# Color change



## sonatalady7

Have others experienced color changes with their dogs? Bella started out a nice (beautiful!) chocolate brown but around...4-5 months or so, she started showing individual white/cream hairs all over her body. It's mostly concentrated around her neck and her rear with a few hairs on top of her head and a neat little 'white' streak in her tail.

Does anyone know what this coloring is called? I've heard of this kind of thing happening with black dogs, but not as much with the chocolate.

Also, do you think she'll get lighter and lighter as she gets older? I was a little bit disappointed when she first started getting the white hairs, but now we're so in love with her, she could turn purple and we wouldn't care! She's beautiful to us!

Here are some pictures:

Here's one from 9 weeks - 









And another from yesterday (not easy to see the individual colors) - 
Sorry I can't figure out how to make the picture show up...just the link...
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=2AasWrhk2ZtHTw


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## alfiedoo

Hi Paula

Haven't noticed any colour change in Alfie, only the texture of his coat has become more curly now is losing his puppy coat! As you say they could turn any colour and we'd still love them! Loving Bella's new haircut!


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## kendal

dags age fater than we do, and people with darker hair go gray quicker, so do darker dogs. Imca has them, they are no problem you dont always see them.


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## wilfiboy

A purple pup now theres thought not sure anyones got one of those... Im sure someone will prove me wrong lol. Can you see the lighter hairs when she's longer then. Wilf has a few white hairs although they aren't noticable unless you really look. A friend of mines pup looked like Bella when she was little and has gone lighter, no white hairs just lighter in colour almost a rich auburn. Mables only 6 months but has changed colur but then we thought she would, she started off white with black but has roaning in the coat so she appears to have grey in her coat, not sure how dark she'll end up will have to wait and see x


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## Kel

I noticed more brown patches/spots in Chloe's fur as she got older and I do think her brown is different than it used to be. Less "chocolatey", I would say. I was really worried when her pink tummy started getting brown spots. I guess it's all normal though.


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## lady amanda

PURPLE!!! 'Lo has been purple tailed and blue I think!

Lady is on her third colour change!


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## lyngirl

*colour change*

Hi. I have an almost 12 month old cockapoo girl named Lola and the same thing has been happening to her coat for the past few months. She almost looks like she is growing grey! She started off a dark, rich chocolate colour and now she has a pale mark in her tail and all down the centre of her back. We are debating having her first cut soon, but I think she may not be a chocolate cockapoo after that. Her father was a pale coffee coloured poodle and I think that is the shade she may be changing into. We will still love her of course but quite relieved in a way that she is not alone.


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## Dylansmum

lyngirl said:


> Hi. I have an almost 12 month old cockapoo girl named Lola and the same thing has been happening to her coat for the past few months. She almost looks like she is growing grey! She started off a dark, rich chocolate colour and now she has a pale mark in her tail and all down the centre of her back. We are debating having her first cut soon, but I think she may not be a chocolate cockapoo after that. Her father was a pale coffee coloured poodle and I think that is the shade she may be changing into. We will still love her of course but quite relieved in a way that she is not alone.


Am I right in thinking that that is the way that a sable coat develops?


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## sonatalady7

Dylansmum said:


> Am I right in thinking that that is the way that a sable coat develops?


Helen - that's what I was wondering...sable or roan? I've never been able to find descriptions with good pictures that match what's happening with my girl...


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## Jukee Doodles

We had a toy poodle for a while that was born mid chocolate and by the time he was 9 months old he had faded to a 'silver beige' I think they call it. He was almost a moleskin colour of mixed grey and brown with lilac coloured ears. Picture attached. Also it seems that solid coloured poodles with parti-coloured genes do develop some white flecking/patches as they mature.


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## Dylansmum

Yes, I met one a while ago who was a sort of mushroomy colour and the owners said that he had been chocolate brown until he was clipped. I have read somewhere about that colour change. Kendal, didn't you post a link recently to a really good colour guide site??


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## wilfiboy

I met a woman last month who thought she had a black cockapoo and was disappointed to find she changed colour, although I thought she looked lovely she was almost like the phantom markings but a lovely smokey/minky colour ... almost a brown tinge in the light x


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## Jukee Doodles

sonatalady7 said:


> Also, do you think she'll get lighter and lighter as she gets older? I was a little bit disappointed when she first started getting the white hairs, but now we're so in love with her, she could turn purple and we wouldn't care! She's beautiful to us!


