# Wavy stripe???? 15 weeks old white german shepherd



## porcelanne (Sep 13, 2012)

Hi sorry if this has been asked a million times before - my puppy Nanook is currently 15 weeks old and this week he's developed a really wavy stripe down his back - normally where a GSD would have a coloured stripe, he has no colour however as he's a pure white GSD. (Not albino though).

I've tried searching the forums and googled it tons but I can't find quite an explanation! There's lots of talk about bitch stripes - they are apparently wavy too as well as a change in colour, but I don't reckon that's what this is? I've attached photos to show you all - taken this morning after he was freshly groomed with the furminator! (see below)

I read in one place that the wave won't last, it's part of his adult coat growing in? Is this true? If it's permanent I'm not bothered, it's pretty cool looking just wondering why it's happened and if it's gonna be there for good or not?


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

it is his adult coat starting to come in 










this photo doesn't show it very well, but Singe's started at the same age


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## porcelanne (Sep 13, 2012)

*Thanks!*

Good to know what it is then! That's pretty cool, will he go like this all over??


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Yes, he will


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

My boy had the same wavy section on his back...I actually liked it!

It did eventually go away.


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

My pup has that too, but it's only over the top of her back, not down her sides. You could very clearly see the line of he adult coat coming in, starting down her spine and slowly moving down both her sides.

Interesting that some say it goes away, I thought it was her adult coat coming in and that's how it would stay?


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Doesn't go away, LOL! It stays and more comes in.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Hard to tell for sure with the angle of your photos, but it looks like you've got a coatie. :wub: If so, that's pretty typical of how the adult coat grows in - you'll see that stripe of longer, and sometimes silkier than the fuzzy puppy coat. It's more apparent with longcoats than with standard coats, and the waviness of that longer fur is common.


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

Had to comment on the name! Did you pick that from the movie? I'd almost forgotten about it.. and I LOVE it!


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## porcelanne (Sep 13, 2012)

*Coatie?*

What's a coatie? A long haired GSD?

He's always been super fluffy, and I reckon he'll have a medium length coat judging by how mum and dad were.

He already has waves at his ears and behind his legs, so now the adult coat is coming in does anyone reckon it'll straighten out or keep a bit of a wave? 

I'm not bothered either way! He'll be gorgeous anyway! I've attached some pix so you can see him as a wee baby and how he is now


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## porcelanne (Sep 13, 2012)

*Name*



Jag said:


> Had to comment on the name! Did you pick that from the movie? I'd almost forgotten about it.. and I LOVE it!


--- Hi Jag! No I didn't know of the movie till after I had picked his name. I chose it because he looks like a polar bear, and Nanook is the Inuit word for polar bear. Seemed pretty fitting. I almost went for a viking name but couldn't find one that was quite right.


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

Yes, a coatie is a long-coated shepherd. There's a lot of variation in exactly how long the coat gets, though.


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## Scarlettsmom (Jul 12, 2011)

He will look something like this when he is full grown. Scarlett is a coatie...


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

Looks like a longstock to me too.  (we have one too, dog in avatar is stock coat)
I had never heard of the Isle of Lewis, had to go look it up. It's beautiful!


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## porcelanne (Sep 13, 2012)

omg brilliant! he'll be soo handsome when he's all grown up  

everyone's coaties are so lovely  

and yes I see a lot of people on the forums are from usa and canada - so I wouldn't figure many know the isle of lewis, but it's part of scotland off the west coast for those who don't know! 

mar sin leibh an drasta!


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