# White face so soon?



## Jax's Mom (Oct 16, 2009)

Jax is my 21 month old rescue. We got him when he was 12 weeks old, after surviving parvo. He was the product of a puppy mill rescue. Jax is defintely my "heart dog", although I love all 3 of my babies. I can't believe how quickly he has grown and how fast time flys by. He surely is the mellowest of my crew, and the "enforcer". The ultimate big brother to his siblings. The past couple of months he has mellowed alot, and acts so mature. As I look at his recent pics, I notice how white his face has become. My question is....is this normal, to be white faced at such a young age? Here is his latest close up.


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

He must come from white faced genes. 

Teddi is predominantly white on her face now, she is 4. I suspect Gabby will get white fast, don't know why I think that but I do. Perhaps it is the lighter hair already on her face. 

Some goldens really do gray early. Then I had Max, she didn't start to turn until 9 or 10. Go figure.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I hope it's normal, because my guy was about the same age when we started noticing the white on his face. He just turned 3 and you can see the faint frosting around his eyes and a speckling of white on his back... and then of course he's white on his muzzle. 

My guy had a very bad summer last year with his noise phobia, so I always assumed that's probably why. Also our vet said that it's normal for some dogs to go gray early, based on genes... same as with people.


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

That seems very young, to me, i wonder if health problems, could cause this, in humans, if we are sick, alot of people seem to age, or IF A PERSON WORRIES, I KNOW DOGS DO NOT!! GEE!!!


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## Jax's Mom (Oct 16, 2009)

Unless he is worried about when his next meal is LOL, then I really dont know what he can be worried about. Jax has been healthy, except for panosteitis when he was younger, and recently scratching his throat on a plastic bit. He's a good weight, and gets supplements and yogurt daily.


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## Enzos_Mom (Apr 8, 2010)

Either way, he's adorable. =)


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## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

Tucker is 4, he has a bit of white on his muzzle but he has A LOT of white on his back.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

He is so handsome!

Danny, my youngest and my clown, turned 4 in October and he's getting grey above his eyes and on the sides of his muzzle. It's so hard to believe! Jasper is 5 1/2 and he doesn't seem to be getting grey. Now Jasmine is pretty grey and started turning around 5, but she's black, so it's easier to see.


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

It varies quite a bit in my experience with our Golden guys and gals. Deardra already had started a sugar face at age 2 when I rescued her. Tucker started showing some white around age 5 or 6 and got his sugar face gradually. My current 8yr old Fiona girl you can hardly tell any white at all. I have 2 examples of Tucker friends that got white early. They did not just get sugar faced, but a sugar head!

Amber, 14 yrs old










Bear 14 yrs (the red boy) and Tucker 12 yrs 7 months.










I doubt health or longevity can be correlated in any way to them getting white whether it be earlier or later in life. Just my opinion.


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## Noey (Feb 26, 2009)

I bet the early stress contributes. Are they like us, gray hair young should get a thyroid check.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I wonder if him being ill as a puppy had anything to do with it.

My husbands whole family turns gray at 18, so I have already warned my children it is in the genes. I am sure dogs are the same way.


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## Jax's Mom (Oct 16, 2009)

Pano is more of a bone problem, growing pains for a dog. I don't think its an illness per se.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

Jax's Mom said:


> Pano is more of a bone problem, growing pains for a dog. I don't think its an illness per se.


I was thinking of the stress he went through from recovering from the parvo as a young puppy.


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## Jax's Mom (Oct 16, 2009)

:doh:Geez...you know you're right.


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## Duke's Momma (Mar 1, 2007)

His ears reminds me of my Duke's ears! Duke didn't start greying until he was about 8 and really after he was dx with lymphoma.


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## AlanK (Jun 28, 2008)

Enzos_Mom said:


> Either way, he's adorable. =)


Cant help but agree White face may just be the result of too much love::smooch: 

He is a handsome guy!


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## MittaBear (Mar 9, 2010)

I always thought Misty started graying early. She was only about 4 or 5 when she started getting the white face. She never had any health problems (until a couple days before she passed away) and she lived to 13. I just figured it was probably in her genes start getting white early.


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

I can't prove this, but we never noticed kooper aging much, in recent years, just normal getting older, no whitening of his face, but after spencer died, which on the 27th will be one year, kooper has really aged, he was on the couch, with spencer, when spencer left us, i wonder, if this has anything to do with this.


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## Doodle (Apr 6, 2009)

Brady is 2 yrs 9 months old and I've recently noticed some faint gray coming in around his nose and under his chin. His predecessor, Chip, started graying around 5. Chip was more laid back where Brady is more anxious and more sensitive to my moods. Interesting hypothesis if that can be related.


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## Jax's Mom (Oct 16, 2009)

I dont know if the anxious or sensitive holds true, since Jax is defintely the mellowest of my 3 and not anxious at all.


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## tjdobbs (Mar 11, 2016)

My Golden, Toby. Really turned Grey in the face between 2-3 years old. He was horribly afraid of thunderstorms. Our vet suggested that the stress from his fears caused the earlier greeting in the face. He said that was his experience. I'm no expert, by any stretch, but the Goldens that I've seen with really white or grey faces at younger ages, have had one or several fears that they have to deal with on a regular basis such as thunderstorms heavy equipment and so on.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

I believe it is mostly hereditary. Have seen many early white faced Goldens who have no fears or phobias.


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## Lilliam (Apr 28, 2010)

I don't think a sugar face is related to fears. Probably a long happy waggy life or if early it's probably something that runs in families. 
Just like humans. I started going gray at the age of 12.


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## jennretz (Jul 24, 2013)

Duke is 3 1/2 and has been getting white on his muzzle since he was two. 


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