Cairn colors

[Skylar]

I am simply fascinated by Cairns' coat colors! I came across so many color descriptions while I was researching the breed. I must say Im excited and curious to see how Skylar will turn out. Both her parents were lighter but she has a lot of black in her. She actually looked like a hedgehog when we got her. Her "highlights" are since growing out.

 

Does anyone have before and after pictures. I would love to see them!

 

[Sam I Am]

Don't be surprised if after a few years, when comparing pictures of then and now, Skylar looks like a different dog, jock went from a red brindle, to a wheaten at about four yrs of age, to a dark grey then in his last years, silver grey.

[Hillscreek]

Agree. Many cairns change color over their lives. Angus is a red brindle. Still a young dog but already in his second year the darker brindle is showing more and more.h He has wheaten on his chest so who knows later on. Nevertheless whatever the color his cairnness will always shine through.

[Islander]

I think that the brindles change more than the solid colours. Gus is a solid red, and has lost lots of his black puppy markings….still my handsome boy though!

[tlwtheq]

My three are and have been charcoal black with variations ( I guess that's where the term "highlights" comes from").

They all have the same father so no surprises there.

Olie's beard, as he approaches year 14, is sheer white.  We're starting to see white hair around

Teddy Bear's eyes.  It seems his litter main, Sweet Pea is following along that path.

 

This post is totally off topic.  Just thought that people who have younger Cairns in their lives might

be interested in how their Cairn Children age, i.e., changing of hair color.

[Lupinegirl]

Nikki was a brown puppy with whispy black guard hairs all over him and a solid black muzzle. He had dark hair on his ears and around his eyes and a white chin. I forgot how old he was when he changed but we went away on vacation for two weeks and came home to totally different looking dog. He had turned blond and grown out his long guard hair over his puppy coat. He had a brown muzzle, red roots near his skin, and brown ears. Surprise! Lol.

He lost the dark hair around his eyes and his muzzle gradually faded to grayish brown instead of black over time. His ears are usually brown but one year, the guard hairs grew in solid blond. The next year, they were back to being brown. His coat looks wheaten with a reddish tinge. When I pull out a guard hair, I see a ginger-colored red tip on the last half inch of the hair and the rest of the strand is blond. I can still see the whispy black guard hairs scattered throughout his coat, but he looks predominantly blond with ginger roots that look different in every light. Where he's wet, he looks like he's the same brown color that he was as a baby. His chin has stayed the same color his whole life. The rest of his muzzle looks like it's trying to grow some more black guard hairs this year. Right now he has a stripe on either side of his nose that makes it look like he has a faint mustache. He's cute no matter what color he decides to sport.

[Skylar]

I agree Gus is definitely very good looking. Quite the transformation.

 

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences. Skylar seems to look a little different everyday! Can't wait to see how she turns out!

[Lupinegirl]

https://instagram.com/p/BRwc4oDDi7_/

bumping this topic because the dark fellow in this video has the most interesting particolored tail I have seen on a cairn. 

 

[Sam I Am]

How cool is that! I love how they wrestle and play together. 

[sanford]

1 hour ago, Lupinegirl said:

https://instagram.com/p/BRwc4oDDi7_/

..the dark fellow in this video has the most interesting particolored tail I have seen on a cairn. 

 

Curious! I wonder if the tail color will eventually change?

[Lupinegirl]

I'm wondering too, if he's a chimera, or if he's a brindle going gray and his tail just hasn't changed with the rest of him? In horses, gray typically expresses itself over red, agouti, and extension, but I don't remember what the gray gene does with cream. 

[Sam I Am]

Is it actually grey or more wheaten? I know Jock as a youngster, was red brindle, with lots of wheaten mixed in. As time passed it went darker and darker with still a lot of red/wheaten mixed in, but as a senior dog that was replaced with mostly grey. I bet if the dog in the video was stripped you would see his under coat was a lot lighter. 

[Lupinegirl]

Looks like it could be wheaten under all of those black guard hairs. It's hard to tell. He has a loght mustache and a star on his chest, too. Pretty pup, whatever color it is. https://www.instagram.com/p/BRlCE2vjjI4/?taken-by=qoo429

 

Edited March 19, 2017 by Lupinegirl

[Dempsy's Mom]

Sometimes just the muzzles just change color. Oh wait ... silly me - that's just spring time fever and hiding his latest treasure in his favorite soil type .... mud.  

  

 

[Sam I Am]

Oh Demps I love you!

[sanford]

Oh Lori, you've come up with another prize-winning photo... And it doesn't even have a tractor in it!?

Edited March 19, 2017 by sanford

[kieiras mom]

Just Love all the unique photos of the Dempsy farm. Keep them coming.!!!

[LindaMC]

Beautiful coloring on the cairn in the video, they are both so adorable.  It's always fun watching  two or more cairn's play together.  As for Dempsey, what a face.   Even covered with mud he's adorable.