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Coat color as puppy versus as adult


tomatosandwich

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Okay, I'm a little confused about how to tell what a Cairn puppy will look like as an adult. To explain, I'm not sure if a Cairn's coat typically gets lighter, darker, or stays about the same. Before you think I'm a dope, I've found conflicting articles online. One site said the coats lighten. One said they darken. Another said it's hard to tell without know the colors in the pedigree back 3 generations.

I'm asking because I'd prefer a Cairn on the lighter side (Wheaten or red). There is a possible puppy about a 5 hour drive away. The breeder described him as going to be a light Wheaten, but the picture definitely shows dark, silvery part like in the eyebrow area, the sides, the snout. The breeder said the coat will lighten. There are also about 40! rescued Cairns from a hoarder house in my area (some very young).Of course, once I fall in love, it won't matter the coat color as much. BUT, that being said, I'd like to better understand what to really expect in terms of what the dog will look like as an adult. I just don't know what to look for when viewing puppies whose background may be in question (with the rescue situation).

Any advice?

Thanks for any input.

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A breeder, a good experienced one, should be able to get pretty close to what your puppy will eventually look like color wise.

The color will change in the first couple of years, and tho it hasn't happened to my dogs, can even change after that. My youngest dog was a red brindle this time two years ago and is now much lighter--not a pure wheaten color but close--she has some red still in her--as well as blond, black, gray, and in between.

I think the best advice I can give from my experience is to not get too set on exactly what your dog will eventually look like and focus on the personality, temperament, health, etc.

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thanks for the reply, Idaho. Yes, you're right, I'm not too focused on color; personality and health reign supreme! I'm just trying to know how to understand the coloring of the puppies I'm looking at.

To the moderators--I'm sorry that it appears I've posted in the wrong place, again. I'm sorry! I promise to get better!

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the best advice I can give from my experience is to not get too set on exactly what your dog will eventually look like and focus on the personality, temperament, health, etc.

Ditto. Kenzie was about a year old when we found her... he coat has pretty much stayed the exact same color. Hollie didn't have an outer coat when we got her, so we though she was wheaten. But the outer coat is growing in red. They both have the most darling personalities, even tho they are opposites on the color spectrum!!

The only thing better than owning a Cairn is owning two!

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Breeders know their dogs, but the brindle gene is so amazing, i can't imagine that it is even close to 100% predictable. My breeder listed Currey as a silver brindle. By about 8 months, he was so light that he looked like a creme brindle or even reddish under some light so I thought she must have been all wrong. 3 years later started going silver and has stayed that way for the past 2 years. Recently, his face has gone very dark, so I won't be surprised if he goes dark all over. I've pasted a couple photos below for you to see some of his color changes. It is hard to believe the picture in the middle is of the same dog sometimes! So, as Brad said, you can really have quite a number of dogs over the years!

I think the only certain way to get a cairn that will stay light is to get a westie :D

12 weekspost-1398-0-29230000-1298263040_thumb.jp

18 monthspost-1398-0-51205500-1298263049_thumb.jp

5 yearspost-1398-0-65811100-1298263318_thumb.jp

BTW, I'm loving that last picture. I just took it a couple weeks ago and the intensity of his facial expression is awesome! He had just gone on a trek through deep snow (at least a foot) and I dragged him out. His look is saying, "but mom, I wanna be in snow over my head. It's FUN!"

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Look at the parents.

You must give some time to your fellow men. Even if it's a little thing, do something for others - something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it.

-Albert Schweitzer (1875 - 1965)

Chase and Gus video

Youtube- Best of Chase and Gus

Cairn Terrierists

It's because cats simply can't be trusted for heavy lifting & dirty work required in the war on terrior.

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Jodi - Curry is so cute! Tomato sandwich - I still don't know what color to call Kirby 15 months later so no one thinks that's a crazy question. But, like you said, you fall in love which is definately color blind.

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When it comes to color, I always say all bets are off.I would go for personality and health rather than focus on a color. My two have gone through so many changes that at least twice a year a neighbor will ask if i got a new dog.

I have really enjoyed having brindles and watching them change color.

Tracy, Amos, Walter, Brattwrust & Mettwurst a.k.a The Gremlins

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Holly is classed as red brindle but she has so many colours in her fur it is amazing = red, cream, grey, ginger, black, silver. Even as an adult they can look a different colour when you get them stripped to what they are when the fur is thicker = I think this makes a brindled dog so much more interesting than a plain colour!

