B&T color changing

[TankGrrl66]

How old are puppies usually when they start color changing?

My pup finished teething and started growing. She weighs almost 50lbs now and has sprouted legs.

But a very rapid change in her coat is happening...Tan is creeping up.

I thought she was going to be a blanket back, but now I can see she is going to have a saddle! Her thighs are turning tan, and so is her upper arm...her only tan used to be below her stifle and elbows, respectively.

Her tan is also getting...well, tan. It used to be a creamy color, but is now a solid tan. The changing part still has a lot of black hairs mixed in. Will this change?

Will this be as dramatic as sable changes? Is she going to look totally different?

Anyone got any pics or experience to share on it?

[TrickyShepherd]

My B&T female is doing the same. She is 8 months, and started to change dramatically about 2 months ago. When I got her she was almost pitch black. She only have tan on the very bottom of her legs/paws and a small amount on her chest... and very little, almost airbrush like markings (dark brown) above her eyes. Now, her tan is starting to spread up her legs and into her face/chest/neck/hips.... she is also getting a stripe down her back. It used to be white hairs, but now I see they are starting to turn tan... Her ears also went from being all black to now being mostly tan with little black circles. the Brown on the underside of her tail is getting brighter and bigger as well.

When I first got her, I figured she'd still remain mostly black even after some typical changes they go through. However, out of nowhere is started changing really fast, and now I have no idea what her coat is doing. Maybe saddle? Blanket? I have no idea. The stripe down her back really caught me by surprise! It started out as just a small white patch on her shoulders.

I'd like to see pictures from others who have experienced this with their dogs... see what their dog's coat ended up doing in the end.

[cowgirlup_22]

The stripe down the back is called a "bitch stripe".I found that one out after posting pics of my 7month old female GSD on here and was tripping out over how she was changing colors.lol She has it(the b stripe I mean) and here are some pics of her for you to look at and compare.

Puppy pics:

this one I took after we got her and were on the 2hr car ride home




about a week later:

*****oversized pictures removed by moderator******

another week later.lol












and here is a pic of her "bitch stripe"

[sagelfn]

Sage: he is a blanket blk/tan





around 5 months old (crappy camera - he's not that washed out looking)




about 8 months old


10 months


just past 1yr


1.5 yrs


2yrs




Couple of weeks ago

[Cassidy's Mom]

The changes should not be as dramatic as sables, who can go from dark to light to dark and back again a few times as they mature. A black and tan is going to start out dark and lighten up, with many of the black areas shrinking, as you're seeing with her blanket turning into a saddle.

[gsd_bella]

I picked these photos to show you as he's in a similiar position in each (and not jumping or running around like a lunatic like he normally is)

You can see the black recedes as he gets older, it's stayed fairly similar for the last 6 months now

2.5 months


8 months


18 months - taken with my phone so it's a bit bright

[PaddyD]

Abbie's color changes: Sorry, the pictures are links because of their size.

3 months http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum...6-3-months.jpg

4 months http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum...5-4-months.jpg

6 months (all legs) http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum...7-6-months.jpg

Now (2 years) http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum...110920-005.jpg

[jade_14]

9 week old Casey:


4 month old Casey:


18 month old Casey:


(his colors have stayed about the same since then, perhaps a bit more red on his face has shown but that's about it)

[missykel3]

"bitch" stripe? I have a male who has that stripe down his back...is it only supposed to be seen in bitches? Attached is a photo of him