She looked very cute as a pup but looks just gorgeous now.


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## sonatalady7

I was looking at Bella this morning and her beard is tuning orangy/auburn. It's really pretty! I took some pictures with my camera, but Bella chewed the camera cord the other day (she was sitting right next to my hubby and he looked down and there she had it...chewed right in half!!). Looking to order a new chord, but I'll have to wait for it to come before I can post anything new!


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## weez74

sonatalady7 said:


> I was looking at Bella this morning and her beard is tuning orangy/auburn. It's really pretty! I took some pictures with my camera, but Bella chewed the camera cord the other day (she was sitting right next to my hubby and he looked down and there she had it...chewed right in half!!). Looking to order a new chord, but I'll have to wait for it to come before I can post anything new!


Ha, I thought it was just us owners that were reluctant to put our photos online! Bella is obviously exercising her right to choose!


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## sonatalady7

Hahaha, Louise! She must be camera shy!  I've been trying to find a good day and place to go and take some pictures of her. Unfortunately I don't live where there are open areas that I can let her run. I have a friend with a good camera that's agreed to go with me and do a 'photo shoot'! We'll see how that turns out!


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## Enneirda.

> Have others experienced color changes with their dogs? Bella started out a nice (beautiful!) chocolate brown but around...4-5 months or so, she started showing individual white/cream hairs all over her body. It's mostly concentrated around her neck and her rear with a few hairs on top of her head and a neat little 'white' streak in her tail.


Those light hairs are guard hairs I think. They normally come in as the dog ages, and sadly arn't normally the same color as the main coat lol. 



> Does anyone know what this coloring is called? I've heard of this kind of thing happening with black dogs, but not as much with the chocolate.


She's still a chocolate. =)



> Also, do you think she'll get lighter and lighter as she gets older? I was a little bit disappointed when she first started getting the white hairs, but now we're so in love with her, she could turn purple and we wouldn't care! She's beautiful to us!


She looks to be fading already, so it's highly likely she will continue at least a little. She could lighten up to a mouse color, or stay at almost her shade right now, no way to know. Poodles have a gene called Progressive Graying. When a dark poodle has this mutation in it's gene, then they will fade in color. Not all will, but most do. It's dominant, so if the poodle parent has it, some pups in the litter can get the gene and fade too. 



> sable or roan? I've never been able to find descriptions with good pictures that match what's happening with my girl...


The change in a sable dog is very fast, by eight weeks the fur can be flattened on the body and the change is already very obvious. By 6 months the dark tips are already starting to wear of and the body is mostly tan. Guard hairs will stay dark in most cases, and the hair left long like the ears or tail will keep the dark color until it breaks of. Roan is evident in puppies, so because she's a solid (though fading) chocolate, she can't be roan either.

She is very pretty!


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## Dylansmum

sonatalady7 said:


> I was looking at Bella this morning and her beard is tuning orangy/auburn. It's really pretty!


Bethany's (Strangeland) Flo's face is like that. It's lovely.


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## sonatalady7

Enneirda,
Thanks so much for the helpful info! Yes, in general her color has lightened (but her legs, tail, head, face and ears remain much the same as when she was a puppy). The lighter colored hairs that are coming in are much thicker and more coarse. She's 9 months now, what do you think the chances of her continuing to get lighter and lighter are?

It doesn't really matter, just wondering!  As I've said before, we think she's beautiful any way!

Thanks!


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## ANovelIdea

sonatalady7 said:


> Have others experienced color changes with their dogs? Bella started out a nice (beautiful!) chocolate brown but around...4-5 months or so, she started showing individual white/cream hairs all over her body. It's mostly concentrated around her neck and her rear with a few hairs on top of her head and a neat little 'white' streak in her tail.
> 
> Does anyone know what this coloring is called? I've heard of this kind of thing happening with black dogs, but not as much with the chocolate.
> 
> Also, do you think she'll get lighter and lighter as she gets older? I was a little bit disappointed when she first started getting the white hairs, but now we're so in love with her, she could turn purple and we wouldn't care! She's beautiful to us!
> 
> Here are some pictures:
> 
> Here's one from 9 weeks -
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And another from yesterday (not easy to see the individual colors) -
> Sorry I can't figure out how to make the picture show up...just the link...
> http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=2AasWrhk2ZtHTw


You can see a lot of beautiful white in Bella, even as a pup


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