# Gray/white undercoat?



## mocamacho92 (Mar 18, 2012)

Is it normal for a bicolored GSD to have a grey/white undercoat? Xena had it on her tail and everywhere else except her saddle area. I think it's the undercoat; it's smaller curvy hair. Will her coat still be black?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Bi-colors have a dark undercoat. Are you sure you have a bi?


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## mocamacho92 (Mar 18, 2012)

Well she is only black with tan on her legs, a little on her head and some white on her butt. I'm assuming she's bicolored.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

She may be a blanket back. My blanket back has a white undercoat.


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## mocamacho92 (Mar 18, 2012)

Emoore said:


> She may be a blanket back. My blanket back has a white undercoat.


I've never heard of a blanket back. Do they're coats color change?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Blankets are black and tans with heavy on the black!
My bicolor has a tan area under her tail and it goes into her groin area....other than that, she has a black undercoat and only tan on the legs and a bit of bowtie on her chest. Her ear area has a lighter undercoat but that is the only part. If you click on my signature Onyx, Kacie it will take you to my pics....Onyx is the bi-color, Kacie is a long coat blanket black & tan. Karlo is the sable.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

This is very interesting. My dog has a mostly black undercoat (guy in my avatar). He is a mix, but his fur is pure white. Small amount of biscuit on his ear-tips. 

What do these undercoat colors mean??


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## mocamacho92 (Mar 18, 2012)

Emoore said:


> She may be a blanket back. My blanket back has a white undercoat.


I think you're right. She looks like the ones I just searched up right now.


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## mocamacho92 (Mar 18, 2012)

onyx'girl said:


> Blankets are black and tans with heavy on the black!
> My bicolor has a tan area under her tail and it goes into her groin area....other than that, she has a black undercoat and only tan on the legs and a bit of bowtie on her chest. Her ear area has a lighter undercoat but that is the only part. If you click on my signature Onyx, Kacie it will take you to my pics....Onyx is the bi-color, Kacie is a long coat blanket black & tan. Karlo is the sable.


Thanks for the info! Now I know that xena is a blanket back.


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## Falkosmom (Jul 27, 2011)

chelle said:


> This is very interesting. My dog has a mostly black undercoat (guy in my avatar). He is a mix, but his fur is pure white. Small amount of biscuit on his ear-tips.
> 
> What do these undercoat colors mean??


Do you have pictures of that?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Undercoats will change when ready to blow out. A black undercoat may turn reddish. Maybe your Bailey is getting ready to lose his, so it is darker? I don't know, never had a white dog!
My blanket back has a black undercoat.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Falkosmom said:


> Do you have pictures of that?


No, but in the daylight tomorrow I can try to get some pics. You have to pull the fur back to actually see it. To just look at him in normal pictures, he appears pure white. It has made me wonder, but his dad has mostly all dark fur, so I contributed it to that... however, his brother does *not* have *any* dark undercoat at all. 



onyx'girl said:


> Undercoats will change when ready to blow out. A black undercoat may turn reddish. Maybe your Bailey is getting ready to lose his, so it is darker? I don't know, never had a white dog!
> My blanket back has a black undercoat.


Oh my, he's been blowing out. Everywhere. He's a dang fur storm. It's been better just lately. I haven't noticed any change in the undercoat color.

Interested to hear from other white pbs and mixes on this undercoat thing!

Sorry to stray, OP.!


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## BlackthornGSD (Feb 25, 2010)

I have a couple of dogs (including a bicolor) whose coats are normally solid black, but when they are blowing coat, their undercoats are often grey/white/tan.


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## mocamacho92 (Mar 18, 2012)

chelle said:


> No, but in the daylight tomorrow I can try to get some pics. You have to pull the fur back to actually see it. To just look at him in normal pictures, he appears pure white. It has made me wonder, but his dad has mostly all dark fur, so I contributed it to that... however, his brother does *not* have *any* dark undercoat at all.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


No problem!!! If youre getting info from this thread then it's all good.


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## mocamacho92 (Mar 18, 2012)

BlackthornGSD said:


> I have a couple of dogs (including a bicolor) whose coats are normally solid black, but when they are blowing coat, their undercoats are often grey/white/tan.


Really? That's interesting about the blowing coat, I've never heard of that. I think xena just started to have a grey/white undercoat because I never noticed it before.


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## Falkosmom (Jul 27, 2011)

chelle said:


> No, but in the daylight tomorrow I can try to get some pics. You have to pull the fur back to actually see it. To just look at him in normal pictures, he appears pure white. It has made me wonder, but his dad has mostly all dark fur, so I contributed it to that... however, his brother does *not* have *any* dark undercoat at all.


I had a conversation with Dorothy Crider from Terror's White Shadow Ranch years ago. Most of her dogs were solid white with black noses and claws and black skin. If you parted the coats of her dogs, the skin was black, not white. I don't remember her saying anything about the undercoat.


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## KentuckyGSDLover (Nov 17, 2011)

How old is Xena? I ask because you mentioned "curvy hair." All 3 of my GSD had "curvy hair" on their backs (Bear, Buddy and Rey, though Rey is not quite 2 and still has it). Buddy gets a grayish looking undercoat when he's getting ready to blow a coat.


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## mocamacho92 (Mar 18, 2012)

KentuckyGSDLover said:


> How old is Xena? I ask because you mentioned "curvy hair." All 3 of my GSD had "curvy hair" on their backs (Bear, Buddy and Rey, though Rey is not quite 2 and still has it). Buddy gets a grayish looking undercoat when he's getting ready to blow a coat.


Xena is about 6 or 7 months old


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