Black 18 Month Old Mini Schnauzer - Tidemark of Brown Fur

Grooming is an important part of looking after your Schnauzer. Regular grooming will help keep your Schnauzer healthy and comfortable and you will spot potential problems early. Whether you decide to clip or strip your Schnauzer, help is on hand. Schnauzers are generally a non-shedding breed and will require a fair amount of grooming to get rid of dead hair.
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1968+
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Joined: 16 Aug 2019, 05:53
First Name: Jan

Black 18 Month Old Mini Schnauzer - Tidemark of Brown Fur

Post by 1968+ »

Hi

My 18 month old black mini who I clip and scissor has a wonderful dark body colour. However his legs have a tidemark of brown and are dry almost dead looking fur. Not sure if it is genetic? great diet and well looked after coat. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

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zeta1454
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Re: Black 18 Month Old Mini Schnauzer - Tidemark of Brown Fur

Post by zeta1454 »

Hi Jan, and welcome to the Forum :-)

The discolouration could be a genetic trait and reddish brown colouring in dark hair on dogs often does occur more in those who are clipped / scissored rather than stripped out (removing the soft and often paler coloured undercoat to allow the harsh topcoat to come through.) You could try taking out some of the hair at the top with a stripping stone or stripping knife although the discolouration does look on the photo as though it goes right down the legs which would not be stripped in any event. The photo may be deceptive but he does not look to be pure black (?) - the leg hair looks very pale so there may be pepper & salt genes in his ancestry. Do you know his pedigree? It could also be worth discussing with his breeder who will know whether this has occurred in any other of his relatives .

Exposure to the sun can also cause dark hair to lighten and there are a variety of other possible factors:

https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice ... olour.html

My feeling is, given that the discolouration is only around the leg area, that this may be genetic and, unless there are any other issues that might indicate that he is unwell, it may just be a hereditary trait of your little one.
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


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1968+
Posts: 2
Joined: 16 Aug 2019, 05:53
First Name: Jan

Re: Black 18 Month Old Mini Schnauzer - Tidemark of Brown Fur

Post by 1968+ »

Thanks Zeta appreciate your response. He is very healthy and the rest of his fur has great shine to it. The fur on his legs is different to his body more porous and dry looking. I have scissored it off, changed my shampoo and purchased conditioner and will see if at least I can get an improve in condition. I suspect you are right that it is genetic which is disappointing but it is what it is and we love him unconditionally. Both parents are black however digging deeper there is salt and pepper and black and silver going back further.
Oscar 12345
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Dog #1: Oscar RIP Sweety
is a: P/S Mini Dog
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Born: 04 Jul 2017

Re: Black 18 Month Old Mini Schnauzer - Tidemark of Brown Fur

Post by Oscar 12345 »

Hi Jan, welcome to the forum. Your boy is retaining a lovely black jacket even though clipped. Some blacks and black and silvers have a fading jacket really quickly. My Otto's leg hair is not black like his stripped jacket it is more a dark grey but if I let it grow it would look brownish. I try to keep it from going lighter by putting a coat king/rake comb through the leg hair and it removes the brown dead hair and encourages a more grey colour. I would also keep the bottom of the rear legs feathered so it is shorter but you can still keep the length so you have a nice shaped back leg that way I think you won't see so much brown or variation. You can also get I think it is called Back to Black Wash from Animology, I have never used it but I know breeders who show that use it. Otto would go dark grey very quickly if I clipped him, his Mother was clipped and was dark grey and he has quite a few Risepark P&S in his pedigree so no surprise there. He also has some white wire coming through his jacket which is quite sweet. Did you see his parents?


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