# Black, Tan, and silver?



## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

I'll try to put up some pictures soon, my camera battery is dead and the charger is missing..


I've been noticing silver hair coming in on Sage. First it was under his chin and behind his ears and then the root of his hair around his shoulders. Today he has a small line of silver hair showing that goes straight up his shoulder on the back side. So I started looking at his fur and he has silver roots through his entire coat(where its currently black) except the small strip of fur on the top of his back and his head. I've never seen or heard of this before.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

I think what you're describing is what is commonly referred to as a "bitch stripe" (though males get them too). It is very common in black/tan dogs as they mature. Though pictures would certainly help.


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## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

the top of his back is black with no silver roots, its the sides of him that are turning silver


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

Are you talking about the stripe behind the shoulder?
Dante's had one for ever


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## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

got some pictures..

at the moment he seems to be a blanket blk tan

















these are just behind the shoulder, by his ribs and hip









































hard to get it to come out without flash

in the pictures it looks a little more cream but its very very silver/grey


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## lovemybeast (Nov 23, 2009)

Looks pretty normal. My Tank was black on the back then all of the sudden got a stripe down his spine all silvery mixed in. Kinda lookes like a skunk but has now blended in with all this other colors a lot like Dantes speckling. I like it. I think your pup is going to be some salt and pepper in him. Watch his face, it will change I bet. Mine I think has finally settled into his look at 1yr. We tease him that he wears eyeliner like Cleopatra or I started calling him Zorro because it looks like a mask around his eyes of pure black. Dantes eyes don't seem to have the full circle of black around the eyes.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: lovemybeastLooks pretty normal.


thats what i was thinking. in fact, i think its pretty rare to see a B/T dog that doesnt have fur like that. if you notice - the hairs are a little shorter and softer then the others - thats the undercoat. no matter if they're a blanket back, saddle back, or bi color - they all have it to some degree.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

If the color change is _excessive_, then eventually you might want to get the thyroid checked. When our boy's fur was changing, it *really* changed. It was only after we started hormone therapy for his low thyroid that it started looking like it does now.

I don't know if it will show well, but notice how silver the neck area looks here, more silver than black, in the pic that was taken in about 2003 or 2004:











I don't know if you can see in this relatively recent pic, there is more black than silver:










Indy, however, has the silver roots on her sides, much more than Max does, which you can't even see in her pics (from '04):


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

Isa has a very noticable bitch stripe.

















All my dogs have a silver undercoat too.


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## lindsaye01 (Feb 28, 2014)

*I was wondering the same thing, also*

Sadie Mae also has a small splash of silver hair, maybe about 20 hairs, on her back, right between her shoulder blades. She also has two white toe nails, which according AKC, is not "acceptable." But she is soo beautiful! These just make my dog especially unique. She is the smartest puppy I have ever seen and I literally get comments on her beauty EVER SINGLE TIME we go for a walk. She is that pretty. And sweet. And well behaved.


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## AKIRA3 (Jul 17, 2013)

I never heard of a bitch stripe.
I have a very prominent one I have to
Touch up every 3 weeks.
It doesn't work for me!!!


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