# color change...what to expect



## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

So I've read about the magical color changing powers of the havanese...and that it's often part of blowing coat I think? 

I was hoping someone could describe exactly how it works, I would be thrilled. This is kinda a spin off from my white hairs showing thread. 

Does the new color creep in under the old? Do pups develop an undercoat with a new color? Do some colors change more than others?


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

Some background...


As Bama is a havapom, I've looked into how the poms change color. One thing says usually after 2 months what you see is what you get. Another thing said sables are most likely to have changes. The puppy uglies start between 2-7 months, and Bama is at 6 3/4 months. 

The vet says she thinks she will keep the type of hair she has now...although she also says she's never seen a dog like her. I think she is cottony, but her tail and head have spots that feel more silky (or more 'yorkie like' as i describe it). She has areas of distinct waves on her back, but the rest is more of a generic fluff (especially after brushing) and kinda spiky on the head (fluffs after brushing but then gets back to the spiky look). She came all black with white under her chin and at the tip of her back paws. She has definite white on her chest now, and white on the pads of her front paw (not really visible when she is walking around). She has white hair underneath her black hair, a few that show and are long like the rest of her hair, and others that are shorter and only visible when combing. I did a 'super hygienic' rear trim, including the top of her hind legs. since all the hair is shorter there the white definitely shows through.

Picture 1 and 2 are of the same area...the one of the left is when it's combed to expose the white hairs, the one on the right is how it looks when it's brushed down like normal.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

no idea, as you have a mixed breed...

Tillie's change grows in at the roots... when she was a puppy the tips of her hair were a dark red and it got lighter the closer to her skin, as that grew out, she eventually was mostly white with the darker tips, then I had her trimmed and she lost the dark tips, so she looked mostly white at 1 yr. Fast forward to this year and her hair has been growing in a light apricot, but I am starting to see at the base it is lighening up, so my guess is she'll be all white again when she is near 3 ... Her color change had nothing to do with blowing coat. And she didn't grow in new hair that I could see.
I am guessing that the pom hair could be much more wirey than the fine hav hair, so maybe you can see hair growing in, but I sure couldn't...


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

here's the color change...

Tillie at 13 weeks, 14 months, and 2 yrs in the bath (otherwise only *I* can see that she has color! lol)


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## Ruthi (Nov 10, 2011)

Tillie is beautiful. Otis has some color changes going on. He is 10 months, so, we will see.


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## angiern2004 (Apr 24, 2011)

TilliesMom said:


> here's the color change...
> 
> Tillie at 13 weeks, 14 months, and 2 yrs in the bath (otherwise only *I* can see that she has color! lol)


I call BS on the "only you see color" thing. I totally saw it when we were up there.


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## dodrop82 (May 21, 2010)

Bama's hair looks more Pomish to me. Yogi was a red sable, and before her first haircut, her hair was red at the tip, then grayish, then white, then peachycream. She had four different colors on her hair stands. She's kinda peachy creamy now at 3 years old.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

angiern2004 said:


> I call BS on the "only you see color" thing. I totally saw it when we were up there.


lol, awesome, I'll take it!!  I think maybe the camera 'white's' her out or something...


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

dodrop82 said:


> Bama's hair looks more Pomish to me. Yogi was a red sable, and before her first haircut, her hair was red at the tip, then grayish, then white, then peachycream. She had four different colors on her hair stands. She's kinda peachy creamy now at 3 years old.


at one point she seemed to have fur that was two toned-black and brown. but if it's there, we can't see it. when she's in the sun you can see more brownish tones in her black hair, and around her nose is getting a bit brown.

I am thinking that some of her hair feels not as cottony lately. Poms have the soft undercoat to add fluff and coarse guard hairs over that. And she has silky spots. Also, at the moment her legs are trimmed (to even up after the shaved arm from spaying), but usually they are much more fluffy and hav-like.

I want to take her to the groomers and get their opinion on her hair. I have to figure out where though. We've been to one that has self grooming stations and they also will do it for you, but I may look at another as well. I've read some bad stories about some of the grooming places in town so it's hard to decide. I can't even find a hair dresser for myself since moving to town two years ago!


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

amrileb7 said:


> It's really hard to tell since Bama is a havanese/Pomeranian cross.i do have a black German spitz(mittel) who is black and when he went through his puppy uglies got a rusty color and a couple of months later he was a jet black ball of fluff and energy.with my havanese the color chage comes little by little, in some cases the coat keeps changing throughout the dogs entire life.about the blowing coat part,I've never experience it with any of my havanese dogs,all I know is that when they are aprox. 4-5 months old the coat starts growing real fast.


