Labradoodle puppies should not be chosen solely for their coat color, but for personality traits, vivacity and playfulness. However, if you did choose your puppy for their color it’s important to know that they will go through changes as they grow into adulthood.
When this happens the puppy will shed their soft and fluffy coat and grow in a coarser adult coat. This process takes about a year and during this time your dog will be shedding profusely.
Black
Black Labradoodles usually hold their color. However, they may develop a silver hue or undercoat which is classified as cafe. The fading process can take up to three years.
If a black puppy has inherited the recessive dilute gene from its parents, its coat may lighten. This is normal, and the fading happens in different areas of the coat.
For example, a black puppy with a dilute gene may have splatterings of white hairs on its head and face. This gives it a salt and pepper look.
Chocolate
Labradoodle puppies are often a rich chocolate color that may seem to fade or change as they grow into their adult coats. This is a natural phenomenon that occurs because your dog receives their coat color genes from both their parents.
If your puppy is apricot cream, they will typically lighten to a warm cream shade and have rose-colored nose pigment as they mature into their adult coats. Red Labradoodles often appear to fade or lighten as they grow into their adult coats.
Black Labradoodles should retain their black color throughout most of their lives unless they carry the dilute gene. Occasionally, these dogs will develop a silvery hue and have splatterings of white hair as they mature.
Apricot
Labradoodles are known for being intelligent, playful, and devoted companions. They also have beautiful, luscious coats that can vary in color. But what causes their coats to change colors?
A dog’s color can change due to genetics, age, or environmental factors. If a puppy is bred with parents who have the same coloring, it’s more likely that their puppies will be a similar shade as well. Other causes include the use of low-quality pet shampoo products, stress, and other health conditions that can cause the hair to lose its natural pigment. These reasons are why choosing a pet based on its appearance can be a risky decision.
Golden
Puppies with golden coats usually stay the same color throughout their life. However, their fur can become a few shades lighter as they mature. This is due to poodle genetics and the way that light filters through their hair.
Silver and blue Labradoodles are rare, but they can also change colors. These dogs are born black but develop a gray or smoky blue tone as they grow into adults. Their skin pigment and nose pigment will match the coat color.
Chocolate Labradoodles may fade into a different color as well. This is referred to as café or parchment. Puppies that are born milk chocolate often fade into a shade of parchment. The other shade they can turn is a more lavender or smoky color.
Red
Some of the rarer colors of labradoodles have a bit of a premium price tag and are more difficult to find. This is especially true for puppies that are prone to color fading or that have the classic phantom design with a second color on the ears, nose, chin, and across their chest.
While these pups are still beautiful and worth the extra effort, it is important to understand that their coloring will fade and lighten during aging. Often, this is the result of the dilute gene that they carry.
This is also why black Labradoodles may appear to be turning grey, even though they were never genetically that color in the first place. A reputable Labradoodle breeder should always test parents for the dilute gene before breeding them together.
