Doodle Colors

One of my favorite things about Doodle’s is their kaleidoscope of colors. Variety in colors, patterns and even textures, there is something for everyone. While most people associate a red/blonde color with a Golden Retriever and black tricolor with a Bernese Mountain Dog, the poodle side of your doodle, genetically makes many possibilities.

Poodles come in many colors - black, blue, apricot, chocolate, cream, red, silver, silver beige, blonde, white, gray, sable and cafe au lait. There are also many patterns like parti, tuxedo, abstract, brindle and merle. All complicated by dominant as well as recessive genes, allowing for two gray or black parents to produce an apricot or brown puppy, if they each carry one gene for that color.

When we say Tricolor, we are referring to three colors (typically a body color like black, chocolate or a merle pattern) along with white (muzzle, head, chest and/or paws) and copper “points” (on cheeks, eyebrows, hocks, legs and under the tail). Bi-Color refers to only two colors - a body color of black, chocolate or red/apricot/blonde and white (usually on the paws, chest and face). Note that the red/apricot/blonde color masks any copper/rust points so they may still genetically be a tricolor but look like two colors because the points are hidden. Points may be anywhere from a rich copper, rust or tan color all the way to a light cream.

A phantom is a bi-color (typically a black, chocolate or merle pattern) with copper points but minimal to no white. Dobermans are an example of a black and tan phantom.

The color or pattern of the puppies is contingent on the parents. Not just their visible color, but the hidden genes they may carry. Two all black parents for instance can have both yellow and brown puppies if both parents carry a copy of these colors (E-Locus and B-Locus). From their it gets more complicated but a good breeder knows the genetic testing results of their parents and knows the potential colors they may get in the litter. That said, Mother Nature is in charge here. A litter that has the possibility of puppies in black tri, chocolate tri, red abstract, blue merle, chocolate merle and/or parti pattern could end up as only red abstracts. It truly is a roll of the dice. All part of the fun!