changes in color as puppy ages

Question
I have 3 week old Boxer puppies. They have genes for both colors in their lines. They are dark now and I assumed they were all brindles at birth, but now their coats are lightening, starting on the heads. Is it possible that one or all may turn out to be fawn? If so, when will their final coat color become obvious?

Answer
Hi Susan,
As soon as the puppies were dry after birth you can see the brindle stripes but to an untrained eye this is sometimes illusive. Please feel free to email me a picture of the puppies and I'll be glad to tell you. What color are the parents ? Two fawn parents can NOT produce a brindle and two brindle parents CAN produce a fawn. It doesn't matter if they have the colors in their line or not, that is a common misconception.Since there are varying colors of both brindle and fawn from light to dark the boxers coat can continue to change usually up to a year old but you will be able to tell if they are brindle or fawn. I hope this information will help and I look forward to your reply.
Angela Donald
Canine Behavior Consultant
http://www.hitowerboxers.com