How Old Was Your Dog When S/he Started Getting Grey Or White Hairs?

[pbj_sushi]

Hello all! I'm pretty new to the forums here but I figured this question might be okay to ask...

My dog's 4.5 years old (approximately - age was estimated by a shelter) and I've been noticing increasingly that he's getting a good mix of white in the brown on his cheeks and in his "eyebrows". I'll try to get decent pictures to post later. Is this normal or is it too early? He deals with separation anxiety (and car anxiety, and anxiety around dogs, etc), so could it be an expression of too much stress in his life? A mineral in his diet that he's not getting? I don't really care what color his hair is, I just want to know if it is a reflection on his health.

My understanding is that a 4 year old rat terrier is a young to middle aged adult... I could be wrong! Guinness is the first dog I've ever had and I don't necessarily know what to expect. I'd love to hear about your experiences!

 

[rouen]

It depends on the dog. Dingo's muzzle started out black, by age 2 it had a mix of light hairs and black hairs making it look grey. He's now 6.5 years old and has little trace of black on his muzzle and his eye brow spots have almost completely faded.
Dasy is 2 and has no sign of grey/white hairs as of yet.
It's better to look at how the dog is physically as oppose to what color his or her hair is.

 

[fickla]

I have a chocolate lab I am puppy raising who is only 13 months old. Around 6 months he started to get a few strands of white in various places on his head I wouldn't worry about a few white hairs!

 

[jackienmutts]

I have 2 Germ Sheps now - he's 5 with very little gray, and she's 6 with lots of gray on her muzzle (I think he's given it to her ). Years ago, I had a female Germ Shep (now long gone to The Bridge) who started getting a gray muzzle at the ripe old age of 2 (and she lived a long, healthy life - just with a gray muzzle). I think it all depends on the individual dog and genetics - just like with people. I don't think you've got a thing to worry about - he's just adding a bit of color to his hair.