# Weird Coloring



## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

When I got Sinister as an 11 week old puppy he was solid black.

Sinister is now a year old and he has silver hair between all of his toes, all under his tail, by his butt and the back of his legs.

Not only does he have silver hair but now he has red hair all under his belly and back on his back legs by his butt.

What the heck is going on? He looks so weird.


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## Bridget (Apr 5, 2004)

I would like to see pictures of him.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I am at work right now but when I get home I will post some pictures for you


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## tkarsjens (Nov 30, 2009)

LaRen616 said:


> When I got Sinister as an 11 week old puppy he was solid black.
> 
> Sinister is now a year old and he has silver hair between all of his toes, all under his tail, by his butt and the back of his legs.
> 
> ...


It's not unusal for blacks to get tan or in this case silver in the areas you describe. I also have a black who developed tan in those areas. 

Could the red area be from shedding? Sometimes you see weird colors from where the hair is coming out.

Tracie
www.atlaskennels.com


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

Look at Kira's dog (GSDSunshine). Koda definitely has some of this going on. He is mostly black, but with hints of silver on toes, along legs, etc. I would just say he's changing colors much like a sable does. He probably won't end up a "true" black.


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

I would bet it's just bleed through starting. I'm sure he's genetically black. If you search for bleed through, I know there's been threads where people have posted pictures of their black dogs with bleed through.


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## ShepherdHeaven (Feb 12, 2010)

My GSD(Panga) is mostly black alover except under neith i just noticed last night when trimming her paw hair she has red inbetween her toes.


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## Vinnie (Sep 4, 2001)

GSDElsa said:


> Look at Kira's dog (GSDSunshine). Koda definitely has some of this going on. He is mostly black, but with hints of silver on toes, along legs, etc. I would just say he's changing colors much like a sable does. He probably won't end up a "true" black.


Koda is a black & silver bi-color just like my Dalton. I think it's beautiful coloring. 

LaRen - pictures would help if you get the chance. It could be that your boy is a bi-color or a solid black with bleed through like someone else mentioned. It's hard to tell though without seeing.  (Might be good to have some before/after pictures.)

ShepherdHeaven the dog in your avatar looks like it might be a bi-color not a solid black with bleed through.


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

Vinnie said:


> Koda is a black & silver bi-color just like my Dalton. I think it's beautiful coloring.
> 
> LaRen - pictures would help if you get the chance. It could be that your boy is a bi-color or a solid black with bleed through like someone else mentioned. It's hard to tell though without seeing.  (Might be good to have some before/after pictures.)


I guess in my head that's what I was picturing from what LaRen was describing...................was a silver bi-color???? But maybe it's bleed through. Maybe he's a bi-color. Yes, pictures please. We love pictures of cute doggies


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Sounds like bleed through on a solid black dog.

As for the red highlights, black hair will often turn a burnt reddish color when it dies and sheds out. Particularly undercoat hair. So for a black dog to get a reddish tinge, or even big reddish tufts of undercoat, during shedding is not uncommon. Particularly if the dog spends a lot of time outside in the sun where sun fading on black hair can also happen.


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

Silver Bi color is a fancy name for faded balck and tan bicolor. It,s not a white color but it not the deep tan either. I always tell people he looks like a solid black dog but someone took an eraser to his legs, lol. 

Thanks for the compliment Vinnie, I think Dalton is a beauty as well. I know Natalie's Penny has a good amount of brown bleed through going one (Youre still pretty penny! Please don't eat Koda) Maybe she could post a pic for you to see the difference between bleed through and bicolor.


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## Vinnie (Sep 4, 2001)

GSDSunshine said:


> Thanks for the compliment Vinnie, I think Dalton is a beauty as well. I know Natalie's Penny has a good amount of brown bleed through going one (Youre still pretty penny! Please don't eat Koda) Maybe she could post a pic for you to see the difference between bleed through and bicolor.


Awe thanks, I think he's pretty special and good looking.:wub: I think of Koda as his younger twin wearing the same coat (and ears up). 

Chris Wild has or had a solid black with bleed through too (if I remember correctly).

LaRen, I probably should have looked for an album first. (Sorry, stupid me.) It looks like you have pictures of Sinister in your album which appear that he is a solid black. In that case I agree that he could just be having some bleed through. I think if he were a bi-color that he would have had at least some bi-color signs (color around vent or between toes) even when he was 8 weeks old. Do you know what colors the dogs are in his pedigree? 

I love this link which does explain some of the difference and show some examples, however, it doesn’t go into the solid blacks & bleed through.

Illustrated Standard of the German Shepherd Dog, COLOR & PIGMENT

Koda & Dalton would be considered Melanistic Black Bi-colors.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Vinnie
His father was a LC solid black GSD (no silver or red)
His mother was a SC black/tan GSD

I know that one of his grand parents was solid black as well


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Vinnie said:


> Chris Wild has or had a solid black with bleed through too (if I remember correctly).


Our Della has some bleed through on her toes and hocks that started coming in when she was around 2. A couple littermates of her's do as well. Kali (RIP) had a lot of bleed through on her toes, hocks and up the backs of her front legs that started coming in when she was around 5 or 6, and then every year after that there was a little bit more than the year before. 

All geneticall solid blacks, though by the time we lost Kali she could have almost passed as a very melanistic bi-color.


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## Vinnie (Sep 4, 2001)

LaRen616 said:


> Vinnie
> His father was a LC solid black GSD (no silver or red)
> His mother was a SC black/tan GSD
> 
> I know that one of his grand parents was solid black as well


Ok, well he could still be a bi-color but I doubt it after seeing Sinister’s puppy pictures. When you first got him did he have any other color (even a tiny bit)? It doesn’t look like it in his pictures. In which case, he’d be a solid black with some bleed through showing up.

You can check out Chris’ dogs Della and Kali on her website and see pictures. Beautiful gals. IMO. I'm sure Sinister will mature into a very handsome fellow as well.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Here's a photo of Kali where you can clearly see the tan bleed through on her hocks and backs of her front legs, as well as lots of old age gray hairs all over the place.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Red fur under his belly









Silver under tail and red by his butt









Silver between his toes and the back of his legs









Silver between his toes









I have more pictures in my album titled Sin's Weirdness


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Weird right?


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

Tanner has that too on his feet. And silver/gray on his chin(we call it his goatee.) But i just thought he was aging :crazy: even though Tanner is 4 1/2 years old. And Tanner has a white spot on his chest(his badge.lol)


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Vinnie? Anyone?


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## Vinnie (Sep 4, 2001)

No, I don't think it's all that weird. Sinister is still young and his coat may change a little more as he ages. It's pretty normal. Although, not all blacks have bleed through color, some do and it's really nothing to worry about (if you are worried).


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Ok, thank you.

He just looks like an odd ball to me

He's still beautiful though, at least he is to me :wub:


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## ChristenHolden (Jan 16, 2010)

LaRen Please tell my you will be putting your handsome Boy in the April Photo Contest. He's to handsome to miss it


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Thank you Christen!

Of course I'll put him in a contest!


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