Darker Coats

I recently saw pics of the litter and while theyre all red/whites (both parents are red/whites, breeder declared all red/white), a few are darker than the others. Ive seen pics from ten days to three weeks and theyre definately getting lighter already. But here is where I get a little picky. Im sorta embarrassed to admit this, but Im more fond of the darker red coats compared to the lighter ones. Maybe becuz Im more of a fan of tris than red/whites..who knows. So in my quest to pick a pup that is best suited for us ( i think im first to pick) , it is slightly important that his coat is very red. Not sure if I will get both reqs. but I think its worth a shot. What should I be looking other than just darker coats compared to the other in the litter? Any signs on the head, around the eyes?
Also, I think I read that some of you noticed more reddish coats when you changed your food? Is there a reason why this happens?

thanx a bunch!!

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Permalink Reply by Kristen on April 10, 2008 at 5:13pm

It is funny at the age you are looking at it is a guess on the finish color. You can tell red/white, but you can't necessarily guess the shade. This is just my experience, first the black fades out, you will have a lighter red--almost blonde for a while and then the color will deepen. Both of my red/whites went this route. Their final color was almost identical to one of the parents. You will have to look at the parents. If both parents are a deep red, you will likely get that color. I have not heard of coat color change related to food.

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Permalink Reply by Sam on April 10, 2008 at 6:17pm

Always best to choose the most suitable pup based on activity level, desire to interact and geneal demeanor. You can bet that a puppy that is a good match for your family is far more important then color. Usually the pups that are darker as pups will also be darker as adults. The true shade of their coat is best guessed by looking at the parents. The range can be great. May also be in there are tri colored dogs in the background that a sable colored dog may appear. Sometimes hard to identify true sables at a young age.

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Permalink Reply by Charlie on April 10, 2008 at 7:08pm

I expect that when you go look at the pups to make your pick, that one pup's personality will decide that you are to be his/her human, even if it's the lightest pup of the bunch.

If color is more important than personality, then pick the pup with the darkest body and head markings. You may or may not get a deep red, but will have the "reddest" dog in the litter.

Charlie was not the prettiest puppy in the litter (I had a choice of BHT, R/W, Sable), but I picked him on temperament after interacting with the puppies for an hour before choosing. His personality is such a perfect fit to mine, that I wouldn't have cared if his adult coat had come in purple with pink polka dots. : - )