HELP Scottish Terrier going grey

[kachemak]

Being a Malamute owner I have no clue whatsoever about Scottish Terriers and would like advice from someone who knows
I have a friend who has a 7 month old boy and she is concerned because he is going grey along his back. People think he is getting old when they see him.

Is this a normal colouring for a Scottie, is he just freak or is it a sign of something wrong? Any advice would be gratefully received

[Cassiepeia]

There are different coat colours in Scotties so it's possible he's just not a black one (could be a brindle?) and his coat is changing as he matures, and it's likely to continue changing for a while.

Cass.

[kachemak]

Thanka Cass . I've just discovered that they come in other colours than Black - I said I was clueless!
Do you know what the genetics is around the colouring then? Will 2 black parents produce all black pups? And the breed standard mentioned wheaten and brindle but not silver / grey.

[Cassiepeia]

I've got no idea about the genetics. I was pretty clueless about Scottie colours too, until about a year ago. LOL
He could be mismarked, that happens a lot in breeds. He might end up being a one of a kind (although, aren't they all deep down? ), as far as colour goes.

Cass.

EDIT: I found this site that might help with genetics http://www.scotties.com/coatcolor.html

[Ritz459]

Sounds like a salt and pepper coat, but that is in Schnauzer's, not Scotties! lol

I checked out the link that Cass posted and it said that a brindle can vary from red to grey, so he may in fact just be a brindle.

The brindles may be any shade of red or gray as far as the lighter ground color is concerned.

Will 2 black parents produce all black pups?

It all depends on what recessive gense they are carrying. I'm assuming it is a bit like Labradors...you can have two all black parents and still get a yellow or chocolate pup(s) in the litter, if the parents were carrying recessive yellow (or chocholate) coloring in their genes. How those genes match up between the puppies is a gamble, but eventually you will have two recessive genes pairing up and wahla: your interesting color.

[StephanieandTeddy]

They can become quite grizzled....it's normal!!

Also...with some breeds of terrier, if you get them shaved rather than have their coats stripped properly, the fur that grows back will be grey. (or much lighter.)

[AVA]

if your friend is shaving the scottie for grooming this could cause the silvering, scotties should be plucked

[kachemak]

Ah right - that's interesting. She said she has noticed it more since he was at the groomers last week. I wonder if the groomer is as clueless as me then!
Thanks for all your advice guys

[Ritz459]

Originally Posted by kachemak

Ah right - that's interesting. She said she has noticed it more since he was at the groomers last week. I wonder if the groomer is as clueless as me then!
Thanks for all your advice guys

No, the groomer wasn't clueless. Stripping the coat is a long, uncomfortable process for the dog. Most groomers won't do it (for lack of time more than anything), and clipping is much easier to do, even if it does make the coat "unterrier"like. Normally the only dogs that get their coat's stripped are show dogs, as they need the right coat texture for their shows.