Yep, that "bitch stripe" And, I have had 2 neutered males who lived long lives and never got the grey, salt/pepper hairs on their backs. This is a great question as I also wonder why the dogs stay BLACK/tan and the girls get the "bitch stripe." I guess we females just get grey faster since we have so much on our plates <VBG> Laura -----Original Message----- From: Donna Fefee <dlfefee@xxxxxxxxx> To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Sat, Dec 12, 2009 11:36 am Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: Speaking of Dye ....bought two GSDs, brother and sister two years ago, both had lots of salt and pepper gray hairs on top of neck and down the back line.......two years later the same gray hairs �are still�on her but the male's color is jet-black ( where does the term jet black come from, I never saw a black jet)...no Kathy Tank...I did NOT dye him.....lol....what happened...why did he change and how, and why did the bitch stay the same?......FB How old were they when you bought them? I have heard that color pattern alled "the bitch stripe," and I was told it was seen on females and eutered males, so it is interesting to hear of one occurring on an ntact male. Maybe *his* bitch stripe disappeared in conjunction with is testosterone levels increasing as he matured? You do ask the most interesting questions, and I look forward to hearing hat other people say. Donna Fefee =========================================================================== OST is Copyrighted 2009. All material remains the property of the original uthor and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind re permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the howgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER F ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL ARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A IOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org ATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/ =========================================================================== ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2009. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/ ============================================================================