A silly question about hair

[daisyandme]

Have you had a puppy that developed random white hairs in the black areas of hair? I have noticed over the last month that Daisy has developed random white hairs and patches of 3 to 7 hairs in clusters on her forehead and the top part of her muzzle. She also has a few random white hairs on her body. The lower part of her muzzle near her jaw line is developing a mixture of white and tan (almost as if the tan is spreading along her jaw line and moving up). Maybe since she is still a puppy her body can't decide which color she wants to be...maybe she is going to have white spots...she has the black spots under chin.

 

I thought that pigment was pretty much set after birth but now that I think about it, my brother went from almost toe head at birth to dirty blonde/brownish as he got older.

[Sue R]

Some dogs become "grizzled" with time, and I don't mean with later aging. My Celt was pitch black on his black areas (traditionally marked black and white Border Collie) but, at about 2 years of age, began to acquire white grizzling on his face. For a while, he seemed to have whitish "Bela Lugosi" eyebrows (like upside-down V's) and my DIL wondered if he scared the cows because of his "mean-looking" eyes.

 

He is now 7 years young, and is often pointed out by mothers showing their children what an "old dog" looks like - greying! The older he gets, the more pronounced is the grizzling. It is strongest around his eyes but also appears on his cheeks and muzzle.

 

At least my initial worries that my ineptness as a handler was turning him grey at an early age were unfounded - I hope!

[Guest echoica]

my 5 month old red & white recently - in the past 2 weeks - grew a white patch on a part of her tail by her bottom. she also has a white patch on the top of her head in between her ears. both very random with limited white hair.

 

similarly, my black cat - ok yeah we are talking about dogs I realize - is famous for her patches of random white fur that she has accumulated since I got her - around 1 year of age. she is almost 7 years now...and she always looked older because of it.

[diane allen]

I had a border collie mix who started "greying" at age two - mostly around her muzzle, but odd patches here and there in the black too. She kept getting little grey spots here and there, probably until she was about 8 or 9, then it seemed to slow down; she passed at age 11.

 

diane

[daisyandme]

I think I am just surprised since she is only 6 months old! Maybe I am just selfish and silly, but I love the way my little baby looks and I don't want her to change. LOL

[mbc1963]

We used to own a husky/shepherd mix (who might have been BC mix, too). When she came home at 1, her face was largely black. Later one, when we'd look at pictures of her young self, we'd be surprised - because by then, most of her face had gone tan. She looked like a different dog.

 

I think in dogs, the fur often gets lighter overall as well as graying with time.

 

Mary

[Sue R]

I think I am just surprised since she is only 6 months old! Maybe I am just selfish and silly, but I love the way my little baby looks and I don't want her to change. LOL

I felt the same way about Celt - it wouldn't be "Celt" if he changed but now the white is endearing to me because that is part of who Celt is, and I'm sure you will feel the same once those little white hairs become comforting familiar to you. Let's hope so, anyway!