She's almost seven months and we haven't had any puppy uglies! No patches of missing or thin hair, no real mats to speak of (knock on wood). no shedding besides what comes out when I brush her, and no big noticeable changes. But her hair is longer for sure, fluffier, and her tail is so beautiful!

These pics are from 9 weeks, 3 months (the one on the hotel bed), and just over six months (not sure what order they will show up)


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

lol, I am SO used to hav ears that her ears surprise me everytime I see a pic of her!! 
too cute!


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

Some days I think she is part kitten! When we first brought her home, if you looked at her from certain angles she looked like a cat. Even now occasionally I'll tease her that she's a kitty cat.


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

TilliesMom said:


> lol, I am SO used to hav ears that her ears surprise me everytime I see a pic of her!!
> too cute!


Aw thanks! 
The one with the ribbon on her head is to hide her injured ear. The vet said the hair will grow long again (they shaved it down to look at injury) and it won't be noticeable.


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## dodrop82 (May 21, 2010)

OK, in those pics, I can see more Havie hair! And those ears are so darn cute, I can't stand it!


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## jemmax (Jan 3, 2012)

When we originally got Max the breeder said don't fall in love with a dog based on their coloring as it will surely change - we didn't know much about the breed so didn't understand until we got Max. Max at 16 weeks through to now, aged 4.5...


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Bama does have darling ears! What happened to her ear? That last photo, the black with a hint of brown or red/brown in it is really rich looking. I sure don't remember any uglies happening around 2-7 months. I thought my boys had really nice hair until closer to a year and a half. And then it got not so nice for awhile. Augie did lighten up, starting at his back end, within his first couple of months, and it seemed to move forward. He also got a reddish/muddy looking strip down his spine for awhile. No longer has that. At 4, his hair is back to being pretty nice. He is a black and tan. Finn was listed as a gold sable. And, again, at around a year and a half, his coat went to heck. Ugh. At the moment, I think it feels a bit coarse. It was quite thin for awhile, but is starting to thicken up again. He has a fairly dark gold saddle on his back, but it appears that it is coming in lighter along his spine. I would love if he keeps his color. But realize he will no doubt go through more changes as they all seem to.


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

jemmax said:


> When we originally got Max the breeder said don't fall in love with a dog based on their coloring as it will surely change - we didn't know much about the breed so didn't understand until we got Max. Max at 16 weeks through to now, aged 4.5...


I'm used to color change a bit. Miss Yorkie taught me that...yorkie's all generally look the same as puppies. She's 12 now and in the past year or two seems to be getting more silver in.


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

motherslittlehelper said:


> Bama does have darling ears! What happened to her ear? That last photo, the black with a hint of brown or red/brown in it is really rich looking. I sure don't remember any uglies happening around 2-7 months. I thought my boys had really nice hair until closer to a year and a half. And then it got not so nice for awhile. Augie did lighten up, starting at his back end, within his first couple of months, and it seemed to move forward. He also got a reddish/muddy looking strip down his spine for awhile. No longer has that. At 4, his hair is back to being pretty nice. He is a black and tan. Finn was listed as a gold sable. And, again, at around a year and a half, his coat went to heck. Ugh. At the moment, I think it feels a bit coarse. It was quite thin for awhile, but is starting to thicken up again. He has a fairly dark gold saddle on his back, but it appears that it is coming in lighter along his spine. I would love if he keeps his color. But realize he will no doubt go through more changes as they all seem to.


By puppy uglies I meant what happens to Pomeranians. I guess all dogs can look awkward at some point, but poms will have a stage where they look not like a Pom pup or Pom adult and people will say 'um that is not a Pom!' Or at least that's what I've read.

I will write a new reply about her ear.


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## jillnors2 (Apr 12, 2007)

My Black havanese does have a few white hairs on her back that are just like what you showed in your pictures, they sprouted out at about 6 months but have since stopped so I don't think she'll get anymore. She's pretty black


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

So her ear...we aren't sure exactly how/what happened, but basically the tip of her ear got damaged, lost circulation, and gradually the tip fell off. What the vet and I think happened is either her ear hair or even the tip of her ear got caught in the top knot..maybe I did it wrong or as it got loose some hair wrapped around the tip of her ear. Her hair around and on top of her ear is long and fluffy and there is lots of it. 

We first noticed something was up on Election Day when I put her Uncle Sam hat on. I thought maybe it was a mat of shampoo that hadnt rinsed completely out. We also wondered if maybe she got a hematoma we couldn't seem when her cone was on and it burst. But it was neither. 

