Goldendoodle Colors 🐾 Happiness in Every Hue

If you lined up all the colors of Goldendoodles in the world, you’d get one crazy, comical rainbow of colors and cuteness. But these fluffy Muppet dogs aren’t just known for their Goldendoodle colors and fluffy teddy bear good looks. They’re winning the hearts of dog parents around the globe for what’s underneath those showy locks—their perky personalities, which are a little goofy and a lot of smart.

As a dog mom who’s crazy for Doodle dogs, I love every color of Goldendoodle I see. In fact, I like to say that Goldendoodles—no matter the color—are every shade of happy!

So what shade of happy will you bring home? Have you recently welcomed a new Goldendoodle puppy to your family’s pack? By the end of this article, you’ll have the tea on the many colors of Goldendoodles.

So without further adoodle 😉, let’s get started.

Why are there so many Goldendoodle colors?

First, to understand why there are so many colors of Goldendoodles, we have to meet the Goldendoodle parent breeds—the Poodle and the Golden Retriever.

Since the Goldendoodle (also know as the Groodle or Golden Doodle) is a hybrid or a cross breed between the Poodle and the Golden Retriever, they benefit from many characteristics and physical traits of both breeds. This includes coat color.

The Golden Retriever parent breed brings shades of golden—from light golden to dark golden—to the mix.

But when it comes to color variation, the Poodle parent breed is at the head of the doggo class. According to the AKC, there are 11 official standard Poodle colors and 16 more color combinations. The Poodle sports apricot, red, black, chocolate, silver, and white coat colors—just to name a few.

With so many colors in the Poodle gene pool and with the classic golden colors of the Golden Retriever, it’s easy to see why Goldendoodles sport a rainbow of coat colors.

Goldendoodle coat colors

Now that you’ve got a good grasp on why Goldendoodles are so colorful, let’s paint a picture of the most popular colors of Goldendoodles.

Cream

If you like the color of vanilla ice cream, sweet cream, or toasted marshmallows, you may be drawn to the warm ivory color of the cream Goldendoodle. Cream is one of the classic Goldendoodle colors. Both the Golden Retriever and Poodle breeds bring a wide variety of cream-colored coats to the Doodle mix.

Plus, even among cream Goldendoodles there are many variations of colors. You’ll find these fluffy Muppets dogs sporting all sorts of tawny colors like ultra-cream, champagne, or even a rich caramel cream. Curious to know more?

Find out nine surprising things you may not know about the cream Goldendoodle.

Apricot

Somewhere between red and cream, sits another popular Goldendoodle coat color: apricot! This color is deeper and warmer than cream. And it’s lighter and more subtle than red.

Apricot Goldendoodles could almost fall in the red color family, but their coloring is really lighter and brighter and deserving of its own color category.

Where does the apricot Goldendoodle get its warm, peachy cream coat color? Again, the Poodle gets the paw wave. According to the AKC, apricot is an official breed color of the purebred Poodle.

Red

Fall leaves. Christmas sweaters. Rubies. Crunchy red apples. So many good things come in red…including Goldendoodles.

I have to admit that as the mom of a red Goldendoodle, I’m partial to this color. When our entire family brought our bundle of fluff to the veterinarian for her first new puppy visit, our vet looked from one ginger-headed human to another and then down at our new puppy, and said, “I can see why you chose this puppy!”

Like other colors of Goldendoodles, the Poodle gets a lot of the credit for bringing red to the Goldendoodle gene pool. Plus, some Golden Retrievers lean more toward warm, golden red, too.

Depending on genetics, the red Goldendoodle can range in color from warm, brownish reds to deep ruby reds to cinnamon red.

As my red Goldendoodle has matured into a senior Goldendoodle, her red coat color changed to look more like cinnamon and sugar. She sports a “maple leaf red” coat color with a smattering of white hairs, especially around the eyes and muzzle.

Would you like to know more about red Doodle dogs? Check out my complete guide to the red-iculously cute red Goldendoodle.

Chocolate or brown

Chocolate is a fitting name for brown Goldendoodles. Like the yummy treat, they come in a wide variety of colors and are sweet through and through.

Chocolate Goldendoodles range in color from warm cocoa brown to rich, dark chocolate. Some chocolate Goldendoodles may even have a reddish hue.

