs,deafness is a congenital defect in this breed and is often attributed to the dalmation although as collies and bull terriers were also used in the breed make up who really knows.Responsible breeders will BAER test their pups but i think i am right in saying that as the gene is recessive it is virtually impossible to totally eradicate deafness in the breed but not breeding from deaf dogs is helping considerably. My little girl is deaf in one ear, she was BAER tested at 5 weeks with her siblings , the rest of whom had perfect hearing,her breeder provided us with the test results and assessed us as suitable owners although being only deaf in one ear doesn't really seem to affect her much and it's what she's always been used to, infact she often appears to hear better than my other 2 dogs who have no excuse whatsoever

Yep. And it's often the result of poor breeders who think "oh merle is pretty" and so breed merle to merle. Double merles have something like a 25% chance of being deaf and/or blind. I've met a few who are deaf and visually impaired and one who was both deaf and blind.

its not only just merle to merle matings.

I know. That's why I said it's OFTEN the result of double merle matings. Those are pretty much guaranteed to result with at least 1/4 of the puppies having problems.

The Merle gene in dogs is comparable to the gene for Roan in hamsters and guinea pigs. Two bred together will give you roughly 25% which are termed "micropthalmic whites" - they are all-white with smaller than normal eyes and are blind with a shorter than average life span.

Responsible breeders of Roan hamsters & cavies will educate buyers about this but sometimes the gene ends up in pet shops with disastrous results. I've seen Roan hamsters in P@H... it doesn't take much for Joe Average to buy one because it's pretty and then see another the same, of opposite sex, and think that's how you make more.

I feel the USA does many merle MErle /Merle matings than are done in the uk, Obviously mistakes happen over here too.