Do Puppies Markings Change Color As They Grow?
When you haven’t seen a friend’s dog since it was a puppy, you may not be as surprised to see that they’ve grown, but you might not recognize that the dog has changed to a different shade or type of coat than they had as a puppy. It’s normal for a puppy coat to change considerably from puppyhood to canine adolescence. The change can include not only colors but patterns as well.
Why Do Puppies Coat Changes Color
The AKC says that when puppies are born; they have a single soft and fluffy coat. A single-coated breed will lose its puppy coat, then adult hair begins to grow in, however, breeds that are double-coated will develop their second coat as they mature. It’s not uncommon for the puppy’s adult coat color to end up a different hue than they were when they were a puppy. While in many breeds, the adult coat is darker than they were when they were a puppy, there’re breeds in which the adult coat may get lighter in color.
While the age at which a puppy coat will shed varies by breed, most puppies will lose their original coat by the age of 6 months. Some breeds, for example, the Pomeranian mightn’t get their full adult coat come in fully until they’ve reached 2 years of age.
Dramatic Coat Changes
As a puppy grows into adulthood, the changes in their coats are noticeable but not dramatic. However, that’s not the case with certain breeds, in which the changes that they grow mature coats are truly stunning. Probably the best known of these breeds is the Dalmatian.
Bedlington terrier puppies are born with either liver or soft blue coats. As the Bedlington terrier grows, their coat becomes a mix of soft and hard hairs, and many Bedlingtons turn into a sandy shade that famously makes them resemble a lamb. The Kerry blue terrier is named for their bluish coat, but Kerry blue puppies are actually born black and don’t achieve their new coat shade until they are between the ages of 6-to-18 months.
Then there’s the Shih Tzu. If you want a Shih Tzu with a specific color, then you should adopt an older dog. Only a black and white Shih Tzu will keep the same coat color that they were born with. With other Shih Tzu’s, it all depends on their genes. A Shih Tzu with a “G” gene will fade in color, getting noticeably lighter by their first birthday, while a dog of the same breed with the Chinchilla gene will eventually become a rich silver, like the gene’s namesake rodent.
Beagles may have a total of 25 color combinations, made up of 10 different colors. However, their color change may come quickly in puppyhood. The AKC permits a Beagle breeder to change the color on a puppy registration up to three times before their color has become final. It’s not unusual for an owner to still end up with a dog whose color doesn’t match their registration.
When You Prefer A Certain Color
If you have your heart set on obtaining a purebred dog that has a certain shade or pattern and the breed’s color is subjected to substantial change, you don’t have to wait to buy a mature dog. Instead, you can ask the breeder if the parents had any previous litters together. If the answer is yes, then ask to see some photos of those puppies when they were young and after they matured. You can get a good idea of what the current litter members will look like once they’ve grown, however, this method isn’t foolproof.
At What Age Do Poodles Change Color?
Poodles are a breed that comes in many shades, but the determining factor of the ultimate color of a Poodle’s coat is their initial color. For example, a “clearing” of the coat could be from a darker color that gets lighter or the other way around. Some Poodles that are born a darker shade can eventually “clear” to an apricot shade by the time they reach the age of 2 years old. The coat of a black Poodle puppy may “clear” to silver or blue by the age of two.
Poodle puppies that are dark brown may change to a café au lait shade by 2 years old. Normally, a Poodle will change their coat color by the time reach 2 years old. The initial color can go through another subtle change but eventually stabilize by the time the Poodle is three years old.
Poodle Puppies Can Hold Their Color
It’s also possible for a Poodle to keep the color of the coat that they were born with, sometimes referred to as “holding.” Even if the Poodle does “clear” from a darker to a lighter color, the “clearing” of the coat is not the same all over the Poodle’s fur. For example, fur that’s around the ears and the thicker guard hairs tend to “hold” their color throughout their life, even when other parts of the coat change to another color or shade.
When Do Yorkies Change Colors?
Yorkshire terrier puppies are born with much darker coats than they’ll possess at adulthood. In some cases, much of the Yorkie puppy’s coat looks completely black. As puppies, the tan and black hairs of their coat will blend and intermingle. The color that Yorkies get as an adult starts to come through gradually, beginning when they’re around 9 to 10 weeks old. The first sign is when silver hair starts to appear on their head. This means that unless you breed Yorkies, you will probably not see the colors, as they may have started to change by the time you bring them home at 12 weeks.
Around weeks 16 to 20, Yorkies lose their fuzzy puppy fur, referred to as felting. Within 2 weeks, a Yorkie’s fine sleek hair starts to grow back.
By the time a Yorkie reaches 6 months of age, their adult tan and silver coloring will be clear. However, the complete transition isn’t usually complete until the Yorkie reaches 2 years old.
