Goldendoodles are one of crossbreed dogs where it is crossbred between Poodle and Golden Retriever. These crossbreeds come in a variety of colors such as Apricot, chocolate, black, white, brindle, champagne, red, cream, sable, merle, and many more. There are certain colors of coat that can fade which mean that the color when they are puppies becomes different after they grow to be adults. So, will chocolate goldendoodles change color?
Will Chocolate Goldendoodle Change Color?
Chocolate color of Goldendoodle is a variation of the black gene. Chocolate Goldendoodles are born a dark chocolate color and then when they are adults, the color changes to Café au Lait or silver beige. This process is called silvering.
As explained on the Cosmopolitan Dogs site, silvering can happen not only on chocolate dogs, but also black dogs. If a black dog experiences a silvering process, the color is called silver or blue. If a chocolate dog experiences a silvering process, the color is called café au lait or silver beige. Cited from Cosmopolitan Dogs site, puppies are born black or dark chocolate and change to their silver or blue color over their first two years and puppies are born a dark chocolate and change to their café or silver beige over their first two years as well.
The process of silvering begins between the paw pads and on the muzzle when they are 6 to 8 weeks when it is called ‘silver’ or ‘silver beige’ or 12 weeks old when it is called ‘blue’ or ‘café au lait’. On the Cosmopolitan Dogs site, it is also explained that since the genes for silvering have not yet been isolated, so it is a little more challenging to predict silvering because there is no genetic testing.
More Things to Know About the Color Change of Goldendoodles
According to the Retrievers Hub site, Goldendoodle coats can change color over the years and usually follow in the footsteps of their Poodle parents. They will be lighter when they are older. However, it is important for you to note that a properly bred Goldendoodle will not get darker in color because the Golden Retriever genetics for fur is recessive.
When Goldendoodles become adults, you will see that their coats lighten gradually. You will see that the color of their coats may fade or lighten when they are adults. Even it happens to goldendoodle puppies with deep, dark coats where it can lighten or fade over time. Even though the coat colors of their body change, but their ears and tails sometimes are still the same color.
For your information Poodle’s fur changes color when they are adults. When they reach three years old, they will have developed their mature fur color. As explained on the Retrievers Hub site, poodles experience a process named clearing where it is a process of darker poodles to be lighter when they age. Black poodle puppies may end up having a blue or grey color and it is possible for them to maintain color in particular spots while it grows lighter in others.
There are some cases where poodles retain their original color and they do not experience the clearing process such as white poodles and pure black poodles. Most other colors on poodles experience a fading or clearing process when they grow.
The color change of dogs is natural to happen. Because the poodle genes are the main component in fur colors, so this clearing process is able to be handed along to the offspring of Goldendoodles as cited from Retrievers Hub site.
20 Different Colors of Goldendoodles
According to the Marvelous Dogs site, Goldendoodles come in over 20 different colors. Here is the explanation of each color.
- Abstract
Goldendoodles which have this color have any base color with less than 30% of white on the coat and Goldendoodles with abstract colors are rare. - Apricot
Goldendoodles which have apricot color have a variation of red that appears as a goldish-brown color and this color is common. - Black
Goldendoodles which have black color have a completely black coat color and these black goldendoodles are rare. - Black and white parti
Goldendoodles which have black and white parti color have at least 50% white, with the rest of the coat being black and this color is rare. - Blue (gray)
Goldendoodles which have blue (gray) color have a dark-gray color which can have darker and lighter patches and this color is rare. - Brindle
Goldendoodles which have brindle color have red base color with uniform black stripes on top and this color of goldendoodles is rare. - Champagne
Goldendoodles which have champagne color have a page yellow or dark cream color and the rarity is common. - Chocolate (brown)
Goldendoodles which have chocolate (brown) color have a rich dark brown color and this chocolate goldendoodle is rare. - Cream
Goldendoodles which have cream color have a very light yellow color and this cream goldendoodle is common. - Merle
Goldendoodles which have a merle color have base color of blue or chocolate with blotches of lighter shades of those colors throughout the coat. - Parti
Goldendoodles which have parti color have more than 50% white with a secondary color of tan, apricot, or chocolate. - Phantom
Goldendoodles which have phantom color have two colors, usually black or tan, appear in particular places. - Red
Goldendoodles which have red color have an intense, fiery reddish-brown color. - Sable
Goldendoodles which have sable color have any base color with black tips which are able to be found throughout the coat. - Silver
Goldendoodles which have silver color have a very light blue or gray color. - Silver Beige
Goldendoodles which have silver beige color have a very light blue or gray color with brown tones in it. - Tan
Goldendoodles which have tan color have a light or mid-toned brown color. - Tuxedo
Goldendoodles which have tuxedo color have red, tan, black, or apricot with white patches which you can see on the chest and legs that are like a tuxedo. - Tricolor
Goldendoodles which have tricolor have the colors white, black, and tan. Generally, you will find that black makes up most of the body and ears, white makes up the chest, stomach and legs and tan makes up the areas around the mouth, eyes, and chest. - White
Goldendoodles which have white color have a pure white color that may have some cream in it. In case they have some shades of cream, the cream is not as dark as cream goldendoodles and usually from a distance, the look of it is solid white.