May 2nd, 2018 @ 10PM; 2 days old (Prior to tail docking)
Puppy Guide
Black Tricolor Male (Photographed alone, with brown particolor, and in the group)
Brown Particolor Female (Alone, with brown particolor, with buff, and in the group)
Buff with white marks Female (Alone, with brown particolor, with "3PO", and in the group)
Black with white marks(white nose) Female ("3PO" is with buff and in the group)
Black with white marks(white face) Female (Photographed in the group at far right)
Black with white marks(black nose) Male (Photographed in the group at center-right)
Black Tricolor Male (Photographed alone, with brown particolor, and in the group)
Brown Particolor Female (Alone, with brown particolor, with buff, and in the group)
Buff with white marks Female (Alone, with brown particolor, with "3PO", and in the group)
Black with white marks(white nose) Female ("3PO" is with buff and in the group)
Black with white marks(white face) Female (Photographed in the group at far right)
Black with white marks(black nose) Male (Photographed in the group at center-right)
Notes about the colors of the puppies
This is the black tricolor (AKA black particolor with tan points) male. In the photo above, you can see the tan under the tail and on the cheek. It's very faint. In general, tan points are located on the eyebrows, muzzle/cheeks, under the ears, lower legs, under the tail, and, optionally, on the chest). On a particolor, white hides the tan. In time we'll see how his black splotches and ticking(the freckles on his muzzle and lower legs) fills in those areas and allow the tan to show.
Tan points clear from black to tan with age, right now they are very sooty. Sometimes if they are born very faint(like his are), the tan disappears at a very young age and only in good lighting will you see a tan sheen. This is called "ghost" tan points. It's still too early to tell if they will fade or stay. For now, he will be referred to as "black tricolor" for simplicity.
His shade of tan is light buff. He is showing tiny tan eyebrow pips when checked at 7 days old. The cheeks show slightly less tan than at 2 days old. His right cheek has more tan than his left cheek.
All of the black puppies are actually tan pointed. Other than the give away of tan under the tail, we can't see it due to a gene covering it up. Usually the tan under the tail disappears within a few weeks. There is a very tiny chance the tan points will start to bleed through the cover up gene and in good lighting you may seen a tan sheen ("ghost" tan points). All of the black puppies' tan under the tail has gotten more vivid as of 8 days old. For now, they will be referred to as "black" for simplicity.
The male has an all black face, a narrow white throat, a T shaped star on the chest, and some on the tummy. (He is turning into the runt of the litter, at half of the size of the largest. At one week old, he was not yet the birth weight of the largest.) The female with the white blaze and face also has a broad white throat, neck, and chest. The other female is "C-3PO". 3PO's name stands for "3" white "P"aws, number "O"ne born. She also has a white throat, chest, and a pink nose, which is now filling in with ticking. Anywhere there is white will allow ticking to show.
The brown particolor is not showing tan points under the tail. Ticking is showing on the nose and paws.
In a buff, tan is buff, so you can't see tan points. The buff's white blaze runs down her throat and chest, with tiny white spots on her left rump. Her shade of buff is a rich golden. Buff puppies usually darken with age, so it's too soon to tell if she'll stay golden or turn light red. For now, she's "buff" for simplicity, as that's the cocker spaniel breed all-encompassing word for mid-tan shades. The photos above show her against the brown particolor and the black female 3PO for comparison. (Buff is not brown. Buff is genetically the same as red hair on a human.)
Tan points clear from black to tan with age, right now they are very sooty. Sometimes if they are born very faint(like his are), the tan disappears at a very young age and only in good lighting will you see a tan sheen. This is called "ghost" tan points. It's still too early to tell if they will fade or stay. For now, he will be referred to as "black tricolor" for simplicity.
His shade of tan is light buff. He is showing tiny tan eyebrow pips when checked at 7 days old. The cheeks show slightly less tan than at 2 days old. His right cheek has more tan than his left cheek.
All of the black puppies are actually tan pointed. Other than the give away of tan under the tail, we can't see it due to a gene covering it up. Usually the tan under the tail disappears within a few weeks. There is a very tiny chance the tan points will start to bleed through the cover up gene and in good lighting you may seen a tan sheen ("ghost" tan points). All of the black puppies' tan under the tail has gotten more vivid as of 8 days old. For now, they will be referred to as "black" for simplicity.
The male has an all black face, a narrow white throat, a T shaped star on the chest, and some on the tummy. (He is turning into the runt of the litter, at half of the size of the largest. At one week old, he was not yet the birth weight of the largest.) The female with the white blaze and face also has a broad white throat, neck, and chest. The other female is "C-3PO". 3PO's name stands for "3" white "P"aws, number "O"ne born. She also has a white throat, chest, and a pink nose, which is now filling in with ticking. Anywhere there is white will allow ticking to show.
The brown particolor is not showing tan points under the tail. Ticking is showing on the nose and paws.
In a buff, tan is buff, so you can't see tan points. The buff's white blaze runs down her throat and chest, with tiny white spots on her left rump. Her shade of buff is a rich golden. Buff puppies usually darken with age, so it's too soon to tell if she'll stay golden or turn light red. For now, she's "buff" for simplicity, as that's the cocker spaniel breed all-encompassing word for mid-tan shades. The photos above show her against the brown particolor and the black female 3PO for comparison. (Buff is not brown. Buff is genetically the same as red hair on a human.)
May 16th, 2018 @ 8PM; 16 days old
Puppies opened their eyes at 10 days old and coats are getting longer! (Puppies just ate and were sleepy, so not everyone was bright eyed and in squeezing first socialization in early due to weekend rain forecasts, re-dos weren't taken.)
Color notes:
Color notes:
- Black tri is staying tri; his right cheek is still a lot more clear than his left, but the tan area is much larger. The eye brow pips have almost tripled in size. Color is still light buff(making the eye brows very hard to see amid the white coat). His pigmented spots are expanding rapidly.
- Blacks are not showing any signs of ghost tan points; under the tail is the only sign. 3PO's nose has filled in with pigment but white hairs remain by her nose.
- Buff's puppy version of undercoat has come in lighter so her head is overall slightly darker(from no undercoat). Still rather dark for a "buff".