I felt absolutely horrible when the vet explained what was going on to me. I started crying. She reassured me that she wasn't in pain. She shaved the ear so we could make sure it was healing okay and gave us antibiotics. 

So gradually the tip of her ear fell off. The hair is growing back.


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## mmphelps (Nov 30, 2012)

Bama is so cute! I love her ears! So sorry to hear about her injury but it doesn't show and it certainly doesn't detract from her super cuteness. I live the pic of her on the hotel bed!

Max looks very similar to my Tino in his coloring--makes me think Tino might end up very light. I can't wait to see his color change. I really didn't get the whole color change thing when we got our first Hav, Buster, in 1999. He was a black and white and ended up more like charcoal and silver with lots of salt and pepper areas.

Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

mmphelps said:


> Bama is so cute! I love her ears! So sorry to hear about her injury but it doesn't show and it certainly doesn't detract from her super cuteness. I live the pic of her on the hotel bed!
> 
> Max looks very similar to my Tino in his coloring--makes me think Tino might end up very light. I can't wait to see his color change. I really didn't get the whole color change thing when we got our first Hav, Buster, in 1999. He was a black and white and ended up more like charcoal and silver with lots of salt and pepper areas.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


Thanks. The injury is recent and So many pics are before it happened. I try to angle pictures so it doesnt show.


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Aww, I'm sure you did feel bad about her ear, but it will probably never be noticeable once the hair grows back out. At least no infection and she wasn't in pain. Their ears are so incredibly thin, it is hard to tell where the ear stops and the hair begins, on Augie at least. Finn's ears are a bit more substantial. Thanks for your story. It will serve as a reminder to the rest of us to double check when we do topknots, whether that was or wasn't what happened. At any rate, your Bama is just darling!


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

motherslittlehelper said:


> Aww, I'm sure you did feel bad about her ear, but it will probably never be noticeable once the hair grows back out. At least no infection and she wasn't in pain. Their ears are so incredibly thin, it is hard to tell where the ear stops and the hair begins, on Augie at least. Finn's ears are a bit more substantial. Thanks for your story. It will serve as a reminder to the rest of us to double check when we do topknots, whether that was or wasn't what happened. At any rate, your Bama is just darling!


Aw thanks. The vet showed me how to do a proper top knot. I prefer clips now and won't leave something in overnight. Vet also pointed out that she now has an identifying feature. No confusing her with another dog now. ;-) (she is microchipped too of course).

I will have to post a recent pic without her ear hiding under a hoodie.


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

Here are some pix I took tonight, some of them show her ear. Hope the pics don't upset anyone. The fur will grow back and cover it. 
she's sitting under a lamp and there are some christmas lights overhead, which shows the more brown in her fur i guess.


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

*more naptime pics under the lights*

more pics from tonight's sofa nap.


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## mmphelps (Nov 30, 2012)

Awwww what a cutie! I totally see the Pom and the Hav. Her ears are so fluffy, no one will notice once her hair grows back.


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## sandypaws (Aug 8, 2012)

Poor little girl. That long hair will cover it up very soon I'm sure. She's very cute and, like someone else mentioned, looks so different with her stand-up ears.


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

We went to the groomer today for a bath and hygienic cut. As we were sitting there waiting I noticed some white on top of her head. Better lighting in there! 

Anyway groomer said she feels like a Pom when she holds her...as far as her build goes. But hair is more hav for sure.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

She's adorable, and definitely looks like a mix of the two... more Hav-ish coat and the pointy ears and foxy muzzle of a Pom. 

...And I agree with everyone else. Once a little hair grows back on that ear, it won't show at all!


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

krandall said:


> She's adorable, and definitely looks like a mix of the two... more Hav-ish coat and the pointy ears and foxy muzzle of a Pom.
> 
> ...And I agree with everyone else. Once a little hair grows back on that ear, it won't show at all!


Thanks! I just wish it would grow faster. I hate having to keep telling what happened over and over again.

Lately I am just in love with her tail! It is just soo fluffy and kinda silky-shiny.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ewokpup said:


> Thanks! I just wish it would grow faster. I hate having to keep telling what happened over and over again.
> 
> Lately I am just in love with her tail! It is just soo fluffy and kinda silky-shiny.


You don't have to tell people exactly what happened... not their business. Just say she hurt her ear and the hair hasn't grown back yet, and move on!

The fact that her tail is silky-shiny kind of adds to the evidence that she may end up with a Havanese-type coat! Kodi took a long time to grow his tail... He had a little rat tail for months, and I remember worrying that he'd EVER have a beautiful, full Havanese fountain of a tail. But he eventually grew one, and it's beautiful now. So I understand how exciting it is to see happening!


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