Goldendoodle colors: every coat color explained
The coat color a Goldendoodle is born with is rarely the coat color it keeps. Most lighten significantly by age two. Here is every color you will encounter, what determines it, and what to expect as your dog matures.
Where Goldendoodle colors come from
Golden Retrievers produce shades of cream, gold, and dark gold. Poodles come in nearly every color including black, white, apricot, red, chocolate, silver, blue, and cafe au lait. The Goldendoodle inherits from both gene pools, which is why the color range is wider than either parent breed alone.
The fading gene is inherited from the Poodle side. This gene causes pigment to progressively dilute as the dog ages, which is why an 8 week old puppy with a deep apricot or red coat can grow into a cream or light gold adult. Not every Goldendoodle carries the fading gene, but most do, especially in F1B and higher generation lines with more Poodle influence.
Solid colors
Cream
Cream is the lightest solid Goldendoodle color, ranging from off white to a pale champagne. Cream dogs are often born appearing almost white and stay light throughout their lives. This is one of the most common Goldendoodle colors, especially in F1B generation dogs.
Apricot
Apricot is the most recognized Goldendoodle color and what most people picture when they think of the breed. Apricot ranges from a light peachy tone to a medium warm orange. Most apricot puppies lighten toward cream as they mature. Mango is apricot and has lightened noticeably since puppyhood.
Red
Red Goldendoodles have the deepest, richest version of the apricot pigment. A true red Goldendoodle at 8 weeks is a striking deep copper or mahogany color. Most red Goldendoodles fade to a lighter red or apricot by adulthood, though some hold their color better than others. Red is harder to produce consistently and tends to be more expensive.
Golden
Golden Goldendoodles fall between apricot and cream, with a warm medium gold tone similar to a classic Golden Retriever. The color often holds better into adulthood than deep apricot or red because the fading effect is less dramatic at this level of pigment.
Chocolate (Brown)
Chocolate Goldendoodles range from milk chocolate to a dark liver brown. The chocolate gene comes entirely from the Poodle parent. Chocolate is a recessive gene, so both parents must carry it for the puppy to be chocolate. Many chocolate Goldendoodles lighten or silver toward a cafe au lait or parchment color with age.
Black
Black Goldendoodles are fully black from nose to tail with no other markings. True black is less common than apricot or cream and requires the right Poodle genetics. Some black Goldendoodles silver or lighten to charcoal with age (called silvering), while others stay black throughout their lives.
White
White Goldendoodles appear almost entirely white with very little pigment visible in the coat. True white is different from cream. Cream has a warm tint while white appears stark. White is rare and requires specific gene combinations. White Goldendoodles sometimes have light apricot flushing on the ears.
Patterns and multi-color coats
Parti
Parti Goldendoodles have a coat that is at least 50 percent white with patches of a second color. The patches can be apricot, red, chocolate, black, or any other solid color. The white areas and colored patches have distinct borders rather than blending. Parti coloring comes from the parti gene inherited from the Poodle parent.
Phantom
Phantom Goldendoodles have a two-tone coat with a defined pattern: a base color on most of the body and specific tan or lighter markings on the eyebrows, sides of the muzzle, chest, lower legs, and under the tail. The effect looks similar to a Doberman Pinscher or a Bernese Mountain Dog. Phantom requires two copies of the phantom gene and is less common than solid colors.
Abstract
Abstract Goldendoodles are primarily solid colored with small white markings on the face, chest, paws, or tail. The white markings cover less than 50 percent of the body, which distinguishes abstract from parti. Abstract is common and often shows up in litters even when breeders are not specifically breeding for it.
Merle
Merle Goldendoodles have a mottled, marbled pattern of diluted patches over a base color. Merle does not occur naturally in Golden Retrievers and only enters the Goldendoodle through certain Poodle lines. Many responsible breeders avoid merle because the merle gene is associated with serious health risks including deafness and vision problems, especially in double merle (two merle parents) litters.
Color by generation
| Generation | Poodle % | Common Colors | Fading Likelihood | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | 50% | Cream, apricot, golden, chocolate | Moderate | |
| F1B | 75% | Cream, apricot, red, black, chocolate, parti | High | |
| F1BB | 87.5% | Full Poodle color range | Very high | |
| F2 / Multigen | Varies | Full range including phantom and parti | Depends on parents |
Do Goldendoodle colors change?
Yes, and more than most owners expect. The fading gene carried by most Goldendoodles causes pigment to progressively lighten, typically most noticeably between 6 months and 2 years. A deep red puppy at 8 weeks often becomes apricot to light gold by age two. A chocolate puppy may become silver or cafe au lait.
How much a specific dog fades depends on how many copies of the fading gene they carry and which parent they inherited more strongly from. There is no reliable way to predict exactly how a puppy will change other than looking at the adult coats of both parents.
Most popular Goldendoodle colors
Apricot and cream are consistently the most popular Goldendoodle colors. They are the most widely produced, most commonly associated with the teddy bear look, and tend to photograph well. Red is highly sought after but less consistently available. Parti and phantom command premium prices because of their rarity.
Black Goldendoodles are underappreciated relative to their temperament and coat quality. The coat maintenance needs are identical to any other color, but black dogs sometimes get overlooked in favor of lighter coats.
Frequently asked questions
What colors do Goldendoodles come in?
Cream, apricot, red, golden, chocolate, black, and white as solid colors. Parti, phantom, and abstract as multi-color patterns. Merle also appears in some lines.
Do Goldendoodle colors change as they age?
Yes. Most Goldendoodles lighten significantly between puppyhood and age two due to the fading gene inherited from the Poodle side. Deep apricot or red puppies often become cream or light gold adults.
What is the most popular Goldendoodle color?
Apricot and cream. They are the most commonly produced and most associated with the classic teddy bear look.
What is a parti Goldendoodle?
A parti Goldendoodle has a predominantly white coat (at least 50 percent white) with patches of a second color. Parti coloring comes from the parti gene from the Poodle parent.
What is a phantom Goldendoodle?
A phantom has a base color with specific tan markings on the eyebrows, muzzle, chest, and lower legs, similar to a Doberman pattern. Less common and usually costs more.
Can Goldendoodles be black?
Yes. Black Goldendoodles are fully black and inherit the gene from the Poodle parent. Some silver with age (called silvering), others stay black throughout their lives.