You are here:

Boxers/changes in color as puppy ages

Advertisement

Expert: - 8/29/2009


Question
I have 3 week old Boxer puppies. They have genes for both colors in their lines. They are dark now and I assumed they were all brindles at birth, but now their coats are lightening, starting on the heads. Is it possible that one or all may turn out to be fawn? If so, when will their final coat color become obvious?

Answer
Hi Susan,
As soon as the puppies were dry after birth you can see the brindle stripes but to an untrained eye this is sometimes illusive. Please feel free to email me a picture of the puppies and I'll be glad to tell you. What color are the parents ? Two fawn parents can NOT produce a brindle and two brindle parents CAN produce a fawn. It doesn't matter if they have the colors in their line or not, that is a common misconception.Since there are varying colors of both brindle and fawn from light to dark the boxers coat can continue to change usually up to a year old but you will be able to tell if they are brindle or fawn. I hope this information will help and I look forward to your reply.
Angela Donald
Canine Behavior Consultant
http://www.hitowerboxers.com

Boxers

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Angela Donald

Expertise

I'll be happy to answer questions about boxer dog allergies,behavior,behavior modification,breeding,care,coat color genetics,diet,ear cropping,exercise,genetics,grooming,health,history,pedigrees,showing and training.

Experience

I am a dedicated dog enthusiast and guardian of boxers for 40 years, a boxer conformation show exhibitor and breeder as well as a canine behavior consultant with a special interest in the boxer breed. I currently share my life with six boxer dogs.See our family of Boxer Dogs

Organizations
American Boxer Charitable Foundation

Publications
I currently contribute regularly to Dog-Canine Blog.I am the founder and publisher of The Boxer Behavioral Journal,a scientific journal with detailed behavioral case study information,which someday I hope will add valuable knowledge to the breeding,care and health of the breed.I am also a freelance writer with my latest article: Distinctive Behaviors of Boxer Dogs found at http://www.hitowerboxers.com/boxerdogbehavior.htm and distributed on the world wide web.

Education/Credentials
I have a MBA from AU.I have gotten real life experiences from my 40 years of the family owning boxers and other canine breeds, through my boxer rescue rehabilitation efforts, obedience training of the breed, more than 20 years of study on dog-canine behavior, genetics, health research,from my work as a canine behavioral consultant,exhibitor and breeder. My quest for canine knowledge is a never ending journey.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.