# Adult coat color/texture



## amy22 (May 11, 2008)

Thats what I have heard.....


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

Most Goldens end up matching the colors of their ears, but there are a few rare occasions when a dog will have a coat that is either a bit lighter or darker than their ears. However, the ears are usually a pretty reliable indicator of what color the adult coat will be. With Tucker, he took a good year to really darken up. Tyson, who is 5 months old, is a much lighter shade of golden and his racing stripe already matches his ears. Goldens don't achieve their full adult coat until they're around 2 years old. They start getting that racing stripe of adult coat down their back when they're just a few months old and it continues to grow from there.


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

It sounds like Max is coming along perfectly. That racing stripe will not always be that coarse fur that it is now either. It will become softer when his adult coat comes in.


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## Bailey's BFF (Jan 27, 2010)

I am completely new to golden retriever ownership. I raised my first dog and he is now two years old and we just got Bailey in January. Bailey is an 8 month old golden, and the sweetest thing in the world.

I just noticed this past week a thicker courser line of hair up between her shoulder blades. It is just barely a shade darker than her undercoat... is this the "racing stripe" you are talking about? Educate me


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## Blondie (Oct 10, 2009)

My 19 week old Maggie has a thick darker stripe going from her neck to her bum. The hair is courser and shiny and slightly wavy.


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## CrystalG (Aug 12, 2009)

Bailey's BFF said:


> I am completely new to golden retriever ownership. I raised my first dog and he is now two years old and we just got Bailey in January. Bailey is an 8 month old golden, and the sweetest thing in the world.
> 
> I just noticed this past week a thicker courser line of hair up between her shoulder blades. It is just barely a shade darker than her undercoat... is this the "racing stripe" you are talking about? Educate me


I am new to all this too! I actually just found out what the racing stripe was last week on this forum. The racing stripe is right down the middle of their back and is thicker, messy, sometimes wavy. It's in between their puppy and adult coat. Max's is wavy and looks so funny cause it's all messy compared to the rest of him:

Here's the link to the other thread:
http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/showthread.php?t=76310


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

I remember when Casey was growing up and he had that same wavy 'racing stripe.' He got darker from there, he became a darker red- not as dark as field goldens though. I would say that his ears were a good indication, he may have gotten a little darker than them though.


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