also, note behind her ears is a different lighter shade of red. its the same color she was at 8 weeks old. its the only part of her that didnt change color.

Niraya heres the timeline with zizzys coat change lol

8 weeks





9 weeks



12 weeks




thats the best i got. all her puppy pics are saved on my old roommates hard drive.

Here's a few to compare Zizzy with Zoey, it really creeps me out that their color change, which is so unusual, is so similar between the two.

8 weeks (she's in the middle), the very, very light red


4 months, she became that really dark/buff brown/red/sable color


this was Zoey in July before she blew her coat, she was back to being very light again


and then Zoey back to being that buff red in September

I guess I will post Koda. I think he's pretty perfect, but he's my baby, soooo











Note that his tail is not short at all, it's swerved in the middle picture so most of it is behind what you can see.

I dunno it could just be me but the color change isn't all that odd to me lol. Their coats can go through quite drastic changes throughout their entire lives but it usually slows down/stops at around 2 or 3 (every dog is different so it depends on the dog). Actually one coat change that took me by surprise was a cream/white siberian that by the time it was 6 had turned into a black/white (not jet black)

Red dogs - as was said - if left out in the sun even for just 15 minutes a day their coats begin to burn/bleach which causes the lightening of the coat. The only time (unless kept mostly indoors or shaded or protected with sunscreen) a reds coat will be it's best/richest/brightest/darkest (whatever you want to call it)right after a blow when the new coat is coming in. Red coated dogs are just notoriously hard to keep (which is the reason I will not own a red dog lol)

Also - I've seen gray puppies go through an awkward "red" phase where they are the same light coloring that both zizzy and zoey were.

Alright, I'll contribute. I wasn't going to because I don't have a good stack picture at all, or any recent stack photos. Rebel is also an unusual red. He has triple banded guard hairs and a beige undercoat. I call him a dark copper. He's a red dirty face.

Free stack at 3.5 months


4.5 months


He isn't stacked properly, but at 5 months this was a free stack.


His head:



6 months


6 months






Faults: Short muzzle, dome head, large ears (still needs to grow into his ears), slightly straight front, short tail, weak pasterns (though getting better with some exercises!), short neck.

I'll contribute a few starting with Denali. Denali is a dilute wolf gray male now 2 years old. He is of slow developing lines (which I prefer) and is currently working in harness on a 5 dog team.

His stop, chest are my favorite *show* features about him, his biggest *show* fault is he is still developing and tends to be a bit 'two-pieced' in movement at times and he carries his tail high which is a juvenile male thing more than structural. Though in harness his movement is very fluid, he's got a nice length of leg and a nice croup to allow powerful drive and good trail speed.

15mos *free stack*


17mos


18mos


22mos


23mos



Movement-

Rebel is seriously drop dead gorgeous!

Niraya wrote:

I dunno it could just be me but the color change isn't all that odd to me lol. Their coats can go through quite drastic changes throughout their entire lives but it usually slows down/stops at around 2 or 3 (every dog is different so it depends on the dog). Actually one coat change that took me by surprise was a cream/white siberian that by the time it was 6 had turned into a black/white (not jet black)

Red dogs - as was said - if left out in the sun even for just 15 minutes a day their coats begin to burn/bleach which causes the lightening of the coat. The only time (unless kept mostly indoors or shaded or protected with sunscreen) a reds coat will be it's best/richest/brightest/darkest (whatever you want to call it)right after a blow when the new coat is coming in. Red coated dogs are just notoriously hard to keep (which is the reason I will not own a red dog lol)

Also - I've seen gray puppies go through an awkward "red" phase where they are the same light coloring that both zizzy and zoey were.

zizzys been blowing her coat and it does appear to be getting just a little bit darker. ive never actually noticed any lightening though since she had her coat change. this is her first coat blow. i knew her coat would turn red though because at 8 weeks her tail was dark red. but i do have a theory of her turning grey.

I can't thank you guys enough for this thread! Showing is something I really really want to get into and it was so helpful to see all your dogs next to each other to compare their strengths and weaknesses. I plan on attending shows to learn more but this was definitely a good learning experience!

calliegirl08 wrote:

I can't thank you guys enough for this thread! Showing is something I really really want to get into and it was so helpful to see all your dogs next to each other to compare their strengths and weaknesses. I plan on attending shows to learn more but this was definitely a good learning experience!

I agree with all of this!!!

Back in the day I used to sit at ringside and eavesdrop on the old timers (different breed), but this is way super helpful.

