Labradoodle Coat Colours

These days you can find the Australian Labradoodle in a number of different and beautiful colours. We hope that you find the below colour information informative and useful. Thank you to all the Breeders and Owners who supplied the photos depicting this wonderful rainbow of Doodle colours.

Chalk

Chalk should be a white colour but when compared to white is rather a chalky-white in colour. Nose pigment to be black or rose. Chalk dogs with brown/rose noses are sometimes referred to as Caramel Ice.

Cream

Cream should be a creamy colouring sometimes with apricot/gold tinting, all shades of cream are acceptable. Nose pigment to be black or rose. Cream dogs with brown/rose noses are sometimes referred to as Caramel Cream.

Gold

Gold has also been referred to, as “apricot” should be the colour of the inside of a ripe apricot to varying shades of rich Gold in colour. A true Gold should not have a lighter root than the outer coat and preferable have an even colouration over the entire body. This colour may fade as the dog grows older. Nose pigment to be black in colour.

Caramel

Caramel ranges from a rich gold through to a deep red the preferred colour is very much the same colour as its namesake ‘caramel’ with even colouration over the entire body. Nose pigment to be rose in colour.

Red

Red should be a solid even rich red in colour. A true red should not be lighter at the root than the outer coat. Reds can fade as the dog grows older. Nose pigment to be black. This is a rare colour group.

Black

Black should be a solid with no sprinkling of any other colour through the coat. Nose pigment to be black.

Silver

Silver can range in shades from very light pewter in colour to a dark charcoal. It is preferred to see an even colour through the coat but it is acceptable to see uneven layering of colour in the coat. Silvers are born black with the coat colour developing over time (1-3 yrs). Nose pigment to be black.

Blue

Blue should be a dark to medium smoky blue in colour. Blues are born black but will have a blue/grey skin pigment. The blue coat colour will develop over time (1-3yrs) but as a developed adult should have an even coat colour. Nose pigment to be blue/grey (matching the skin pigmentation). Rare colour group.

Chocolate

Chocolate should be a dark and rich in colour. True chocolates are born almost black in colour and maintain the rich dark colour throughout their lifetime. Colour should be even. Nose pigment to be rose in colour (matching the coat colour). Rare colour group.

Café

Café ranges from a milk chocolate to silver-beige in colour and will develop over time (1-3yrs). Nose pigment to be rose in colour (matching the coat colour).

Lavender

Lavender has a definite smoky lavender chocolate colour giving an almost pink to lilac appearance. Lavender dogs are born chocolate and will develop over time (1-3yrs). Nose pigment to be rose in colour (matching the coat colour). Rare colour group.

Parchment

Parchment is a creamy beige chocolate colour reminiscent of a cup of coffee with a generous addition of milk. Parchment dogs are born milk chocolate and will develop over time (1-3yrs). From a distance adult dogs can be mistaken for a dark or smoky cream. Nose pigment to be rose in colour. (Rare colour group).

Parti

Partis are at least fifty percent white, with spots or patches of any other above solid colour. The head can be of a solid colour but white muzzle, blaze, or white muzzle/blaze combination (preferably symmetrical) are equally acceptable. Full or partial saddles are acceptable, as long as they do not exceed the colour proportion, but are not preferred. Ticking in the white of the coat is acceptable but not preferred. Nose pigment to match the solid colour requirements as listed above.

Phantom

Phantoms have a solid base colour with sharply defined markings of a second colour appearing above each eye, on the sides of the muzzle, on the throat and forechest, or in a chin and forechest bowtie pattern as well as on all four legs and feet, and below the tail. A phantom without clearly defined face markings or one that presents with its whole face coloured in the second colour is acceptable, as long as it maintains all the other specified body markings. Any combination of acceptable colours is allowed. Nose pigment should follow requirements listed above based on the solid base colour. Less than fifty percent white, with the remaining percent any other acceptable solid colour.

Abstract

Abstracts are less than fifty percent white, with the remaining percent any other acceptable solid colour.

Sable

Sables have coats represented by black-tipped hairs on a background of any solid colour, with no particular pattern/location designated for such hairs.

Brindle

Brindles should have an even and equal distribution of the composite colours with layering of black hairs in regions of lighter colour (usually, chalk/cream/gold/red, cafe/lavender/parchment, or silver) producing a tiger-striped pattern.

Multi Pattern

A dog that clearly exhibits more than one of the acceptable colour patterns, such as; a Parti with full or incomplete phantom markings (facial markings with or without presentation of the diamond under the tail), or a Phantom with additional abstract markings, etc. (photographed are two Silver Brindle-Phantoms).

Colour Patterns

These colours may appear in one of the following patterns:

Solid

Colour is solid and preferably even, preferably with no white markings.
A small white flash no larger than 2.5cm in diameter can appear on the chest, feet or tail and is permissible. Even colours are preferred but natural colouration of the coat is not considered a fault.

Parti

Colour is fifty percent white, with spots/patches of any other solid colour. No set pattern is required but symmetrical markings on the head are preferred. Freckling of the solid colour in the white of the coat is acceptable but not encouraged.

Phantom

The body colour must be a solid colour with defined markings of a second colour as follows: above each eye, on the sides of the muzzle, on the cheek, on the underside of the ears, on the throat to forechest, or in a chin and forechest pattern, with a minimum second colouring on the feet preferably up the legs, and below the tail. Second colour in the inside of the leg and flank is also acceptable and should not be penalized. Markings are preferred to be clear and defined.  Face markings of the second colour with the entire face coloured is acceptable, though not preferred, if the other required body markings are present. Any of the solid colours combination is acceptable.

Any solid colour with the second colour being white, must have less than fifty percent white.

Sable

Black-tipped hairs on any solid colour, preferable even but no penalty for uneven pattern of ticking.

Brindle

Should have an even and equal distribution of the colours with layering of black hairs in regions of lighter colours (usually, chalk/cream/gold/red, cafe/lavender/parchment, or silver) producing a tiger-striped pattern.

Multi

Multiple colours or patterns, as in a phantom with large white markings, or a Parti pattern with Sable ticking etc…