young poodle worth white hair

Question
hi there i have a brown coated miniature poodle and he is growing white  hair throughout his coat at 7 months already. is this normal And does it have anything to do with his diet?

Answer
Hello Anastasia,
Your brown puppy is doing what any Poodle is going to do when going through a coat change.  He is getting his adult coat and since he is brown he has a fading gene that will lighten his coat.  Its not really known why the guard hairs (the stiffer, more curly hairs) will turn white rather than the whole coat getting lighter, but its thought to be due to breeders breeding dogs with white guard hairs rather than them breeding dark brown dogs to other dark brown dogs.  
Any Poodle that isn't a Black Poodle has a Fading gene, which means the color will get lighter as the dog ages.  This can begin as early as 8 weeks and can happen fast or slow.  Some dogs don't start to show signs of fading until 1 1/2 yrs of age or so.  
The good news is that if the undercoat isn't fading yet, then the dog will probably stay darker for several years.  The Guard hairs tend to grow the heaviest over the back, so the white hairs will probably be mostly contained to his back.  You might see a few stray hairs throughout the dogs coat, but mainly down the back.  
This would not be due to your dogs diet.  Diet could cause allergies which could lead to itching or scratching, but not to a color change.  

I hope this helps you and answers your question some.  If you have other questions for me or other concerns about your dog, please feel free to ask me.  

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim