# Adopting a 6 year old V. Has white hair on face and feet normal for 6 years old?



## cfrea (May 31, 2013)

So a shelter has a V for adoption.

They say the dog was owner surrendered, and they rescued him from a kill shelter.

They said that the dog is 6 years old, but he has white hairs around his face and feet. Is that typical for a 6 year old V or can it be the dog is older than they think?

Also, at 6 years old are V's generally a lot more mellow or still high energy and need to exercise a lot?

I want to mountain bike with the dog but don't know if I can with a 6 year old dog.

Some pics are attached


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## lonestar (Jun 2, 2013)

Find out why the owner surrendered him, get the details. Then, go meet the dog and see if you click with each other.

6 is middle aged, so they're mellowER, but they still like their exercise. Depending on the health of the dog and it's prior lifestyle, all things considered, V's like to be included in everything, especially if a little sweat is involved, so biking should be fine, if he's fit..you might want to start slow.

V's age like people (which makes sense b/c they are so much like us), so white a 6 is pretty common.


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## cfrea (May 31, 2013)

lonestar said:


> Find out why the owner surrendered him, get the details. Then, go meet the dog and see if you click with each other.
> 
> 6 is middle aged, so they're mellowER, but they still like their exercise. Depending on the health of the dog and it's prior lifestyle, all things considered, V's like to be included in everything, especially if a little sweat is involved, so biking should be fine, if he's fit..you might want to start slow.
> 
> V's age like people (which makes sense b/c they are so much like us), so white a 6 is pretty common.


Thanks.

I did indeed visit him today. Very nice dog. I just was concerned with the age compared to his looks as most of the V's I've seen with white hair are around 10-11years of age and older.


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

cfrea - you may find this thread helpful. 

"Going Grey?"
http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/topic,7889.msg60091.html#

"Old Vs"
http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/topic,6378.msg48864.html#msg48864

"When did your V start going White"
http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/topic,339.msg2020.html#msg2020


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## DixiesMom (Feb 5, 2009)

Different lines go gray earlier than others. Just like people! My four year old is beginning to get white hairs on her muzzle. He looks like a normal 6 yr old to me.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

I agree. Willie is six, and he is getting some gray under his chin, on his face, and speckled throughout his coat.


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## iwant2fish (Aug 14, 2012)

First, thank you, thank you, thank you for considering adopting a homeless V. 

As for the white hair, our almost 6 year old female's face is almost totally white and her paws are starting to show it too. As for her energy level, well it's about the same as when we adopted her as a 10 month old. We adopted a 6 year old male last year (so he should be about 7 now) and he doesn't have a hint of white at all. His energy level isn't what hers is, but he came from a bad background and had no muscle tone when we got him so he's not a good example on what to expect in that regard. However, our almost 10 year old boy that we lost last year could keep up with her with no problem.

Good luck!


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## Vizsla Baby (Nov 4, 2011)

Our 4 year old male has some gray under his chin and a tiny bit of salt & pepper on his cheeks. Some go gray earlier than others because of genetics just like people. My husband is almost totally gray and at 48, I have only 2-3 gray hairs - we are only 10 months apart in age! 

Since this guy was in a shelter, he probably had some stress that caused him to gray a bit more than normal.

If you haven't gotten him, please don't overlook him cause of the gray! He looks like a sweetie!


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