As I got Holly as an adult I was not bothered what colour she was but just love her for her personality/temperment and the colour is just a bonus!

www.cairnterriertalk.co.uk

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Finn is a 7 mo. old something-brindle. He is currently every color a Cairn comes in with black patches & black tips on the hair in places. He looks the same as he did as an infant, only bigger. It sounds weird, but the colors seem to move around. He was silvery in some areas a while back but changed & the silvery moved to another area. The same goes for the other colors in his coat. And sometimes, he has new variations of a color he didn't have before. I call him my dreamcoat boy, as in Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor........ The breeder really didn't know what color to say he was, she never had a pup that color- his mom is a silver brindle & dad is a red brindle. People that see him for the first time think his coat looks like a wild animal's. I started out having a bit of a color preference (really wanted a red brindle) but the breeder told me that brindles change & you never know what that will be. The really nice thing with Finn is that no matter what color you'd like him to be, he is. The really odd part is that when I take a series of pictures of him, each one looks like a different coat color. Breeders know right away if the pup is a brindle (the striping is really very cool) &, if it's not, have an easier time predicting color. Even now, when Finn's hair is brushed a certain way he looks striped. If you want a lighter or red one, tell the breeder you'd prefer to not have a brindle. If you think you may change your mind later, definitely go with the brindle. Finn's father started life as almost black, went to silver at about a year, went to grey, went to red & at 4 is a darker red shade with the brindle black tips on the hair. No matter what color the dog is, in the end you'll think it's the most beautiful Cairn on the planet. After Finn, of course :)

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I'm so envious of all those cute Cairn pictures!

Thanks for all the input. It's nice to know that I'm not a total dope for being baffled by looking at Cairn puppies and not having a clue what their adult coloring will be! I love the idea that they can be kaleidoscope dogs!

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Hi tomatosandwich I have to admit I too wanted a very light adult Cairn so when I looked into the box my choice was first - female and second - lightest puppy. I have to admit though, there was one puppy who was almost black in color and I was on the fence but in the end decided to stick with my first preference. I'm attaching two pictures - one taken when Layla was 10 days old - she is the largest one closest to the camera - then the second pix is from a few weeks ago. You can see from these two just how much a pup can change over less than 5 months.

Husband and dog missing ...25 cents reward for dog

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Max is Wheaten. His parents are both wheaten. To my knowledge, all of his litter mates as well as previous 2 litters and 1 following litter are all wheaten. That being said, it looks like he may start turning a red color.

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Boy can they change colors. Bailey started off as a red wheaten and is now black/silver/wheaten. His undercoat still has some of the reddish color remaining. And Radar (his brother) at 1yrs old is still a red/wheaten, but the breeder felt Radar will get even darker than Bailey. The brindling is more prominent on Radar. Some can change drastically and then others not at all. We never really know what we will end up with. Just love them for who they are.

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Hmm I need to research cairn colors. Ripley is definitely a brindle, but her new coat is coming in red and one spot on her tail is gray. I think I would prefer a dark brindle coat. Maybe she'll have it one of these days.

from what I understand clipping, istead of stripping the coat, willl make it dramatically and predictably lighter.

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If Ripley is brindle, you will see striping in her fur that's also on her skin. The striping can be more or less regular.

Gus is technically red, has some wheaten, grey and dark fur, but not the distinctive stripes.

At least this is my belief!!

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Mett and Bratt at 9 weeks old

Brattwurst is on the left, Mettwurst is on the right on his back. Notice the heavy brindle stripes they both have?

Bratt has gone thorugh the most striking color change of either of my dogs. Metturst has a black mask, but is still a silver brindle on his body... whereas Bratt has is turning darker with red highlights.

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Bratt 2 years old

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Bratt 5 years old

post-995-0-30503800-1298737543_thumb.jpg

Tracy, Amos, Walter, Brattwrust & Mettwurst a.k.a The Gremlins

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Maybe Ripley isn't a brindle. Wish I knew the difference!

K Shep, look at the photos I just posted of my two when they were wee things. You'll see the brindle stripes and spots on them.

Now my two had very heavy brindling on them, but I've noticed that even if the dog has a slight amount of brindling.. even just a spot on the back, they do seem to get darker. You'll see the color changes in my photos.

Tracy, Amos, Walter, Brattwrust & Mettwurst a.k.a The Gremlins

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