Archived Message

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by mrsmac

I am sure you guys are tired of me but, I am getting ready to make a huge investment and want to be as informed as possible. The breeder I have talked with I have questioned extensively....one topic is black points. I asked if her pups have them she said with the exception of a few pink toe pads every now and then they are usually pointed. But, on occasion there is one or two that have "winter nose" which she said is when a dog has a dark nose in summer and as it cools off and there is le4ss sunllight hours there nose lightens up. Does this actually happen? It doesn't make alot of sense but I am still new at this. You guys are all so wise and I appreciate any input.Thanks so much.

DISCUSSION:

I have heard talk about this quite a bit. I can only tell you from my experience. I have purchased puppies in the summer, and in the winter and they all had black noses. They have never been any other color except dark black. The pads of their feet are black also.
-Marsha A.

Mrsmac, I have seen winter nose. It is exactly as the breeder you have been talking discribes. Lovely dark black nose in the summer with exposer to the sun. Then fades out to a brownish pink in the winter time. I have also seen black noses turn this color with age and in dogs that rub the pigment off during play. Nuzzling toys on carpets ect. Cherie
-Cherie

I guess you could say that winter nose is true. My baby's nose is dark black but during the winter it was light black. But now it's reverted back to it's normal color. Hope this helps. And also, i read a while back in the bulletin something about it.
-Linda/NiNi

Yep. Lucy's nose lightens up in winter, too. It is still black, but lightens up enough to be noticeable. With the coming of spring sun it goes back to "normal." There are posts in the archives about this (recently). One of the breeders said it is a pigment issue and that she tries to breed strong pigment dogs but this loss of color in the nose is not unusal in winter. Someone suggested giving the dog kelp, as I recall. I was thinking that maybe one of those lights that people who tend toward seasonal affect disorder buy might work, but then you'd have to get the baby to sit still under it for awhile, I guess.
-cathy brown

Yup. It's true. My two actually turn almost pick! I was worried about it for awhile until I learned about it on this web site. It turns black in time.
-Teri