color change?

[KJohnson]

Westin is turning one, and I've noticed that in the fur right at the top of his back he's getting black hairs.... is it like gray hair? is he just getting older?

Just thought I'd ask!

[colbycorgi]

i dont think that he is getting older...if he is a sable, which i forget, but at about one year thats when colbys black really started to show and oddly enough i just said to jamie that cammie seems to be getting darker hair on her "shoulders" and shes a red/white...it looks kinda funny right now...shes like Josephs Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

[KJohnson]

Westin is red and white also, but his shoulders are definitely getting darker, so is the fur on his head, and right around his mouth.
The black hair in this shoulders you can't really "see" it just looks like it's turning a darker red, but if you look close, you see one black hair for every 100 red/white ones.


EDIT:: in the "Fanny Pack Dog." picture, you can see it pretty well, he looks like he's got a lot more black in that one, not so much in the other two pictures.

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by KJohnson

Westin is turning one, and I've noticed that in the fur right at the top of his back he's getting black hairs.... is it like gray hair? is he just getting older?

Just thought I'd ask!

Nope, it's not like gray hair. If he's a sable it's common for them to get darker with age. Meaing more black.

If he's red, it's not unusual for there to be a few black hairs here and there. It doesn't mean anything.

Peggy
p.s. I just looked at his pictures and yes, he is a red and white.

[colbycorgi]

looking back at his pics..he reminds me alot of colbster, except that colby is a sable...westin sure is handsome, just like my boy, if i do say so myself

[MyPemCharlie]

Charlie is getting more dark hairs too. When he turned one year old in June, he blew his coat for the first time. He's got a new "racing stripe" of harder coat down his back just like when he blew his puppy coat and started on a thicker top coat in a strip. His puppy coat blew out all the sable except on his head and tail. Now he is growing more sable around his collar and down his his back. I still think he's a red and white, but he is definitely getting more black tips.

[Michael Romanos]

Taylor has an undergrowth of black hairs on his head top otherwise he is a light-red and white with a lot of whiteness on his face up to a 'line' midway the width of his eyes.
It's rather exciting when a colour comes thru that wasn't previously apparant - especially with the Pems whose coat colouring is much less the range of the Cardi.

[Corgis4Kids]

Totally normal! The pigmentation should change as their body chemistry changes with age.

Ellie, our old lady, went from having white markings all over her face to being 100% blondie (Though now she's turning white again as she gets into old age... she keeps begging me for some Clairol dye, but I tell her it's far more fetching to go grey with dignity!).

Emma, our 1 year old Sable, lost a lot of her black at about 11months, but it has come back in different spots.

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by MyPemCharlie

Charlie is getting more dark hairs too. When he turned one year old in June, he blew his coat for the first time. He's got a new "racing stripe" of harder coat down his back just like when he blew his puppy coat and started on a thicker top coat in a strip.

As you've seen this happens a couple times in a Pembroke's life. First when they are about 4 mos. old (give or take) as a coat approaching the adult coat comes in. Then again when they blow the puppy coat at close to a year of age (again give or take a couple months depends on the season). This is the adult coat coming in, the texture and color is what the adult coat will be.

His puppy coat blew out all the sable except on his head and tail.

Also typical. Many red puppies look sable as young puppies. And it's not uncommon for red pems to have sable on the head and a bit on the tail area.

Now he is growing more sable around his collar and down his his back. I still think he's a red and white, but he is definitely getting more black tips.

Hmmm, if he's getting it around his collar and on his back he might not be a red after all. Got any recent pictures?

Peggy

[KJohnson]

another question:
Westin is a fluffy, and he hasn't really "blown his coat" ever...
he just CONSTANTLY sheds. seriously. I brush him once a day and come out with 1-3 brushes full of fur every time. I can tell the difference between his puppy coat and the fur he has now, but will it change again? it's coarser on the top and soft on the sides and bottom.... will the sides get coarse too?

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by KJohnson

another question:
Westin is a fluffy, and he hasn't really "blown his coat" ever...
he just CONSTANTLY sheds. seriously. I brush him once a day and come out with 1-3 brushes full of fur every time.

If he's just now a year old he wouldn't have blown coat. Puppies don't. The first real blow, happens about a year of age.

I can tell the difference between his puppy coat and the fur he has now, but will it change again? it's coarser on the top and soft on the sides and bottom.... will the sides get coarse too?

Yes, it spreads, starts in the middle of the back and eventually goes to the rest of the body.

Peggy

[colbycorgi]

Colby never really "blew" his coat as suggested..we kept waiting for it to happen...he is now almost two and much like winstin and being a fluff, he just sheds all the time...not that i am really complaining...i honestly just love him too much to really care....whats a little dog hair in the grand scheme of things???

[KJohnson]

haha, I can honestly say, the only time it bugs me is in the early morning when I find puppy hair in my coffee... and Westin isn't allowed in the kitchen! (!?!?!?!)

What should I be looking for to tell if he's blowing his coat? Will it be a noticeable acceleration in shedding?

[MyPemCharlie]

Originally Posted by KJohnson

What should I be looking for to tell if he's blowing his coat? Will it be a noticeable acceleration in shedding?

It was really noticeable with Charlie. Up until right around his first birthday, I brushed him every day, and only every couple days would a brushful or two of loose fur come out. He really didn't need brushing but maybe twice a week, but daily brushing became part of our daily "after walk" routine. One day, a lot of fur was coming out. I brushed twice the amount of time and did not get all the loose fur before I said "Good enough" for the day. Previously a five minute brush out got all the loose fur. This went on every single day for a few weeks. I think he sheds a little more now that he's had his first blowout, but it's back to a manageable "quick brushout" level now.

Sounds like fluffies may be a little different.

[Michael Romanos]

Taylor is The Kitchen Butler. he is often stationed there or thereabouts waiting for some action - tit bits of food and taking in all the food and cooking smells- listening to the radio, drinking water from his bowl, looking at or playing with the parrot. He'd be lost without his kitchen and casual dining area. When the bread goes in the toaster, he knows he is due for a couple of corners of it, when the fridge is opened and the cheese brought out -he can scent it from anywhere in the house. And so on. I think Westin might be missing out a little.