What the heck!  What breed of dog emerges into the world……………striped!? As it turns out, more than we’d think.  But are these actual stripes?

The puppies at the left and below are Neapolitan Mastiffs. Their breeder tell us that what we’re seeing here are wrinkles, and that they’re seen as a good indication that the litter has been carried to term (Neapolitan breeders also look for hair on the puppies’ toes, and whiskers on their muzzles to indicate a full term pregnancy). The wrinkles usually last two to four hours, and then are gone.

The wrinkles may be the result of having lived in a fluid-filled sac – not much different from when we get out of a bathtub after a good soak, and our own hands and feet are “pruney.”  It’s particularly noticeable on darker solid colored short-coated breeds when the wrinkled prune-like texture casts light so that there appears to be striped color, but not always, as the photos of the Weimaraner puppies in the pictures below indicate:

In Bloodhounds, the skin seems “folded” in their sack. When they’re out of the sack, the skin folds “plump out” and the folds gone after two or three days. These are Bloodhound puppies below:

We’re told that Labrador Retrievers and Great Danes can do this, though we don’t have photos. If you have more pictures of puppies “striped” with wrinkles, share them in the comments section below, and be sure to mention their breed!

Photo credits:
Neapolitan Mastiff puppies: April V Rennie
First photo of Weimaraner puppies found on Pinterest and happily credited upon receipt of information
Second photo of Weimaraner puppies: Pam Constantine
Bloodhound puppies:Kathy Reid