I really thi9nk Zizzy is a red - 100%. I highly, highly doubt she will end up grey. At times, little grey pups will have a red buffing in the face and other parts of the body, but it always fades and stays as buffing and burning (typically this signifies red genes somewhere in the lines) but that dog is still just a grey. This happened with Cato.

Here is as a pup, notice in all his other pictures this coloring is gone.

okay.. I got a few pics of Nanook. He is right in the middle of blowing his coat, so he looks really terrible! He has no clue about stacking and the collar he's in is all wrong for pics.
Background: He's an adult rescue, neutered, too tall (24" was what I measured, but he was more interested in grabbing the yardstick lol)

His face: His muzzle looks kind of 'off' to me. Ears set too wide? (more noticeable in my signature pic)



Standing (I won't even try to call that a stack.. (probably should have had some bait in my pocket. lol) Probably plenty to fault here... To my untrained eye it seems like too much angulation in the rear, front pasterns look weak (plus his nails need trimmed), topline seems "soft" (maybe that because I'm used to sporting breeds??)


This is from a month ago. I'm including it because he wasn't showing any tail in the prior pic. Tail too short? Fyi, he does seem to carry it well when he's excited (up but not curled)

When his tail is up, is it like sickle-shaped? That'd be good enough!

To my untrained eye, I think he has a beautiful stop!

calliegirl08 wrote:

When his tail is up, is it like sickle-shaped? That'd be good enough!

To my untrained eye, I think he has a beautiful stop!

Yes, it curves some, but only when he sees a squirrel or something equally exciting.

I think his tail would be fine. I only know standard based on reading the written standard so I'm not a pro but I think as long as it curves, it's fine. Like (on page 3, too lazy to go look for everyone's pics) Cheyenne's and Denali's tails curve slightly when alert. Like Jennet mentioned, you don't want the tail to curve too much or it's actually a fault.

His tail doesn't look short in the last photo, but I also can't see it in its entirety. Koda almost always has his tail down unless he's stimulated by something/super excited.

Has anyone got any pointers on how to "stack" for a photo, I've never tried before and would really like to get some opinions on Milla.

mheath0429 wrote:

(typically this signifies red genes somewhere in the lines)

I don't know of you are meaning to imply this Megan - but the buffing is no indicator of the dog being a carrier of the red gene or even having red dogs in his or her pedigree. Genetics doesn't work like that. And the only way to "prove" a dog is a carrier of the red gene (if it isn't a red) would be to breed it to a red as there is no test for it.

By that statement any dog that has buffing would be a red carrier.

mheath0429 wrote:

I really thi9nk Zizzy is a red - 100%. I highly, highly doubt she will end up grey. At times, little grey pups will have a red buffing in the face and other parts of the body, but it always fades and stays as buffing and burning (typically this signifies red genes somewhere in the lines) but that dog is still just a grey. This happened with Cato.

Here is as a pup, notice in all his other pictures this coloring is gone.

well just saying, zizzy was that buff color as well as a pup. and she has a buff undercoat. and in some lighting you can really see grey in her. so its just a theory. but i will see as she ages more. shes still just a pup, so who knows. i would like for her to become more red. but most people who meet her adore her coloring cause its so rarely seen.

Niraya wrote:

mheath0429 wrote:

(typically this signifies red genes somewhere in the lines)

I don't know of you are meaning to imply this Megan - but the buffing is no indicator of the dog being a carrier of the red gene or even having red dogs in his or her pedigree. Genetics doesn't work like that. And the only way to "prove" a dog is a carrier of the red gene (if it isn't a red) would be to breed it to a red as there is no test for it.

By that statement any dog that has buffing would be a red carrier.

hmm that was something I had been told! Apparently, that would be a dingbat moment.

Husky mum wrote:

Has anyone got any pointers on how to "stack" for a photo, I've never tried before and would really like to get some opinions on Milla.

I use a slightly different method, but this gives the point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYM6qIlOUdM&feature=plcp

People are gonna hate me for this - but I encourage begging with my dogs. I teach them "watch" and they close their mouth, with ears alert and stand pretty until they get food. I spend a lot of time free baiting.

Aha! I love the second shot!

What an interesting and educational thread! I really enjoy seeing the stacked photos of everyone's dogs. I've always had an interest in showing (I'm very familiar with Cardigan Welsh Corgi conformation, as I worked with the breed years back) but I am just learning when it comes to husky conformation!

May I participate even though my girl is a mixed breed? Just for fun Structurally I feel she is built very similar to a purebred husky... but with the red color and black mask of a chow chow!