Chocolate Goldendoodles get their warm, rich coat color from the Poodle side of the family. According to the AKC, breed colors for Poodles include both brown and cafe au lait (i.e. a light brown the color of coffee with lots of milk added). These two spectacular colors of Poodles give our Goldendoodles many variations and shades of brown.

White

White is an official breed color for Poodles, so it makes sense that white is a Goldendoodle coat color too. This color is a shade lighter than cream and gives these Goldendoodles the look of a summer cloud or a squishy marshmallow.

Also, white is the base color for two-colored Goldendoodles, which are called parti Goldendoodles. (More on that at the end of this article.)

As a research hound and a Goldendoodle crazy dog mom, I’m always looking for helpful information about Goldendoodles. As I was learning about the white Goldendoodle, I ran across the phrase “extreme white” in a description from the Goldendoodle Association of America.

Specifically, GANA explained that all colors of Goldendoodles are accepted as part of their breed standard with the exception of “…extreme white to the extent it would effect hearing.”

So I dug a little deeper and found a study from LSU.edu on the prevelence of deafness associated with pigmentation.

This is a hefty topic, but in a nutshell, the article explains that genes associated with deafness in dogs also link to coat color, especially white coats or pigmentation. The article goes on to include the Miniature Poodle on the Dog Breeds with Congenital Blindness list. Also, it explains that breeds with white pigmentation are most often affected. (Of course, dogs who can’t hear are quick to adapt and can lead a happy life…that’s the good news.)

I’m including what I found on the topic of extreme white coat colors (across all breeds of white dogs), not to scare anyone. Rather, I hope that it’s helpful to you as part of your own research.

Also, it’s another reason why finding reputable Goldendoodle breeders who are knowledgeable and responsible is so important. Our Goldendoodles are counting on us to protect their future and be their voice.

Black

Yes, there are black Goldendoodles!

Black Goldendoodles are less common than their red, apricot, and cream Goldendoodle counterparts.

Also, they are less common than their “cousin” the black Labradoodle. Why?

It all comes back to the parent breeds—the Golden Retriever and the Poodle—and coat color genetics. You can get my full scoop on why black is less common and 14 more things you may not know, in my full story on the black Goldendoodle.

Also, you may be wondering whether black Goldendoodles change color. Because Goldendoodles are a cross breed, every dog is unique and every coat is different. That said, many black Goldendoodles may gray or fade, especially around the face and muzzle, as they mature.

The photo below shows how one happy-go-lucky black Goldendoodle’s face has silvered or grayed.

Goldendoodle color patterns or markings

You can’t talk colors of Goldendoodles without including parti and phantom markings as part of the discussion. These two types of Goldendoodles are unique color patterns or markings rather than colors.

Parti

Life is a parti with a Goldendoodle! But, in this case, “parti” actually refers to a Goldendoodle with a two-color coat. Usually, a parti Goldendoodle is part white and part one other color. The second color appears in no “PARTI-cular” place or pattern.

That’s why one parti Goldendoodle looks so different from another parti Goldendoodle.

The second coloration may be almost like a patchwork of color, and appear any where on the face, body, legs, paws, tummy, and tail.

Phantom

Color is not what makes a Goldendoodle a phantom. Rather, phantom refers to the specific placement of two color combinations on a Goldendoodle’s coat.

A phantom Goldendoodle has a primary coat color for most of the body and a secondary color that distinguishes the eyebrows, chin or muzzle, chest, paws or legs.

The secondary color is almost like patches, but they appear on specific areas of the body. For example, a phantom Goldendoodle may have a black coat color with cream-colored markings on the eyebrows, muzzle, chest or throat, and paws or legs.

The difference between a parti Goldendoodle and a phantom may seem subtle.

Both the parti and the phantom may be two colors.

However, the difference is in the markings. The phantom’s markings are located in specific places and the parti Goldendoodle’s patches may appear anywhere.

Here’s a helpful way to remember the difference between phantom and parti Goldendoodles: A PARTI Goldendoodle’s two-tone markings are in ” no PARTI-cular” part of the body.

Goldendoodle colors: Every shade of happy

While it’s fun to consider all the colors of Goldendoodles, it’s really what’s underneath all that fluff that’s the most important. Whether your Goldendoodle’s coat is cream, red, apricot, black or somewhere in between, the qualities of temperament and good health are paramount.

No matter what color of Goldendoodle you add to your pack, with your love, time, and attention your Goldendoodle will bring every shade of HAPPY to your life!